Campus Recruiting Post COVID - How Should You Prepare?

It seems in person events will be back in the recruiting agenda of a lot of recruiters. Have a look at a recent Nace report on Spring Quick Poll on Internships and Fall 2021 Recruiting. Out of 296 responses, 44% of recruiters said they are likely to attend both virtual and in-person events this fall of 2021.

With the gradual vaccination plan active in several nations, the world is finally easing itself into the ‘new normal.’ In countries such as the US or the UK, the future is bright for physical and ‘hybrid’ events.

Campus Recruiting: Welcome to The Hybrid Model

1. The Campus Recruiting Landscape Post-Covid

With the Covid vaccine in wide circulation in many developed countries and the fall recruiting season is approaching, most companies are preparing for a possible on-site working plan. In the US, a survey done by the Partnership pointed out that nearly 62% of office workers are expected to be back to the workplace this September. This means we can potentially organize on-campus recruiting events again after a lengthy suspension.

The fact that people are coming back to the office doesn’t mean talent acquisition professionals are about to go completely offline. If there is anything the Pandemic has taught recruiters, it is entirely possible to conduct your hiring efforts through the Internet.

Robert Half Talent Solutions recently released its July 2021 Hiring Trends report. Out of 2800 senior managers, 49% will continue to conduct remote interviews and onboarding as part of their recruiting strategy. The post-pandemic landscape will see an increase in companies using the hybrid method of candidate recruiting.

2. Will The Hybrid Model Work With Campus Recruiting?

The hybrid model can quickly grow into a common practice for businesses for two main reasons. The rapid development of technology and how tech-savvy today’s students (namely members of Generation Z) are becoming.

With the vast expansion of modern technology, It is highly beneficial to fill your open roles with young, recent graduates. There’s a reason why we know Gen Z members as digital natives. They were born in the age of smartphones, they grew up with social networks, and some consider them their base.

Gen Zers are also very sociable, linked by the strands of social media. Recruiting strategies like referral programs can be easily implemented on this highly connected generation.

5 Valuable Tips to Get Back on Track With Post-COVID Campus Recruiting

As employees are coming back to the office, we’ve worked out a list of useful tips you can consider to fast-familiarize yourselves with the new normal of campus recruiting!

1. Review Your Recruiting Process

If you want to switch to a hybrid recruiting model, a review of your recruiting process is in order. Have a look at your process and see how you can fit both recruiting methods. You can try the following implements:

• The Layered Hybrid Approach

In this approach, your team can implement virtual and physical recruiting in calculated locations of the recruiting funnel to help push your candidates along and support the other model. For example, recruiters usually implement virtual recruiting solutions at the start of the hiring funnel to filter out more qualified candidates. Recruiters can then meet the chosen applicants in person for a final, more detailed assessment.

• The Synchronous Approach

For this approach, your team will be running two smaller funnels of virtual recruiting and in-person recruiting at the same time. If you have a ranking list of schools you plan to visit this season; you can send your team to places you are more likely to find quality candidates. At the same time, a separate group can conduct virtual recruiting in schools with a lower likelihood. With this method, you can explore a new talent pool with little to no effect on your budget while still being able to recruit in key campuses.

LinkedIn’s 2021 survey stated clearly that a hybrid recruiting strategy will soon be the norm and widely applied. It is always beneficial to combine the good points of both practices and create a new, optimal one for your team.

2. Check With Your Schools for Their Semester Plan

Not all schools will be able to fully open or accept physical events due to multiple reasons. There might still be universities and colleges which remain online for the next semester of the new academic year. Therefore, you should check your chosen schools’ plans for the upcoming semester to position your recruiting strategy accordingly.

This is why having a hybrid model is so convenient. If the selected school has yet to allow for career fairs, you can still approach the student through social media, school career sites, and virtual events. You can also have your physical event team approach other schools while you wait for your main schools to open for an in-person event. When a school allows for in-person events, you will have the option to continue your virtual campaign or switch to a physical one.

3. Provide Your Students With hands-on Experience

An extended period of online learning has made university students more eager to get back to in-person events. An article released by Next Generation Learning Challenges describes the challenge of lacking physical contacts when heading a virtual internship. Interns not being able to physically present in the office struggle to know their co-workers. Ultimately, virtual interns have to make extra effort to grasp the company’s culture.

Virtual internships are indeed helpful to prepare students who have a limited timetable or traveling capability. However, after a long period of Pandemic disruption and social distancing, being plunged back to another virtual program might not be preferred by a population of Gen Zers.

Like the hybrid recruiting model, your business can have both types of internships available to candidates. Better yet, you can follow the footsteps of Amazon, where candidates can go into the office part of the week while the rest can be spent working from home.

4. Get Your Recruiting Team Updated With the Latest Event Regulation

Allowing for in-person events to resume always runs the risk of kick-starting another outbreak. This is why along with the mass vaccination plan, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in various countries always have guidelines available for hosting physical gatherings. You can view the regulation for the CDC United States here.

Make sure your recruiting team is updated with the latest version of the CDC and follow their guidance when attending any event in the future.

5. Utilize Your Referral Programs

Referral programs are always a good idea for campus recruiting. With the brand ambassador being the candidates themselves, a business can cut down a considerable amount of recruiting cost if successfully implemented. What about recruiting using referrals in a post-covid landscape?

A recent study mandated by Firstbird shows that around 72% of the surveyed companies already have referral programs, but only 4% of those are truly utilizing them. It means there’s a big chance you can start launching your referral program now and get ahead in the game.

Remember that Gen Z is a very social age group. Being connected through social media creates multiple layers of connection. Two students from two different schools can be suggested as friends because they happen to know the same person or go to the same elementary school.

Another point to consider is that out of 8,273 Gen Zers, 50% have income and job prospects as the main stress driver, according to the 2021 survey by Deloitte. A referral program with good incentives, applied to a demographic of highly connected youths, might be the formula for success.

To Conclude

Now that virtual recruiting plays a more prominent role in the talent hunt, recruiting teams from all industries can use these 5 tips as a starting foundation to find the most suitable students for their business. We hope this article can help to bring in the best employees for your business.

If you are planning to recruit with the help of technology to enhance your campus hiring strategy, take a look at these solutions!