College Recruiting Basics
Kevin Wheeler
Generation Y, or the "Millenniums" as they are called, will change the way almost all recruiting takes place. These are the people born from around 1980 onward, who make up close to 25% of the current and potential workforce. Only the Baby Boomers were more numerous and more influential, and they are in the waning years of workplace importance.
The new rules on how, where, and when work gets done -- and who does it -- will emerge from the technical and cultural experiences and beliefs of Gen Y. Technology is core to understanding this generation. They are technically savvy and connected, and they work virtually much of the time. Almost 100% of today's college students own a cell phone and, according to a study by YouthKnowhow, almost 82% of 15-19-year-old youths have cell phones. A recent Pew study indicates that 82% of those 18-29 go online to get their primary news updates, and cable television reaches almost all of those under 25 years old and most of those between 25 and 40. They do not read much, unless it is online and part of a website or an email. Most books are purchased by Baby Boomers and the most electronic bytes are purchased by Gen Y.
Face-to-face interaction is less and less important to them for social events, for education, and for having fun. The electronic gamming industry has grown significantly over the paste decade and games get more realistic and more complex every year. There are students who date virtually and take part in gamming parties without ever being in physical contact.
Culturally, the Gen Yers are also a diverse group. In the southwestern and western United States, youths of Hispanic and Asian backgrounds are at a majority or close to it. African Americans are returning to the south and reasserting their own culture and traditions. Media, movies, and travel all reinforce the diverse understanding and tolerance this generation has for a variety of experiences. They are looking for adventure and excitement, but it can be offered virtually.
All of these trends are slowly exerting their power on recruiting college students to corporate America. By the year 2010, these forces of technology, culture, and demographics will have transformed traditional college recruiting and will have caused it to re-examine what it does and why and how it does it.
Here is Part 1 of a two-part article on some of what we may begin seeing.
RECRUITING VIRTUALLY ALL THE TIME
Recruiting will take place all the time, rather than at certain specified times and places set by university administrators and corporate recruiting directors. Specified times for information session and interview schedules will have little or no importance or relevance to students. They are used to having information available on a website all the time. Most professors post homework, example problems, sample tests and often collect and grade the homework all electronically. I ask my own students to submit their homework to be via email and I grade it and return it the same way. All my lecture notes are online along with my PowerPoint slides and other materials so any student can get it wherever and wherever they are.
Students expect to access in-depth material about your organization, philosophy, and even find out experiences others have had with your organization. Recent graduates and newly hired employees are already starting to contribute to their online alumni chat rooms and blogs their experiences as an employee at your firm. Through email, text messaging and blogs, many recent grads stay in touch with those still at school and give them the inside scoop on how to get employed at your firm, which managers to avoid, what to say and do or they offer up reasons to avoid your firm.
The smart organization will have an up-to-date, youth-oriented website for college recruiting and offer a variety if ways to interview, including online and virtual interviews. There will be much less effort and time spent on campus involvement and more with getting students to the website and involved in virtual communication. Next week, I will offer some secrets to a great college website.
VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS AND CO-OP EXPERIENCES
These students have been working virtually since high school. They are completely used to working with email, conference calls, with online collaboration tools and with streaming video. Good college recruiting will use these skills to create relationships with the students and recruit them over time.
Leading edge firms will provide ways for students to interact with project managers, hiring managers, and functional experts within an organization. Perhaps students will be offered the opportunity to collaborate on a project virtually or take part in conference calls or online discussions about work issues. Students will be hired based on online interviews and assessments, offered internships that are virtual and be involved in work without ever coming to the corporate site or meeting anyone in person.
This is a scenario that I have tested with many Baby Boomers and Gen Xs (those between 30-45). Generally the reaction is negative and comments fly: "You have to see someone in person to really know them." "You can't judge without a face-to-face interaction." "Being at our site is important to success." And, while I, too, often feel this way, the facts are clear: It is not necessary to see someone face-to-face to have a relationship, to get work done, or to communicate. The Gen Ys have been doing this all of their lives and are quite comfortable with it. We are the ones who need to change and adapt, although I am sure it will be a long and messy process!
GLOBAL OUTREACH: ALL SCHOOLS ARE "KEY"
The world is getting very small and very flat. People anywhere are potentially candidates for any job. Students are studying and working abroad more frequently and, while language is still a barrier, more and more schools and students are comfortable working in English. And, more American students are from diverse backgrounds and speak two or more languages fluently. It is relatively easy to get a work visa in many countries and many are encouraging young people to come and work for a while to ease the labor and skills shortages that are growing. Australia and New Zealand, as well as China, have relatively easy ways for students to work in their countries.
Given technology, there is less reason to confine recruiting to a handful of key schools. The requirements for a job can be redefined around skills and competencies and students can be tested to see whether or not they have those skills and competencies in the amounts required. Through online screening and virtual interviews, any student could be a candidate. The benefits to the organization are increased diversity, greater variety of students with different experiences, and the ability to ferret out even the rarest skills.
