Home
NEST – Nurturing Excellence, Strengthening Talent
0 min read
In the constantly changing landscape of recruitment, hiring managers find it difficult to cross the numerous hurdles they face in search of the right candidate. According to a study conducted by Mettl in 2019, around 74 percent of respondents saw talent acquisition as a challenge faced by HRs. Thus, recruiters often look forward to hiring candidates on campus, ones equipped with new-age skills. But what they ordinarily choose to overlook is the need for building an effective campus recruitment strategy which is of paramount importance in the current scenario.
While the entire process of campus hiring is elaborate in itself and requires sufficient resources, the chances of recruiting a candidate of your choice are a lot higher on campus than elsewhere. So, even though campus hiring is a lengthy exercise, recruiters spend time visiting campuses, delivering pre-placement talks, conducting interviews to finally shortlist candidates.
Most HRs are aware of the first step - i.e., to identify a company’s recruitment needs. From analyzing the departments that need more workforce to determining the competencies you would like to hire for, you must have a clear picture in mind of the person you are looking for. However, in addition to making use of all their resources to hire the best candidate, companies must essentially focus on the preparation of a campus recruitment strategy. To help you outline an efficient and effective plan, we have listed a number of ways in which you can build your recruitment strategy for campus hiring. Have a look!
Technically, the first step is to determine the campuses you would want to visit for recruitment purposes. So, when you have identified the job roles you are recruiting for, the next step is to decide whether or not a selection campaign must be organized on a particular campus. In other words, in case an organization is willing to hire candidates for management positions, they will most likely hit B-Schools and overlook Engineering colleges.
This can be done in either of the two ways - select the top 10 colleges to shortlist candidates of your choice or list your jobs online and make it available to students from all colleges in order to hire the cream of the crop. To understand the company’s needs better, answer the four Ws - what to offer, when to approach, which institutions to shortlist and whom to hire.
If the answers to any of the above questions are unclear, your campus recruitment strategy will not yield desired results. Therefore, before you step out to hire, make sure that you know the demands of the company and the role on offer. Only then should you approach the shortlisted campuses for hiring.
Fresh college graduates who are looking for a job, expect gratifications well beyond great salary offers. So, to hire talented individuals, it is vital to understand the requirements of such candidates. Oftentimes, skilled and competent students get attracted to a company if they relate with the mission and vision of the firm. This makes them believe that they will be working for a bigger purpose with the organization and thus, will be a lot more invested in the company.
Most companies decide to visit the campus way before the placement season begins. This helps them connect better with the student pool, understand the dynamics of the campus as well as build their employer brand and proposition. Major multinational organizations like Reliance Industries Limited, Flipkart and the like, organize competitions like Reliance TUP, Flipkart Wired, Flipkart Grid, etc., in various B-Schools and Engineering colleges to recruit candidates of their choice.
These campus engagements help organizations build relationships with candidates and understand whether or not a particular candidate is a culture fit for the organization. Additionally, they also keep the potential talent pool engaged even before they step on campus to hire candidates.
An important factor that steps in when recruiting candidates is the screening process. With evolving technology and better assessment tools, companies have started re-defining their tests. Organizations have replaced rigorous test procedures that would essentially eliminate candidates who weren’t good test-takers with a specially designed Selection Strategy that would keep in account the aspects of culture fit in addition to assessing the candidates’ technical competencies.
Innovating their testing processes, many companies have leveraged remote proctoring tools that allow companies to drastically reduce the time put by them to evaluate candidates. These tests can be given by candidates whenever they are ready and the AI-enabled technology helps recruiters identify them on grounds of behavioral aspects as well, to avoid discrepancies. To top it all, companies have also started conducting hackathons like - Philips Code to Care Challenge and case study competitions - like HUL L.I.M.E, to shortlist candidates who really are enthusiastic about joining their organization.
Interviews play an indispensable role when recruiting candidates on campus. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the parameters on which you would like to assess candidates and set standards for the same. The interviews conducted should be transparent in nature and must follow a clear and precise process to evaluate suitable candidates for a particular job role.
Campuses are a treasure trove of talented individuals, equipped with new-age skills. To tap into this pool of potential candidates, be sincere about the company’s vision, maintain an open-door policy, and encourage the culture of peer-to-peer learning. Offer students a platform where they can achieve their desired goals and be honest about the company’s values. Create an environment where they can make mistakes, fail, learn, and get back up again!
