Your company is looking to hire. So, where can you find your next employees? In the rush to post Help Wanted ads, many organizations overlook the potential of connecting with upcoming high school and college graduates.
The Advantages of Recruiting Upcoming Graduates
The newest members of the workforce bring a unique set of benefits to the table. These include:
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- Enthusiasm
- Fresh perspectives
- Adaptability
- Familiarity with recent technology
- More flexible schedules
- Lower base salaries or wages
- Less competition (especially if you connect with students before they begin job hunting)
How to Start Making Connections with Upcoming Graduates
If you would like to expand your recruiting efforts into school settings, give these strategies a try.
Embrace Technology
Today’s graduates grew up with a computer in their pocket, so be prepared to meet them where they are. Work toward developing or expanding your organization’s social media presence. If this seems overwhelming, begin with LinkedIn and add on from there. Also, make sure your business is mobile friendly. It should be easy to view your website AND submit an application from any device.
Build Your School Network
By forming relationships with college career centers and high school guidance offices, you can advertise current openings at your company. To take networking a step further, reach out to academic departments and clubs as well. In addition, look for ways to provide value to students so they know and love your brand. For example, you could give industry-related presentations on campus, host tours of your facilities, or offer job-shadow days.
Attend Career Fairs
Many businesses already attend college and high school recruitment fairs. To give your organization an edge, build buzz for the upcoming event on your social media channels. And, of course, encourage interested students to stop by. Finally, don’t forget to collect contact information so you can keep in touch with promising candidates.
Offer Internships
Internships can be a win/win situation. Companies can use internships to cover summer vacations and to observe potential employees on the job. Meanwhile, students and recent graduates can use internships to gain hands-on experience and to expand their resumes. However, remember internships should provide high-quality work. Students want to spend their time learning new skills, not running errands around town.
Create Brand Ambassadors
Does your company have a recent graduate success story? Maybe you just added an intern to your permanent team? Or perhaps your outreach efforts inspired a student to pursue an unexpected career path? Share these testimonials on social media. And, invite your success stories to join you at recruiting events as brand ambassadors. Hearing these stories allows current students to envision the possibilities at your organization.
Are You Looking for More Recruiting and Hiring Advice?
Halpin Staffing Services publishes a weekly blog on topics ranging from assessing candidate reliability to providing attractive non-monetary benefits. And, if you’re looking to fill empty seats, we can help with that too. As one of the top local staffing agencies in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois, our recruiters will find the people you need to get the job done. Learn more about the staffing solutions we offer today!
