101 CAMPUS HIRING GRADUATE TO YOUR BEST GEN Z CAMPUS RECRUITING STRATEGY YET - GR8 People
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CAMPUS HIRING 101 G R A D U AT E T O Y O U R B E S T G E N Z C A M P U S R E C R U I T I N G S T R AT E G Y Y E T
TABLE OF CONTENTS 03: Introduction 04: New Approaches for a New Generation 05: Inside the Mind of Gen Z: A Primer 12: Putting Your Knowledge to Work 18: When You Can’t Be on Campus in Person 19: Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
Booth fees. Travel expenses. SWAG costs. While some
organizations may be questioning the value of on-campus
recruiting events, others believe that maintaining a campus
presence is well worth the investment. Savvy college recruiting
teams recognize that career fairs and other campus-based hiring
events are among the most effective ways to raise awareness of
their organizations and connect with the next generation of talent.
Approximately 90% of employers who responded to the NACE
2018 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey report indicate that branding
to campuses is very or extremely important to their college
recruiting efforts. And, when asked to assess individual campus
branding techniques, “career/job fairs” is rated most effective,
followed by “campus information sessions,” and “supporting
student organization activities and events.”
This E-Book explores what’s changed—and what
hasn’t—across the college recruiting landscape and
At the same time, the emergence of Gen Z signals an
offers recommendations to improve
opportunity to re-examine the target audience and adjust
campus recruiting approaches accordingly in order to
successfully convert new grads into new hires.
A NEW GENERATION
If there’s one thing college recruiters can have confidence in, it’s that capturing the
attention of graduating seniors requires every advantage possible. This is due in large
part to the high percentage of employers that will participate in campus recruiting
events, which means fierce competition for the best and brightest. According to
NACE’s Job Outlook 2019 Spring Update, 99% of respondents plan to be on campus
this fall with many vying for the same candidates, especially when it comes to the
most in-demand majors:
Students report an uptick among new
grad hiring, too. The offer rate for But the messaging and methods that made your organization stand out in the past
graduating seniors who applied for a may not be as effective for Gen Z students. Taking a closer look at the next generation
full-time job reached its highest rate of talent is the first step in determining how to adjust your messaging and strategy for
since 2007, with students reporting the coming recruiting season. After all, you can’t gain an edge with your audience if you
an average of 1.10 job offers. lack insight into what makes them tick, including their career perspectives, job search
Source: NACE, Class of 2019 Student Survey behaviors and communication preferences.
GEN Z: A PRIMER
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z
is on track to be America’s most
diverse and educated generation in But beyond the most
history. According to Pew Research
Center, close to half are non-white, basic demographic
while 58% of Gen Z members who
were no longer in high school were
data, how well do
enrolled in college. As the first true you really know your
target audience?
digital natives—The Center for
Generational Kinetics reports that
61% of Gen Zers now use their
phones for at least five hours per
day—Gen Z considers access to
technology a given.
POP QUIZ: It’s important to understand how Gen Z thinks about not just their career interests and aspirations, but about entering the workforce and what they expect from today’s employers. True or False? • Gen Z believes development is an important job attribute. • Job security matters little to Gen Z. • This generation exhibits a strong desire to make the world better. • Members of Gen Z feel well prepared to enter the workforce.
Gen Z believes Job security matters This generation exhibits a Members of Gen Z feel well
development is an little to Gen Z. strong desire to make the prepared to enter
important job attribute. world better. the workforce.
Gen Z is already known for having Having grown up under the cloud
Ongoing research by cultural Surprisingly, even though they
accrued significant internship of the Great Recession, Gen Z
consultancy sparks & honey have high rates of internships
experience and for a keen focus on shows early signs of being far
finds that 60% of Gen Z wants and very career-focused
coursework related to their more pragmatic than Millennials,
their jobs to impact the world, coursework under their belts,
intended profession. So, it’s no and this includes the desire for
while 76% is concerned about many feel unprepared for the
wonder that, as noted in Gartner’s job stability. Approximately 83%
humanity’s impact on the planet. world of work. InsideOut
2018 Global Labor Market Survey, of seniors responding to the
Further, roughly one-quarter Development’s research finds
23% of Gen Z candidates view NACE 2018 Student Survey
(26%) of Gen Zers between the that “not being good enough” is
development as a critical Report rate “job security” as
ages of 16 and 19 currently the second-most common
component of a job opportunity—up either very or extremely
volunteer. answer when asked what scares
from 17% of Millennials in 2013. important.
them about working.
