A 2016 AfterCollege Student Career Insight Survey found that career fairs are the third most popular way that recent grads are finding careers, with on-site campus info sessions and interviews not too far behind. Getting a college-educated worker is a really good investment for any company, and the majority of companies only want applicants with degrees.
Every year, businesses flock to college campuses in order to get the most qualified candidates for their company. A staffing agency in particular should have some kind of procedure in place for recruitment, as this is a great opportunity to meet candidates in person and get the client’s name out there. While online tools like LinkedIn and Indeed have helped significantly sped up the job process, nothing beats actually going to a campus and meeting candidates face-to-face. It’s the most distinct and fastest way to pick out the best possible candidates. Here are some tips for recruiting on college campuses, courtesy of Jobvite.
Dive Into Technology
People aren’t looking at newspapers anymore to try and find a job. Everyone utilizes the internet, one way or another. By using technology and social media, staffing agencies can make sure they connect to the candidates that are going to make their business and their clients succeed. Young talent is generally on their smartphones, updating professional networking sites and using their mobile device to find the most up-to-date job alerts across a multitude of platforms. Reach out to college students and recent grads on these platforms, and advertise there.
Look to School Clubs
It’s hard to set up a booth when you get lost in the hustle. Getting in with school clubs, associations and student groups can really help when you’re looking for. It’s a good way to get introduced to brands, network with candidates, and position your agency and clients as an employer of choice. As an added bonus, there are plenty of pre-professional student organizations that will be filled with students that are already interested in working in a particular field, and depending on your client’s industry, these could be a great source of candidates.
Promote the Fair
Look to promote your job fair weeks or months in advance, that way you can expect to have a high turnout. Start marketing for an event early and don’t rely on just posters put up around campus. For the right event, marketing tools can go a long way.
Bring in Talent Through Innovation
College students don’t want to just work at any boring workplace. Help students move beyond traditional resumes and help build relationships and connections through social media. Having a strong social media marketing strategy as a staffing agency is imperative for moving forward with strong workers. Once your agency is branded as the place to work at, then the talent will start trickling in.
It doesn’t matter how early you get in the game, although early is always best. What really matters is that you know your audience, carefully market your event plus your brand, network with outsiders, and create buzz through offering incentives for those willing to put in the extra work for the benefits. If you want to make your staffing efforts worthwhile, focus on recruitment through college campuses.
About World Wide Specialty Programs
For the last 50 years, World Wide Specialty Programs has dedicated itself to providing the optimal products and solutions for the staffing industry. As the only insurance firm to be an ASA commercial liability partner, we are committed to that partnership and committed to using our knowledge of the industry to provide staffing firms with the best possible coverage. For more information about Staffing Professional Liability Insurance or any other coverage, we have available to protect your staffing business, give us a call at (800) 245-9653 to speak with one of our representatives.