Here is a list of other articles related to employer branding and campus engagements that might come in handy:
While the entire process of campus hiring is elaborate in itself and requires sufficient resources, the chances of recruiting a candidate of your choice are a lot higher on campus than elsewhere. So, even though campus hiring is a lengthy exercise, recruiters spend time visiting campuses, delivering pre-placement talks, conducting interviews to finally shortlist candidates.
Most HRs are aware of the first step - i.e., to identify a company’s recruitment needs. From analyzing the departments that need more workforce to determining the competencies you would like to hire for, you must have a clear picture in mind of the person you are looking for. However, in addition to making use of all their resources to hire the best candidate, companies must essentially focus on the preparation of a campus recruitment strategy. To help you outline an efficient and effective plan, we have listed a number of ways in which you can build your recruitment strategy for campus hiring. Have a look!
1. Shortlisting campuses for recruiting
Technically, the first step is to determine the campuses you would want to visit for recruitment purposes. So, when you have identified the job roles you are recruiting for, the next step is to decide whether or not a selection campaign must be organized on a particular campus. In other words, in case an organization is willing to hire candidates for management positions, they will most likely hit B-Schools and overlook Engineering colleges.
This can be done in either of the two ways - select the top 10 colleges to shortlist candidates of your choice or list your jobs online and make it available to students from all colleges in order to hire the cream of the crop. To understand the company’s needs better, answer the four Ws - what to offer, when to approach, which institutions to shortlist and whom to hire.
If the answers to any of the above questions are unclear, your campus recruitment strategy will not yield desired results. Therefore, before you step out to hire, make sure that you know the demands of the company and the role on offer. Only then should you approach the shortlisted campuses for hiring.
2. Understand the modern workforce
Fresh college graduates who are looking for a job, expect gratifications well beyond great salary offers. So, to hire talented individuals, it is vital to understand the requirements of such candidates. Oftentimes, skilled and competent students get attracted to a company if they relate with the mission and vision of the firm. This makes them believe that they will be working for a bigger purpose with the organization and thus, will be a lot more invested in the company.
3. Campus Engagements
Most companies decide to visit the campus way before the placement season begins. This helps them connect better with the student pool, understand the dynamics of the campus as well as build their employer brand and proposition. Major multinational organizations like Reliance Industries Limited, Flipkart and the like, organize competitions like Reliance TUP, Flipkart Wired, Flipkart Grid, etc., in various B-Schools and Engineering colleges to recruit candidates of their choice.
These campus engagements help organizations build relationships with candidates and understand whether or not a particular candidate is a culture fit for the organization. Additionally, they also keep the potential talent pool engaged even before they step on campus to hire candidates.
4. Using the right tools for assessment
An important factor that steps in when recruiting candidates is the screening process. With evolving technology and better assessment tools, companies have started re-defining their tests. Organizations have replaced rigorous test procedures that would essentially eliminate candidates who weren’t good test-takers with a specially designed Selection Strategy that would keep in account the aspects of culture fit in addition to assessing the candidates’ technical competencies.
Innovating their testing processes, many companies have leveraged remote proctoring tools that allow companies to drastically reduce the time put by them to evaluate candidates. These tests can be given by candidates whenever they are ready and the AI-enabled technology helps recruiters identify them on grounds of behavioral aspects as well, to avoid discrepancies. To top it all, companies have also started conducting hackathons like - Philips Code to Care Challenge and case study competitions - like HUL L.I.M.E, to shortlist candidates who really are enthusiastic about joining their organization.
5. Conducting Interviews effectively
Interviews play an indispensable role when recruiting candidates on campus. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the parameters on which you would like to assess candidates and set standards for the same. The interviews conducted should be transparent in nature and must follow a clear and precise process to evaluate suitable candidates for a particular job role.
Campuses are a treasure trove of talented individuals, equipped with new-age skills. To tap into this pool of potential candidates, be sincere about the company’s vision, maintain an open-door policy, and encourage the culture of peer-to-peer learning. Offer students a platform where they can achieve their desired goals and be honest about the company’s values. Create an environment where they can make mistakes, fail, learn, and get back up again!
Here is a list of other articles related to employer branding and campus engagements that might come in handy:
- How to conceptualize B-School and Engineering campus engagements for enhancing employer brand equity
- A Definitive Guide to Build a Strong Employer Brand
- Debunking the Myths associated with Employer Branding
- How building an Employer Brand can make all the difference
- How Campus Engagements Benefit Companies Even Before The Recruitment Process?
Login to continue reading
And access exclusive content, personalized recommendations, and career-boosting opportunities.
Don't have an account? Sign up
Never miss an
Update
Featured Opportunities
Subscribe
to our newsletter
Comments
Add comment