TRUE FALSE TRUE FALSE
THINKING
The more familiar you are with what drives members of Gen Z—including aspects of the workplace that make them
anxious—the more effective you’ll be at aligning your employer value proposition and culture to their mindset. Think
about the following: If you answered “yes” to any of these questions,
you should be promoting these attributes in all
• Do you have top-notch development opportunities for early career professionals, such as rotational or campus communications, highlighting relevant
mentorship programs? employee stories that provide undeniable evidence
• Is your organization committed to a specific cause or does the PTO policy cover volunteering? that your organization excels in these areas.
• Can you demonstrate consistent company growth alongside a track record of stable employee tenure?
• Does your onboarding program address new hire needs and training well beyond the first couple of weeks?
POP QUIZ: In addition to knowing what Gen Z’s perspectives are regarding their entry into the workforce, it’s equally important to learn how they go about finding a job and the search methods they find most effective. True or False? • If you want to reach Gen Z, social media is your best bet. • Gen Z is more likely to use YouTube than LinkedIn to research an employer. • Members of Gen Z rarely attend campus career fairs to find a job.
If you want to reach Gen Z, Gen Z is more likely to use Members of Gen Z rarely
social media is your best bet. YouTube than LinkedIn to attend campus career fairs
research an employer. to find a job.
Given that members of Gen Z turn to It makes perfect sense that “show, don’t In 2018, the National Society of High
social media for nearly every aspect of tell” is the mantra of a generation that School Scholars (NSHSS) asked more
their lives, it seems counterintuitive grew up on YouTube. Now we’re seeing than 16,000 Gen Z high school and
that social doesn’t top their list of job the influence of visual and video college students how they had looked
search strategies and tools. In fact, just communications preferences on Gen Z’s or planned to look for a job. “Attend a
40% of respondents to NACE’s 2018 job search activities, too. As reported by job fair” ties for third place along with
Student Survey report using social The Center for Generational Kinetics, “speak to my school counseling or
media in their job search. This even 41% of respondents indicate that they career services office.” Only “view
applies to social platforms designed for would be likely to use YouTube to learn company websites” and “ask friends
professional networking—only 36.9% of more about a potential employer, and relatives about available positions”
students who used LinkedIn say it was compared to only 30% who say the were identified more frequently by
helpful in finding a job. same about LinkedIn. students as job search methods.
FALSE TRUE FALSE
THINKING
Don’t assume that Gen Z has abandoned traditional job search methods, such as campus career fairs. However, you should ask yourself if you need to modernize your approach.
For example, if you’re greeting students at your booth with a pen and clipboard in hand and asking them for a hard copy of their resume, well, you’re not going to make the
impression you need to—that you represent a tech-savvy organization—in order to engage Gen Z.
Start by evaluating recruiting tools and technologies designed for events, particularly those that can automate many of the administrative tasks associated with campus
recruiting. This will give you more time to focus on making a positive impression on students through one-on-one conversations that help them understand your organization and
how they might fit into it.POP QUIZ: Finally, it’s essential that your campus communications practices reflect how Gen Z wants employers to pass along information about job opportunities. True or False? • Gen Z prefers email over all other communication methods. • Students would rather communicate about job opportunities at a career fair than via text messaging. • Receiving a phone call is not among Gen Z’s preferred methods of communication.
You did if your answer to all
three statements is
Here again, we find that what current research reveals differs from what we might otherwise assume about
Gen Z, as many people would expect that today’s college students prefer text over more traditional channels such
as email and career fairs. However, when respondents to the NSHSS survey rated their preference regarding how
companies should pass along information about job opportunities, the results break down as follows:
• Email (85%) • LinkedIn (20%)
• In writing, mail, publications, etc. (54%) • Instagram (20%)
• Personal contacts and connections (53%) • Facebook (19%)
• Career fairs/networking events (48%) • Snapchat (12%)
• Text messaging (39%) • Twitter (11%)
• Telephone (38%) • Other (1%)
THINKING
Tailor your outreach and engagement strategies according to Gen Z preferences, keeping in mind that the preferences above probably shift depending on where candidates are in their search
process. For instance, students may prefer to learn about your corporate culture and the work your organization does via Instagram while status updates and feedback regarding a specific job
they applied to should be communicated via email. And, you may find that texting is more effective when setting up an interview and sending a reminder of the confirmed date of time.PUTTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO
Now that you have a foundational understanding of Gen Z—one that you can supplement
with your own primary and secondary research—the next step is to apply what you’ve
learned by determining the strategies and best practices that will serve as the basis of
your on-campus college recruiting efforts. Among the key areas of focus:
3. Make the most of your
campus connections.
