Campus recruiting is not a new phenomenon. It has long been viewed as a critical part of talent acquisition for companies both big and small. In fact, according to Aptitude Research Partners’ 2018 Hire, Engage, and Retain study, nearly 70% of companies are hiring new college graduates this year. But as the competition for talent intensifies, companies are placing more emphasis on their campus recruiting efforts and paying close attention to how they can achieve results. Leading companies are beginning to rethink their campus recruiting programs and invest in world-class technology to transform the experience for both recruiters and student talent.
These companies are looking to make better decisions around how they engage and communicate with student talent. But, they don’t always know how to evaluate their efforts. In our latest research on campus recruitment, only 30% of companies how a process for measuring their campus recruiting efforts. In a time when companies need to align talent and business strategies, campus recruiting efforts need to be better managed, tracked and evaluated. The good news is that technology solutions can help organizations measure these efforts and provide the data they need to make more informed decisions.
Below are a few ways that companies to better measure their campus recruiting efforts:
Define the Metrics: Not every company will have the same approach to measuring their campus recruiting efforts. It is important to consider what your unique hiring needs and goals are before defining the metrics that matter to your company. When a company understands what they are measuring, they are better positioned to make changes and improvements. Some of the metrics that companies use to evaluate campus recruiting efforts include performance of schools and events, cost savings, candidate experience and conversion rates (especially time from acceptance to start).
Make it Continuous: There is a tendency in campus recruiting to only measure effectiveness during campus event season or individual events. Companies need a long-term approach to campus recruiting that happens continuously during the year and extends beyond career fairs. Companies that are evaluating their efforts throughout the year are more likely to see improvements to their programs.
Consider Events Management: Companies that automate the administrative tasks such as scheduling and follow-ups are able to focus on measuring the effectiveness of their efforts and defining what success will look like in the future. These companies that automate the process can track what works and what doesn’t work and can make decisions based on data.
Invest in the Right Technology: Eighty percent (80%) of companies using technology have insight into campus recruiting talent. A large outsourcing firm that we interviewed for the report are using technology to capture candidate data digitally, providing complete transparency into campus recruiting results, while improving the candidate experience through streamlined resume collection. Yello helped the organization to streamline all activities and provide insights they needed to be more effective.
Campus recruiting is a top three priority for companies this year according to Aptitude’s Hire, Engage, Retain study. We are excited about our latest research and hope that more companies consider a more long-term approach to how they improve and measure their campus recruitment efforts.
