Importance of Campus Recruitment, and Why It Should be an Integral Part of Your Campus Hiring Strategy

In this section, we will deep dive into understanding the importance of campus recruitment and how you can establish a robust campus hiring process. According to the Harvard Business Review, a staggering 84% of employers understand and accept the importance of campus recruitment. Yet, one of the biggest challenges lies in driving a scalable yet successful campus hiring strategy.

Additionally, organizations are typically seen navigating a five-part challenge, which includes:

• Making frequent campus visits for pre-placement talks or screening candidates
• Aligning the leadership's schedules
• Managing time and logistics effectively
• Investing in the right resources to conduct the drive
• Investing and augmenting a digital hiring process

This is where a 360-degree tech-driven campus hiring strategy can lend a helping hand by enabling a structured interview process and shortlisting candidates.

Moving on, let's get to the part where we talk about why campus hiring should be a critical component of your campus recruitment plan and how technology is revolutionizing this space--one hire at a time.

Top 3 Advantages of Campus Recruitment

1. You need fresh, uncovered talent: As per data, about one-quarter of CFOs are engaging more in entry-level university recruiting than they did five years ago. In other words, the market is increasingly getting dependent on freshers and young talent as they can bring in new knowledge, skills, and perspectives to the table. This can be invaluable for the company as the fresh-out-of-college students are well-versed with the latest trends and technologies, which can eventually lead to the next 'big idea.'

2. Entry-level graduates are quick learners: Recent graduates are better (and quicker) learners. While there is no defining data that proves this, the fact that Gen Z is tech-savvy works in their favor. They can analyze, perform, and follow-through instructions better. Furthermore, they can multi-task and adapt more easily. All in all, if you want employees with unparalleled technical skills and a better grasp of the digital landscape, hiring fresh graduates is a sound business choice.

3. Young talents are driven and highly motivated: Graduates that are just starting out on their career journey are arguably more motivated and 'pumped' to prove themselves. They are not only more interested in impressing the seniors but are also more willing to help the co-workers more often than necessary. This makes them an excellent team player for any organization. Furthermore, the millennials are known to have better retention rates as they feel a deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness for their first employer. This group is also looking out for mentors and role models, making them the ideal employees who are willing to learn at every step of the way.

At this point, you might be wondering as to how you can elevate your campus recruitment process. We have one word for you: technology.

To understand this better, let's look at Google's robust campus hiring strategy. Here's how the company aces campus recruitment on multi-dimensional levels:

One, the brand offers student scholarships to 'support and inspire pursuing careers in technology. In 2021 alone, the brand has sponsored multiple students from 145 universities across 25 countries globally.

Two, the brand uses technology (aka its website) to demonstrate how interns, alumni, etc. got into the company and even highlights important tips on cracking the interview:

This drives more awareness and interest among the college students as they can benefit from the interviews of Googlers and kick-start their career on the right foot:

Three, the company also has a 'Virtual Career Fair' section on its website, which redirects to a YouTube page with access to useful sessions from the career fair:

Finally, Google makes use of a plethora of digital platforms—from YouTube to blogs—to dispense knowledge on how the brand hires. It goes the extra mile to talk about the company's hiring culture as well as strategies in place so that first-time employees can make a more informed career decision.

The learning: As per data, a staggering 4 million college students graduate each year, and Generation Z is expected to make up 30% of the workforce by 2030. Not tapping into this talent pool with the right mix of digital technologies and offline strategies is a mistake enterprise cannot afford to make. In other words, creating a mix of strategic campus recruitment strategy and setting into motion a step-by-step digitally-driven campus hiring process is the need of the hour, especially if you have a high volume of recruitment needs to cater to round-the-clock. If you tap into the right talent pool, recent graduates can turn out to be a gold mine for your business.

To that end, let's understand what it takes to build a rock-solid campus hiring strategy.

Learn about the challenges faced by the recruiters and hiring managers during campus recruitment. Visit here.