2. Optimize your email 4. Share relevant,
communications with students. meaningful stories.
competitors
1. Leverage technology for 5. Demonstrate your
seamless campus hiring events. plan employer value proposition.Leverage technology for seamless campus hiring events. Gen Z will expect nothing less from you than a recruiting process that integrates technology appropriately across all candidate touchpoints. And yet, campus hiring events remain one of the primary areas in which employers struggle to modernize their efforts. Don’t invest both the time and resources required to be on campus only to have your event fall flat because you’re focused on administrative tasks instead of your target audience. In other words, an on-campus experience should always be relational, not transactional, especial when the technology exists to fully support engaging experiences. Why spend the bulk of your time during the event collecting paper resumes when you could be fostering connections with top students? The right tech solution makes it possible to pre-screen resumes in advance of the event and arrange onsite interviews with ideal candidates through automated self-service scheduling functionality.
Optimize your email communications. As noted earlier, email is overwhelmingly Gen Z’s preferred method of learning more about job opportunities. The obvious takeaway is that you should use email to share relevant job postings and to update them on their status as they move through the apply process. But optimizing email communications also means leveraging email to help you stay in touch with the students you meet on campus until a suitable job opening arises. Automated drip campaigns can be developed to share information about what it’s like to work at your organization or provide details about career paths that are relevant based on their prior internship experiences and program of study. In many cases, the college recruiting cycle will be lengthy—email communications can keep your organization top of mind among students throughout their job search process.
Make the most of your campus connections. Friends and family members are among the many resources that Gen Z is tapping into as they search for a job. It’s not a stretch to expect that students will also turn to other influencers in their lives for career advice and to identify relevant job opportunities. You’ll benefit tremendously by building a solid network of campus relationships. And while your contacts within a college’s career services center are essential, get to know faculty members teaching in the subject areas that align with your hiring needs as well as the administrators who oversee relevant student organizations. Finally, don’t forget to bring alumni from your company along with you to campus career fairs and events—these highly influential individuals will offer compelling testimonials regarding why they joined your organization and what they’ve been able to accomplish as an employee.
Share relevant, meaningful stories. Audit your existing campus communications and determine how you might translate straightforward information about working at your company into intriguing stories that will bring the experience to life. Instead of listing “relevant career paths and development opportunities” as a bullet point in a brochure, showcase recent graduates who joined your organization with an emphasis on what they studied while in college and how those interests have translated into a rewarding career path. Ideally, these stories will be captured in video, which will allow you to easily share them with students by integrating the videos into a range of candidate communications while promoting them socially, too. Create a YouTube channel that’s dedicated to the needs and interests of new grads as this makes it possible to highlight everything from office locations and perks to company culture and career paths in one place.
Demonstrate your employer
value proposition.
All candidates, but especially Gen Z, crave authenticity. One of the best things
you can do is let Gen Z candidates experience your value proposition firsthand.
Thinking back to the perspectives outlined earlier, we know that many new grads lack
confidence in their ability to do a good job at work and, as such, want assurances that
the employer will be there to guide them through a successful transition.
Start demonstrating your organization’s commitment to supporting new grads early in
the recruiting process. In addition to showing up for campus career fairs, participate in
other career-related activities that are designed to benefit students. Most colleges and
universities host mock interview and resume review days for seniors, during which
corporate talent acquisition and recruiting professionals volunteer their time to serve
as “interviewers” and “screeners,” providing on-the-spot feedback and coaching. Plus,
with fewer employers to compete with, you may find that structured, hands-on
programs like these are ideal for identifying and recruiting top students.WHEN YOU CAN’T BE ON CAMPUS
Add virtual
recruiting
programs to
In an ideal world, companies would be able to maintain a presence across all target colleges and your campus
hiring strategy.
universities. The reality for most is that there are far more campus events than there are the time,
resources and budget required to attend them all.
One option is to add virtual recruiting programs to your campus hiring strategy, such as livestreaming
information sessions. Work with the respective college or university career services center to find out
how they might be able to support your efforts and reach out to the faculty members and
administrators you’ve fostered relationships with to spread the word. Then, ensure your virtual events
are interactive to accommodate real-time questions, and always record them so that they can be made
available online post-event to any Gen Z student interested in learning more about your company.C O N C L U S I O N
OUT FROM THE CROWD
The emergence of Gen Z doesn’t mean that employers need to completely overhaul their
college recruiting strategies, especially when a positive on-campus presence remains one of
the most effective ways that companies can connect with soon-to-be grads. However, those
that take time to understand how the interests and needs of their target audience have
shifted—adjusting their messaging and modernizing their approach accordingly—will be best
positioned to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment.GR8 People is 100 percent purpose-built to deliver the unfair advantage companies demand to compete for
talent around the world. It is the talent platform that brings CRM, recruitment marketing, applicant
tracking/hiring, and onboarding together; connecting entire talent ecosystems with one-experience to
perform branding, sourcing, recruitment marketing, hiring, strategic communications and so much more.
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