Making the right impression
The graduate job market has never been more competitive – for graduates or for the organisations who want to hire them.
Campus recruitment is no doubt an important part of your graduate hiring strategy, but as you’ll already know, it means going head to head with every other graduate employer at exactly the same time. And that means your on-campus activities need to be more impressive, more memorable, and more targeted each year. But is this enough?
Who should you be talking to, and when?
Traditionally, organisations focus on targeting students in their penultimate or final year, but our research indicates that this is often too late. With a need to justify the rising cost of education, the increasingly competitive nature of the job market and the rise in internships, many students are already thinking about careers in their first year. Or earlier. So by the time you reach them on-campus, a large percentage will have already committed to a graduate employer.
Early engagement is key
Engaging with students at the start of their studies – especially if you’re less well-known or in a niche sector – can really help you get a head-start. Initial engagement could mean simply starting a conversation or sharing information that helps students make more informed decisions. Our research shows that many don’t fully understand the roles they’re applying for and don’t feel able to ask. They also complain that every employer’s offering seems the same, so they end up firing off applications almost randomly.
Your on-campus partners
For all these reasons, making a splash on-campus is crucial, and we have many years of experience helping employers do just that. We can help you find new and interesting ways to connect with the best candidates both physically and virtually. We’ve created pop-up events, fun competitions, quirky campus recruitment presentations for leaders, marketing packs for brand ambassadors and a range of other well-received on-campus campaigns. We can conceive, plan and execute from start to finish, or provide support where you need it most.
