When Student Met Recruiter: 6 Ways To Stand Out

Recruitment and hiring isn’t just competitive for job seekers.

How are YOU, as a recruiter, engaging and retaining top students and grads?

Interacting directly with students on campus is a key element of an effective recruitment strategy. While top students will naturally stand out from the pack, it is also vital for recruiters to focus on effective networking.

Consider the following six ways to make your mark with Gen Y job seekers:

1. Highlight your career-launching opportunities

Students and recent grads aren’t just looking for a job, they’re seeking a workplace where they can make an impact and launch a successful career. Gen Y values opportunities for advancement, work support and training more highly than any other factors.

Helping Gen Y understand how your opportunities align with their desire for career growth and support is a great way to introduce them to long-term potential at your company – and it gives your recruitment team an excellent conversation topic to engage interested candidates.

• Opportunities run deep: Career Growth at Vale
• TTi’s flow chart illustrating potential career trajectories available to new grads as they start their entry level roles.

2. CULTURE, rather than JOB, in the spotlight

Meeting a current employee at a recruitment event gives a student or recent grad the opportunity to learn more about the company’s culture. It is important to share the elements of your company’s culture through engaging resources, be it a video or a creatively designed company website. These steps help Gen Y hopefuls visualize themselves at your workplace.

Potential candidates will want to see that your recruitment team has hands-on experience of your company culture – and that they understand what makes it Gen Y-friendly.

•  LightSpeed’s Harlem Shake

Giving your potential Gen Y hires an accurate representation of your company’s culture cultivates future employer brand ambassadors and improves retention rates.

3. Take on the dual role of Recruiter and Mentor

Every recruitment season, hundreds of employers flock to campuses to attract the next pool of interested candidates. This is an engaged Gen Y group; you have the opportunity to provide them with information they will find valuable.

Stand out from the rest by pulling from your personal experiences and providing these fresh, young minds with insightful advice and feedback.

• Insider Tips From A Suncor Recruiter For Students And New Grads
• Tips for a Career in Financial Services

Investing in your Gen Y cohort’s potential demonstrates that you are committed to offering them support and creates a strong positive impression.

4. Be visual

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That means a video is worth millions. Including visual aids in the form of videos, pictures or brochures in your presentation will provide your audience with a clearer understanding of the benefits of joining your company.

Showcasing videos where entry-level employees are interviewed about their experiences with the company adds credibility and weight to your employer brand. Additionally, these testimonials will encourage more organic interaction between you and a Gen Y candidate and help them better understand the reality of an entry-level role with your organization.

• Kraft has great behind-the-scenes videos that showcase how their internship program lets you develop the skills for career success.

Employer profiles on TalentEgg enable students and recent grads to revisit your brand resources and easily access your job opportunities.

5. Get on their level

Students and recent grads often have limited experience and are eager to explore a career-launching opportunity. Enabling that process depends on your ability to communicate in a way that reflects your understanding of their challenges and expectations.

Placing emphasis on a candidate’s potential for growth rather than their work experience will further strengthen your employer brand and position it as being Gen Y-friendly.

This is a great opportunity to challenge assumptions and engage your current Gen Y employees. Are you asking them the right questions? Are you applying their feedback?

6. Stay engaged

The crucial phase of Gen Y engagement comes after a networking event or information session. Some candidates will follow-up and engage of their own accord, but others will need to see that you welcome this kind of initiative.

This is a great way to nurture new connections – and it also helps you connect with qualified students who are a little less assertive in a live event. Communicating with interested candidates on multiple platforms will ensure your presence is felt and you can continue to be someone these students and recent grads can turn to when they need any employment advice.

•  Companies like RBC and EF Educational Tours Canada use Twitter effectively to interact with students.

Keeping Gen Y in the loop about other events you may be attending will show that you value them and keep them engaged with your employer brand.

Applications are now open for the 2014 TalentEgg National Campus Recruitment Excellence Awards. Get them in by February 28^th for the chance to stand out from other employers as a campus recruitment leader!

What tips do you have to stand out with Gen Y? Let us know in the comments below!