If I were to ask you today, who fits that kind of description, the closest firm that comes to mind is Google (in mine, any way) and what you hear out of them is about what a great place they are to work for an experienced person. . . but nothing that says, "We can take your career from cradle to grave.
Since the post 9/11 recession began, campus recruiting has fallen off of many firm's radar screens (is there a phrase as anachronistic as "radar screens") . Companies are trying to hire finished products and few are taking the time to plant seeds in the ground, feed and water the seeds and help them grow into beautiful flowers. Yet, now, more than ever, firms need to make strong efforts to train and hire rookies and juniors.
What is working now when you go on campus to attract beginners?
In public accounting, the hiring process on campus is tied up by Thanksgiving because the firms are able to anticipate and plan their needs that early.
The recruiting process begins with a company presentation in the fall that offers students the opportunity to learn about the various positions available within a company and the locations that are being recruited for. Firms should start to connect with some of the students and collect information about them, their interest and begin a process of communication with them.
Make sure you obtain their email address, IM and cell number!
In the months that follow, you should contact them with follow up information, an occasional contact and be able to answer their questions honestly. One reminder: during these presentations, be sure to have your story straight. Anything you say to the student during the presentations will be remembered forever.
If you are asked questions, make notes of your answers and share them with others on the team so that of they are asked similar questions, everyone can be on the same page.
DO NOT SPEAK CRITICALLY OF YOUR COMPETITION FOR TALENT.
Calling a competitor, "The biggest mistake you could ever make," does not endear you to the student, even if it's true. Better to calmly speak about the difference between your culture and theirs if you actually know it or to speak purely in positive terms about your own.
Usually, the recruiting team consists of relatively junior people in the organization who, it is believed, will be able to connect with the student better than an older person might. Then there is the "senior manager type." Make sure your senior manager has that sort of "good father" or "good mother" demeanor and/or manner about them. You don't want the company grouch interacting with the kids, sent only because they are available that day and no one else is.
Make the student feel important. an attitude that says, "You need us; we don't need you," will sink your efforts.
Once you've identified some of the people you are interested in, bringing them into your office for an event where they meet some of the staff who are focused on attracting them to the firm gives them a chance to interact with the staff away from the hustle of the meat market (or meet market) of the campus recruiting effort. Such "high touch efforts" give everyone a feel for one another and suggest care for the new hire.
As much as you want them to express interest in working for you, they like to feel like hiring them matters to you.
Oh, yes, look at the composition of the teams involved with hiring. What is the message you send when the team consists of young blind women in HR and old Caucasian men representing the management. Let me give you a hint: It does not suggest diversity in your firm's culture which, given that more and more students are neither of purely Caucasian households, nor male (as a matter of fact, interracial marriage, interfaith marriage, gay parenting and interracial adoption are far more the norm in the US than 20 years ago).
I hope I've re-opened some of your eyes to campus recruiting and its importance in your staff planning and offered a few reminders and tips that will help you obtain a great return on your investment.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2007 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in many disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
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If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at thebiggamehunter@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
If you have a question that you would like me to answer pertaining to job hunting or hiring, email it to him at:
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