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The Most Successful Campus Recruiters Do These 7 Things. Do You?

Campus recruitment, while rewarding, can be challenging. It requires recruiters to think outside the box, and identify potential within students and grads who are, by and large, inexperienced. Some individuals have a natural talent for their job, while others learn techniques that eventually separate them from the pack. There’s no magic formula for becoming the best in your field – but there’s definitely a lot to be said for those who observe and emulate the best qualities of successful professionals in their business. We’ve compiled 7 habits of successful campus recruiters for you to try during your next recruitment event.

1. They learn about their target audience

It’s not just about knowing what they’re looking for in a job – it’s about being in tune with students and grads in general. Get involved with a few popular trends that your target audience is into, whether it’s getting an Instagram account or watching some popular movies. Even if you don’t end up talking about that activity, you’ll gain insight on their “culture,” and how you can effectively engage and communicate with them. A little effort can go a long way!

2. They create interactive spaces

During info sessions, students and grads come in with the expectation that they’ll be talked at, not talked to. The best campus recruiters take advantage of that expectation – they think outside the box and get them involved in more hands-on activities during the event, whether it’s role playing or doing a survey. When candidates are physically engaged, they are more likely to create a subconscious bond with the company.

3. They ask questions that matter

It’s important to show students and grads that, first and foremost, you are interested in them. Yes, it’s important to go over their education and their past work experience. But students don’t want to show you a work history – they want to talk about their passions and qualities, and how their work ethic makes them stand out from your other candidates. Plus, they’ll feel a lot better knowing they were hired because they were the right person for the job – not because they simply matched the job requirements.

4. They engage with the best in their business

What better way to stay on top of your recruitment game than by connecting with others in your industry? The internet makes it very easy to stay up to date with other campus recruitment professionals – join related groups on LinkedIn and follow established recruiters online. If you get the opportunity to attend a networking event, don’t shy away from swapping a few business cards.

Tip: Have you thought about attending TalentEgg’s Campus Recruitment Excellence Awards and Conference? It’s one of the best ways to meet the best in the business – find out more here.

5. They always have an open door

It’s no secret that campus recruiters are always on the move. But no matter how busy they get, the best campus recruiters always make it clear that their door is open. Eliminating a student or grad’s hesitancy to send an email helps to move the recruitment process along, and allows candidates with initiative to reach out to you. Plus, it’s a great means for forging a great and lasting connection.

6. They respond promptly

If you make it clear that your door is open, but don’t answer in a timely fashion, chances are you’ll look dishonest and unprofessional. Keep your promises – if you say the best way to reach you is by email, be sure to respond to them within 24-48 hours. If you don’t have a response right away, a quick email letting them know that you’ll look into it does wonders. If you’re worried about them falling off your radar, invite them to follow up by a certain date if they haven’t heard back from you.

7. They know when to relinquish control

Finally, the best recruiters know that in order to examine the potential in a candidate, it’s important to give them space to act freely. Although they’re in a controlled environment, you can still loosen the structure they have to follow, and see how they respond. Talk to them like a colleague and engage them in casual conversation. When you equalize the roles of the candidate and the recruiter, you can get a sense of how they’ll behave in a work environment. Discussion: Do you agree with the above points? What would you add/adjust on this list?

Do you agree with the above points? What would you add/adjust on this list?

4 Symptoms Of A Disillusioned Campus Recruiter (And How To Fix Your Perspective)

March 10, 2015 / Veronica Yao / 0 Comments

Do you remember your first day on the job as a campus or college recruiter?

It may have been a short time or perhaps years ago, but most people remember that feeling of excitement – being high on ambition, and pledging to do their very best to build their company or organization by connecting with great people.

Unfortunately, almost every professional goes through a phase where they become disillusioned with their job. It’s not that they stop producing great work, or the role itself lessens in worth. But people often forget to step back from the details of their day-to-day work and remind themselves of why they chose to pursue this career.

So the question is, are you going through a gray phase with your recruitment career? Here are some symptoms you might be facing.

1. You’re seeing names in your database, not people.

When you’re going through resume after resume, day after day, it can be easy to forget that there is a person behind each application. You focus on the text, but not the sentiment behind it.

Remember that every application takes time to craft – students and grads spend hours researching your organization, and thinking about how they fit best in your company. Behind every file in your database, there is an individual who genuinely wants to work with your team and demonstrate why they’re worth your time.

Take some time to look past their educational background and their previous titles. Think in terms of transferable skills – for instance, if they’re applying for an engineering job, but they only have door-to-door sales experience, consider the fact that many engineers benefit from presentation skills when working with clients.

2. Their seemingly obvious questions feel like a huge hassle for you.

If you are a campus recruiter, you know that you will often get the same questions all day long from many different students. From “what does your company do?” to “how much does this job pay?” you’ll have to answer and sometimes redirect both professional and unprofessional inquiries.

This can get frustrating, especially when you know that all this info is readily available on your website. Perhaps you feel you are interacting with people who are not committed to joining your company because they didn’t prepare or do their research first.

