Think back to your days as a college student or fresh grad. You may have thought you understood the workforce, the industry you were interested in and the career path you wanted. After landing your first role and earning tenure in your field, you likely realized your perceptions were very different from reality. Because entry-level job seekers have no background or context to give them a real understanding of what’s out there, they can’t even comprehend everything that comes with a full time job. Instead of leaving them in the dark, you can provide some clarity to your potential college recruits through engagement, education and exemplification. Not only does it increase your visibility, it also helps them to see your employment brand in a positive light.
3 Ways to Demystify the Job Search for Your College Recruits
- Engage. “It’s all about who you know.” This statement is often drilled into the heads of job seekers, especially those new to the workforce. However, professional networking is not easy, especially if you don’t have any leads and aren’t sure where to start. Fortunately, this gives employers like yourself a fine opportunity to proactively engage potential candidates. Unless you’re Zappos or Apple or Google, there’s a strong chance potential college recruits aren’t scoping you out as an employer. And if you’re a smaller business, they may not even know who you are! However, this issue can be alleviated by creating a well-researched engagement strategy. Using tools like social media, online recruitment video, interactive recruitment advertising and more can boost your visibility and enhance your ability to connect with talent you want at your company.
- Educate. Because the job search process and the workforce in general are essentially brand new for potential college recruits, take it as an opportunity to not only sell them on your company and opportunities, but as the perfect time to educate them on your industry and career paths. By going above and beyond and becoming part of the learning process, your company is more likely to stand out as a place they’d like to work.
- Exemplify. This step can be broken down into a simple phrase: show, don’t tell. Employer brand is as much about gaining credibility and earning trust with your target audience as it is about creating a desirable culture that’s conducive to learning, growth and advancement. We all know the values that make the best-known companies so highly sought after, and in order to compete, you must embody the traits you claim to have.
Now it’s your turn. What other actions can you take to assist potential college recruits in their job search (and they don’t have to start with the letter ‘E’)?
Image: Edith Soto/Flickr
Author: Autumn McReynolds
Autumn McReynolds is a master of communication, and with two years in the recruiting industry and over five years of experience in journalism and content creation, she was thrilled to take her career in a new direction as a Blogger and Content Strategist focused on talent acquisition in the digital age. In addition to writing, Autumn spends her time managing social media accounts for business and pleasure. Follow her on Twitter @AutumnMcRey.
