Campus recruiting is a term often used to describe talent hunting and hiring college and university students.
There are various reasons why this trend has been around since almost forever, and in this post, we will discuss:
- The benefits of campus recruiting
- What does the campus recruiter exactly do?
- How to create a winning campus recruiting strategy?
- How to approach Gen Z the right way?
- And how digital solutions can help us and boost our efforts.
The benefits of campus recruiting
According to the National Association for Colleges and Employers, the average hourly wage for an undergraduate intern was $16.26 in 2014. This is an excellent way for small businesses to hire without adding a large amount of overhead, as they would need to when employing more established professionals.
This is only one way of looking at things. And the other is more oriented towards staying ahead of the competition. Many large enterprises, funded startups, especially in the IT industries, love hiring young, skilled, and enthusiastic graduates.
Just think about it. Every once in a while, you hear how some very young student has gotten a good job offer from some tech giant.
One of the big reasons businesses like hiring Gen Z is also because they are very tech-savvy. They are born surrendered with technology, and while millennials and older generations may struggle with technology, Gen Z does it so naturally.
Therefore, hiring them can significantly help both small businesses and larger ones. Small businesses often consider at least hiring them to work and train their older professionals since they’ll be much more cost-effective than other types of trainers, as well.
What does the campus recruiter exactly do?
Campus recruiter actively searches for young and talented students across the globe that can help the business and be an amazing add-on to their current workforce. Their primary duty is to source, attract, engage and form relationships with students.
The method they choose to do so can significantly vary and depends on the industry they are recruiting for and their overall campus recruiting strategy.
Therefore, campus recruiters often need to have a comprehensive knowledge of recruitment marketing, social recruiting, employer brand, and how to communicate effectively.
How to approach Gen Z the right way
Gen Z is very different from the older generations.
They are often referred to as digital natives, which means that studying, finding a job, and even working can be done 100% online. And this is important fact recruiters and employers need to bear in mind.
When compared to the older generations, Gen Z is far more competitive, with 75% of them stating that they expect to be promoted in their first year on the job.
Another thing that is essential to Gen Z is activism. Hence, they care a lot about:
- Social issues,
- Gender equality,
- Environment,
- Inclusivity
This is why for the good portion of them, salary is not that much important, since they want to work for a cause and want to be in a good, diverse and caring company.
The facts mentioned here will be crucial when creating a winning campus recruitment strategy that we will discuss in the next section.
How to create a winning campus recruiting strategy
Research your audience
When talking about the right way to approach Gen Z, we have mentioned a few fundamental traits that they all share:
- Digital natives are very tech-savvy
- They are ambitious
- They are willing to fight for what they preach and want more than just a job.
These are all very important to keep in mind.
When doing the first phase of creating a campus recruiting strategy, make sure to really go out there and research the students and their behavior.
You can do this by going to their university or