Always remember that there is not a one-size-fits-all explanation when it comes to why candidates ask what they ask. Some individuals might have attended the event on a whim, and perhaps some genuinely might not know that the question they asked was inappropriate. Use your discretion, and remember that most people are acting with their best intentions, and they deserve the benefit of the doubt when being considered for a role with your company.

3. Every interview feels like a re-run.

Being in the “driver’s seat” of an interview can be exciting – but after awhile, you can feel like you’re caught in an infinite loop.

You know what you’re going to ask, and you more or less know what the candidate is going to say. Sometimes, you may feel like they’re making up answers to impress you, using generic phrases like “go-getter” and “hard worker”.

If you’re getting the same answers all the time, it probably means you need to change it up. Don’t ask the same questions all the time – turn your interaction into a two way conversation. Get to know the candidate on a personal level beforehand, and base the questions on what you know about them. Think about the phrasing you’re using in your conversation, or use more scenario-based questions that will force them to draw from their own experiences.

4. You wait for them to impress you, and are let down when they don’t.

Have you ever seen one of those movie scenes where a court jester is tasked with impressing a stone-faced member of royalty? If your interviews are taking on this image, it’s time to make a change.

Students and grads often feel like it’s their job is to make an impression on the campus recruiter, which is absolutely true. However, if they are not receiving any feedback from the person they’re speaking to, their performance will likely be much lower in quality.

Don’t wait for them to come up with a stellar act – meet them part way by interacting with them during the interview. This can be something as simple as a nod, or even a phrase like “I agree.” You’ll find that when the candidate is at ease, they will naturally show what they have to offer.

Discussion: How much of an impact does a campus recruiter’s attitude have on a potential candidate?

4 Reasons Why Campus Recruiters Should Ditch Their Pre-Written Questions

March 4, 2015 / Veronica Yao / Comments Off

It’s important to be prepared. But there is such a thing as being overly prepared.

Don’t get us wrong – by all means, plan the campus or on-site venue to a tee, do your research on a candidate, and ensure you have all the proper documentation ready. But the one thing you don’t want to overplan are the questions you’ll ask a candidate.

Newer recruiters are the most prone to this. After all, the number one thing everyone thinks of when it comes to interviews are the questions. But overplanning the questions in advance can risk you not getting all the information you need out of your candidate – and more importantly, it may interfere with your efforts to connect with them.

If you’re still not convinced, we have a whole list of reasons why you should ditch the notes and add some improvisation to your interviews.

It’s not a Q&A. It’s a conversation.

The truth is, interviews today are changing – students are no longer tasked with coming up with the “right” answers, but rather, presenting themselves as a worthy candidate by creating a memorable experience. However, even the best young professionals can only do so much when their conversation partner’s mind is stuck in their rigid schedule of “which question to ask next”.

Conversations change direction, and so should you.

It’s important for interviewers to be flexible in what they’re going to ask next. After all, candidates can be unpredictable in their answers, and you need to be able to come up with a probing question to have them expand, or even redirect the conversation if the candidate goes off track. Focusing on a certain set of questions limits your “flexibility” in this sense.

The phrasing of a question matters.

There is a huge difference between asking “Why are you interested in this role?” and “Why are you interested in this career?” Both similar questions, but each will likely yield a different answer from your interviewee. This can be especially problematic for recruiters who are hiring a high volume of candidates, and have a standard set of questions they can rattle off the top of their head – you need to ask your questions the right way in order to get the type of information you’re looking for.

You need to validate their presence.

For an interviewee, there’s nothing worse than feeling like they’re just another disposable candidate. Even if you are hiring at a high volume, it’s important that each interaction is tailored personally to that individual – again, if you are asking “one-size-fits-all” questions, that’s not going to cut it for them.

How to conduct your interview questions (without pre-writing questions).

If you’re convinced, and ready to make the switch, we have some great tips for you:

Create a “road-map”.

A road map will dictate the points you want to hit. You may want to travel from Toronto to Ottawa, and you’ll know what cities you have to drive through. But you probably won’t make plans to stop at a specific gas station in a specific city at a specific time.

Use this analogy when planning your interviews. Know what topics you want to hit and what information you want to draw out of them. But you don’t need to plan the wording and the phrasing of each point. For example, if you know from their resume they have experience in customer service, and you want to know if they have experience hitting sales targets, make a note of it.

Keep a checklist, and review it at the end.

After you create your “roadmap” and you create a list of items you want to cover, create a simple checklist to bring with you to the interview.

During the interview itself, don’t check off anything. Let the conversation take its course, and do your best to steer that conversation to naturally hit as many points off your list as you can. At the end of the interview, take a moment and review your list while your candidate is still there. If you have missed anything, ask them those remaining questions then.

Listen to what they’re saying, and use it in your next question.

If a candidate gives you an answer, and you want to hear more, don’t feel pressured to come up with elaborate phrasing. Think of yourself as a “prompt” more than someone who comes up with impressive questions.

Try using simple phrases like “tell me a bit more about that,” or “Earlier, you mentioned X. Could you elaborate?” This will keep the focus on the candidate, and take the pressure off you so you don’t have to come up with a bunch of information-loaded questions.

Discussion: Do you prefer to conduct “freestyle” interviews or pre-planned interviews?

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