The University Space A discussion of corporate university recruiting strategies with experts in the field

Has this happened to you? You feel like you’ve done everything to promote a Campus Information Session for weeks in advance. When it’s event time you’re explaining to your high-level guest presenter that “sometimes only a few students can make it to an event.”

The problem may not be your event promotion. And NO, you should not back down from tapping great executive speakers from within your organization to help attract top students toward your company’s career opportunities.

Sometimes recruiters — the people who are paid to be able to tell anyone, at any time, everything they need to know about working for a company — may not recognize that many students, especially undergrads, have not yet “discovered” their company and its career potential.

As much as we may think our company or its branded products have saturated the consciousness of their respective target markets, that’s not always true for employment candidates. In fact, unless you have a compelling employer brand AND help candidates see people working within your walls, the idea of employment with your firm may NEVER enter the minds of some of your best prospective candidates.

If the name of your company is hidden behind a collection of killer brand names, the situation may be even worse. Candidates probably don’t realize that “International Soy Products, Inc.” is the same company behind the stylish shampoo they’ve used for years. Or, they may fail to recognize that your company’s diversification takes it deep into an industry that excites them.

What to do???

• Conduct surveys among students on campus—or among interns, co-ops, and graduates whom you’ve recently hired. Find out what they thought of your company BEFORE they really knew you. Ask them if they had ever thought of WORKING for your company.
• Access existing research from resources such as the WetFeet/Universum Employer Rankings, which can help you get a handle on which companies candidates think are hot tickets during the season of “Corporate Information Sessions.”
• Find a knowledgeable firm that can help you develop a strategic plan around employer name recognition on campus.

It’s not too late to take action!

Ray

PS: Follow us on Twitter @TheUSpace.

Listen Now:

 

 Making the Right Impression with Students [7:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s late August and thousands of corporate university recruiting teams are preparing to hit the road in search of the top emerging talent from this year’s graduating classes.

Ensuring that your teams ALWAYS make the right impression with students can be a big challenge. Even when etiquette blunders are a rare occurrence, they can have a devastating impact on your employer brand equity among candidates.

In this podcast, I chat with Susan Fitter Sloane, founder of Global Manners and an expert in lifestyle, manners, and interpersonal skills. Susan holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, is credentialed in etiquette and international protocol, and teaches interpersonal relations at the university level.

Listen in as Susan and I talk about some of the obvious blunders as well as some of the more subtle missteps that we’ve seen from student feedback surveys.

After that, please share some of the obvious and not-so-obvious interpersonal challenges that you’ve encountered by adding comments to this blog post.

We look forward to your comments.

Ray

PS: Follow us on Twitter @TheUSpace.

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 Smart Social Media for Recruiting [08:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Online social networks create a whole new media paradigm through which to reach today’s graduating talent. The rapid pace of this shift, and a new world of social etiquette, has left many corporate university recruiters off on the sidelines.

In this podcast we’re joined by author, speaker, and Gen-Y expert Lindsey Pollak, as we begin to frame out an approach to social media practices that can serve recruiters in the university space.

Lindsey is the author of “Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World” published by Harper Collins and co-author of the book “The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)” published by Booklocker. She also runs a career advice blog for young professionals called “The Lindsey Pollak Career Blog.”

Listen in and then, PLEASE, add your thoughts to our conversation.

Ray

PS: Follow us on Twitter @TheUSpace.

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 Episode 2: Helping Your Company Stand Apart in a Competitive Marketplace [5:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

How can companies differentiate themselves with students in a noisy and competitive marketplace? In this episode we’re glad to be joined by Dr. Michael Kannisto, a frequent contributor on ERE.net (the Electronic Recruiter Exchange) and Director of Staffing, University Relations, and Employment Branding with BASF.

Dr. Kannisto kicks off our discussion about employer branding. But we’re looking for your thoughts as well…

> Do you have an established and documented employer brand?

> What elements of your brand help you stand apart for students?

> What challenges did you face in defining and implementing your brand?

Help us keep the conversation going by adding your thoughts.

Thanks for listening.

Ray

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 Episode 1: Building Your Campus Team [6:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Corporate university recruiting activities (at least in the northern hemisphere) can traditionally run from early August through January for full-time hires. For co-ops, interns, fellowships, or other specialty activities, the season will stretch our teams to stay on top of their game well into March and April.

In this, our first program for TheUniversitySpace, we ask corporate university relations veteran Nancy Dilthey to help us put some scope around building a strong campus team. We also talk about keeping that team on the same page as they encounter and engage qualified students throughout a long and busy season.

Nancy offers important insights to get us started. We hope you’ll join our conversation by adding comments of your own…

> What do you look for when you select university recruiting team members?

> How do you keep team members engaged and energetic through a long and rigorous season?

> How do you help your teams present a unified employer brand as they meet and engage with candidates?

Give us your thoughts on these questions… and on the format of our podcast in general.

Thanks for listening. We hope you’ll become part of our conversation.

Ray

Thanks for participating in this new social media tool developed and presented by the University Communication Teams at Baldwin & Obenauf, Inc.

TheUniversitySpace podcast series will focus attention on brief discussions that can provide insights and ideas for corporate recruiters who work specifically on University Recruitment. The conversations you listen to here are only the beginning of what we hope will be an expanding conversation that goes well beyond our host and guests.

Thanks for visiting… tell your professional colleagues… and become part of the conversation.

Ray Ferreira
Baldwin & Obenauf, Inc.