The skills gap is too wide! There are not enough engineering students! College recruiting is hard! Attracting diverse candidates is a challenge!
These are all things we’ve heard from our technology clients very recently. Finding and attracting recent grads or soon-to-be grads is tough. Not every environment is Google or Amazon or Facebook. So how do you attract college students to your company?
Here are three easy ways to stand out from the crowd on a college campus.
- Host or sponsor a pizza party for a group or association that you want to recruit from. The society of all kinds of engineers is meeting monthly and students are excited to attend a meeting with pizza there. If you sponsor it and bring it, they will come. Now that you have their attention, be sure to tell an interesting story about your company. Not the job description, but a real-world example of how your company is making a difference – at least in the world of your clients.
- Connect with the career development office at the school. They hold many events and are focused on connecting students with employers. Reach out, ask questions, and try different events to see what works for you. Attend a job fair in the spring and a smaller event in the fall.
- Connect with a minority association or affinity group that aligns with your companies hiring needs. Get to know this group, become a go-to resource for questions for students. Offer to do mock interviews or review resumes. Use your expertise to get connected and they will share the stories about your company as a hands-on employer with others in they know.
Take the first step. Reach out to a local college and start the conversation. It could land you your next great hire.