Articles
Finding Candidates
- 10 Reasons to Hire Vets
- Hire Older Workers
- Improving Candidate Quality
- Sourcing 101
- Sourcing Candidates Well
- Tips for Building Employment-Related Websites
- U.S. Employ of People with Disabilities: Free Workshops
- Virtual College Recruiting
Interviewing Basics
- 10 Commandments of Recruiting
- 5 Keys to Successful Hiring
- 7 Tips for Successful Phone Interviews
- Behavioral Interviewing Basics
- Contrary Evidence Questions
- Interview Questions: Do's and Don'ts
- Interviewing Opening and Closing Remarks
- Interviews: Common Weaknesses
- Mistakes Amateur Interviewers Make
- Phone Screen Interview Mistakes
- Probing Techniques Explained
- Screening Interviewing: Top 10 Red Flags
- Strengthen the Validity of Your Interviews
- Telephone Interviews: Basics
- Ten Bad Listening Habits of Interviewers
- Types of Interviews
- Typical Probes and Follow up Questions
- What Do Interviewers Need to Know to be Effective?
Interviewing Best Practices
- 7 Keys to Effective Selection Interviews
- A Closer Look at Behavior-Based Interviewing
- Advantages / Disadvantages of Interviewing
- Applying Core Competencies to Selection Interviews
- Are You Really a Behavior-Based Interviewer?
- Assessing Speaking and Listening Skills
- Best Practices in Interviewing Candidates
- Deadly Interview Mistakes
- Death by Interview
- Ensure Hiring Success in Every Situation
- Executive Assessment Should Be Mandatory
- Generational Interviewing
- Hiring Interview + Strategic Applicant Management
- Hold Evening and Off-Time Interviews
- How to Interview a Top Performer
- Improve your Interviewing Techniques
- Interview Questions to Assess Soft Skills
- Interviewing for Ethics
- Interviewing Millennials
- Interviewing: Business or Psychology
- Metrics Interview
- Peeling Back the Onion
- The Positives of Panel Interviews
- Time for Candidate Advocacy?
- Tips for Conducting Successful Interviews
- Two Critical Interviewing Questions
Laws & Documentation
- Applicant Reference Release
- At Will Employment Release
- Avoid Negligent Hiring Mistakes
- Employee Referral Program Metrics
- Fair Labor Standards Act Information
- Four Interview Questions Never to Ask
- Giving Employee References
- Hiring Compliance Guidelines
- Hiring for Small Business
- Interviewing People with Disabilities
- Job Denial Letter
- Legal Issues in Interviewing
- Minimize Employment Risks: Document
- SAMPLE Employment Policy
- SAMPLE Letter: Educational Records Check
- SAMPLE Letter: Reference Check
- Ten Safe Hiring Tools
- What is Negligent Hiring
Line Manager / Recruiting Partnership
- Defending Candidates to Hiring Managers
- Interlocking Core Competency Interviews
- Internal Application Process
- Making Internships Work for You
- Making the Case for Behavioral Interviewing
- Non-Traditional Merit Pay Alternatives
- OFCCP Definition of an Internet Applicant
- Why Managers Shouldn't Do Most Hiring
- Workforce Planning: Strategic Staffing Strategy
Post-Interview
Pre-Planning & Retention
- Bonus or Incentive?
- Brand-Building on a Budget
- Build a First-Rate Hiring Process
- Closing the Deal
- Compensation Plans: An Overview
- Conducting an Exit Interview
- Good Hiring Starts with a Good Job Profile
- Improve the Quality of the Employment Function
- Interview Process Problems
- Interview the Job Before the Candidates
- Job Description Template-Link Pay to Performance
- Linking Pay to Company Performance
- Selecting and Using Salary Surveys
- Succession Planning
- Succession Planning: Identifying Top Performers
- Using a Pre-Interviewing Questionnaire
- Winning the War for Talent
- Worker Shortage by 2010: Preparation
Reading the Candidate
- Beware of Those Who Boast
- Blind Man's Bluff
- Decision, Decisions: Choosing the Better Applicant
- Detecting Deceit in Interviews
- Little White Lies on Resumes
- Suspend Judgment Until the Interview is Over
Recruiting Basics
- College Recruiting Basics
- College Recruiting Essentials
- Cut Down on Interview No Shows
- Discouraging Low Quality Applicants
- Don't Hold Too Many Interviews
- Job Descriptions: Why are they Important?
- New Strategies for Screening Job Candidates
- Preventing Resume Overload with Questionnaires
- Resume Review Basics
- Test Validation Explained
- The Value of Person-Organization Fit
- Three Companies Cut Turnover with Tests
Recruiting Best Practices
- 25 Telltale Signs of the Wrong Candidate
- 5 Overlooked Ways to Hire Winners
- Asking the Right Recruitment Questions
- Attracting Your Competitor's Employees
- BPR.......for Recruiters!
- Candidate Engagement
- Cloud Recruiting
- Evaluate Your Capture Strategy
- Hiring Best Practices
- How Do You Attract and Retain the Best People?
- How to Attract Applicants to Undesirable Jobs
- How to Attract, Develop and Retain Best People
- How to Find and Keep Valued Employees
- Ignorance and the Human Condition
- Onboarding Success Secrets
- Secrets to Non-Profit Hiring
- Selecting Top Management Talent
- Semi-Active Candidates are Best Bets
- Six Core Selling Principles
- Skills Based Recruiting: When, not How
- Smart Choices: How to Hire the Best
- Strategy for Hiring the Best This Year
- The Uses and Misuses of Personality Tests
- Top 10 Employee Selection Mistakes & Solutions
- Treat Candidates with the Carbon Rule