The Top Challenges to HBCU Recruitment – and How Recruiters Are Tackling Them

As companies continue to prioritize diversity in hiring, many organizations are approaching Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the goal of reaching more Black talent. But the strategies that have proven successful for recruiting students at Primarily White Institutions (PWIs) are not necessarily going to garner the same results at HBCUs — and recruiters are beginning to discover just that.

And here’s why: HBCUs offer Black students a different experience than other institutions as they pursue a higher education. According to a Gallup-Purdue University study, Black students have more meaningful experiences at HBCUs (than those who attend PWIs), which may be due to the fact that they are surrounded and supported by others with similar backgrounds, and because HBCUs’ values are rooted in family and collaboration. In other words, HBCUs foster a sense of community among its students, and emphasize meaningful relationships between students and professors/staff. In fact, the survey also found that Black students and graduates of HBCUs are more than twice as likely to remember feeling supported by a faculty member or teacher during their time at school than those who attended a PWI, as it’s not uncommon for staff to serve as mentors for students in and outside the classroom, and help them network to find job opportunities.   

So what does this mean for recruiters? In order to connect with Black students at HBCUs, you’ll want to take note of how professors and faculty interact with students — which is by investing time into building trust with students, nurturing that connection throughout their college careers, and showing them you’re invested in their professional development and want to see them succeed.

Earlier this week, RippleMatch hosted a Community Workshop, “Best Practices for Recruiting at HBCUs,” where we gathered more than 100 talent professionals to share their insights and concerns surrounding strategies to diversify their candidate pools. The most common sentiment shared across the board was that HBCUs and the students that attend them require a deeper level of relationship-building than students at PWIs — which should inform your strategy for attracting talent there. 

Here are a few challenges recruiters are facing with that in mind that were brought up by participants and some suggestions offered by their colleagues during the workshop. 

Challenge: There are more than 100 HBCUs to recruit from — how do I decide where to target my efforts, given the time my team would need to invest to build connections with students at those schools?

Suggestion: Go deep. When deciding how wide a net to cast in terms of your HBCU requirement strategy, many participants said that they have had the most success with a strong focus on a handful of schools. HBCUs differ from each other in a variety of ways — outside of the fact that they are located in different places (scattered across 20 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands) and are a mix of public and private, two- and four-year institutions — they offer students different combinations of majors and programs. You’ll have a better chance at tapping into talent truly interested in a career at your company by identifying schools with areas of study that align with your company’s roles. For example, some HBCUs have strong business programs, while others are known for their excellent computer science programs. More broadly, we have even compiled a list of HBCUs with impressive liberal arts programs producing graduates with top skills to fit a variety of careers. As you do your research on which schools have programs that would best prepare students to succeed at your company, you can also peek into course curriculums to further trim your list, a few suggested.

Challenge: Once I decide which schools to focus on, how do I get in front of students and begin to form long-lasting relationships?

Suggestion: Show up and stick around. Gaining access to HBCUs differs from getting your foot in the door at a PWI. Some participants shared that while sending an email to a career center at a PWI will often get you on the list to be notified about upcoming career fairs on campus or virtually, they’ve seen that career centers at HBCUs can be understaffed and overwhelmed by the growing influx of companies looking to recruit their students. Instead, a few participants shared that they have seen success in going in person to campus to shake hands and form a relationship with the career center staff to get on their radar. Others suggested reaching out to student groups, clubs, and fraternities and offering to sponsor food and drink at some of their events. Once you make that original introduction in a friendly and casual way, it will open the door for you to speak directly with students interested in your company as a career. 

Some participants also suggested contacting professors directly about your company and career opportunities because, as mentioned previously, professors at HBCUs have been found to take an active role in finding their students' promising jobs. 

And now that you’ve opened the door to HBCUs, you can continue to work with those same professors to help you foster relationships with their students. Some participants suggested that you ask professors for permission to come into the classroom and provide students resume and interview prep to support their general professional development. In fact, students at HBCUs place a lot of value in professional development — and it’s a great way to build trust and repertoire with them. Even if you aren’t directly pushing your company and brand, you’ll begin to form genuine connections that could lead to students becoming dedicated employees. Participants found most success when they began to offer those services to freshmen and sophomores, which allowed them to continue to connect with students over the course of their college careers.

Challenge: What can I do to support my small team in recruiting at HBCUs, especially if they need to dedicate time on campus?

Suggestion: Make it a group effort. While the rest of the world may be embracing a remote-first culture, many participants shared that it is important to pair virtual recruiting efforts with physical visits to HBCU campuses. One way talent teams can expand their outreach while not stretching themselves too thin is to leverage other willing members of your company to visit campus, such as alumni from schools you’re visiting, staff in other departments that students may be looking to learn more about, and your diverse staff. In fact, participants agreed that it would be wise to send members of your Employee Resource Group (ERG) in addition to recruiters to connect with HBCU students on campus, especially if you lack diversity on your talent team. By tapping on different employees to speak to students every few months, you can ensure you have a presence on campus year-round. 

Other issues that participants discussed included: 

Challenge: In order to gain access to career fairs, some HBCUs are now making recruiters pay a fee, which can be a struggle for smaller companies. Is there any way to avoid that?

Suggestion: A few participants found success reaching out to student groups directly to set times to visit.

Challenge: How do I explain to my board that the ROI at HBCUs is different than at PWIs, and that I need to spend more time with HBCU students to see any results?

Suggestion: Participants suggested having real conversations about the goals the company set for diverse talent and the effort it will take to meet those goals. Educate them on the evidence out there about the culture of HBCUs, such as using RippleMatch’s guide. 

Challenge: How can you be effective in virtual recruiting when it’s clear you’ll have the most success when you are face-to-face with HBCU students?

Suggestion: Get creative with virtual events — think larger than company presentations and aim to educate but also form a bond— and be sure to offer opportunities for professional development for students.

While recruiting at HBCUs may be a different game, it's one you’d be wise to play if you want to secure diverse talent. HBCUs are a great source of highly-qualified entry-level candidates, and account for about 20% of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Black students. But it’s easier said than done. It was clear from our community event that recruiters across a variety of companies big and small are facing similar challenges as they navigate HBCUs. At the same time, one thing remains clear: HBCU students value genuine relationships, and that concept should determine what resources you dedicate to your D&I strategy and how much time you allot to forming real connections with HBCUs and their students and faculty. Learn more in RippleMatch’s Guide to Recruiting at HBCUs.