iCIMS Hire Expectations™

This past month, the iBlog has done a wonderful job of discussing the inherent value of college internship programs from both an intern and corporate standpoint. Katie Meeker even went as far as providing an overview of the legality behind unpaid and credit based internship programs.

I think everyone can now agree on the value that internships offer to college students as well as organizations. In addition to the mentorship aspect, internship programs have proven to be the best source of recurring entry level talent for competitive organizations across a wide array of industries.

Now that we agree on the value of internship programs and university recruitment, it is important to strategically map out a tailored university recruitment campaign.

Recruiting effectively at the university level, for both internship and entry level positions, is very different from experienced hire recruiting. Think about it, would the employment brand that appeals to C-level hires also appeal to recent college graduates? To optimize your university recruitment campaign, your organization’s university strategy should be tailored to reflect the interests and career aspirations of this targeted talent pool. With social media and Web 2.0 changing the face of university recruitment, successful corporations are placing less emphasis on passive recruiting programs and dedicating their time to online strategic resources. To compete for the most qualified talent at the university level, organizations should strive to implement a strategic university recruitment campaign that heavily relies on building and maintaining a strong, candidate focused, online presence.

While on campus information sessions and networking events are still extremely valuable, online networks, social media sites, virtual mentorship programs and interactive learning sessions are quickly gaining popularity on college campuses. These online resources allow candidates to connect and build relationships with members across your organization for extended periods of time. Innovative organizations are even building their social media campaign directly within their University Career’s page. Twitter RSS feeds show candidates what your current employees are saying and LinkenIn widgets help candidates identify who they are professionally connected to within your organization. Along with these external online resources, forward thinking organizations are redesigning their corporate careers site to include a separate sub page dedicated to University Recruitment. Separating these unique recruitment efforts enables organizations to tailor their employment brand to their university hires. Adding interactive elements, including video testimonial interviews with a cross-section of current employees, has also emerged as a best practice to attract and engage university candidates.

Furthermore, your organization’s College Recruiting Campaign should be as paperless as possible. Research has shown that recent college graduates are willing to take a pay cut if it will enable them to work for an organization who demonstrates corporate responsibility. Going Green with your university recruitment campaign is a great way to make a positive first impression on socially conscious college students as well as demonstrate your organization’s dedication to the environment. Not to mention, automated recruitment campaigns increase recruiter efficiency, decrease cost-per-hire and time-to-fill metrics, and often lead to higher caliber candidates.

Recruiting talent at the university level either through internship programs or university recruitment campaigns is the most cost-effective way to hire fresh, innovative and highly educated talent. Now that your organization has your University Recruitment campaign strategically mapped out, it is important to have the platform architecture in place to attract and manage this unique talent pool.  iCIMS’ Talent Platform provides organizations around the world with a highly configurable talent portal dedicated solely to the management of a college recruitment program.

For additional information, click on iCIMS' University Recruitment video.