University Recruiting During The Coronavirus
As the number of cases of the novel coronavirus continue to increase in the U.S., colleges and universities such as Harvard University, Columbia University, Rice University, University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University are switching to online classes, suspending events, and asking students to vacate campus for the remainder of the semester to mitigate risk.
With many campuses moving to remote classes, in-person campus recruiting events such as career fairs, networking events, and info sessions are also affected. While these cancellations are disappointing for student job-seekers and campus recruiters alike, it's completely achievable to meet your spring hiring goals and still connect with candidates in a way that’s personal, effective, and efficient. Here are our top recommendations for navigating university recruiting during this challenging time:
Switch planned in-person events to virtual events
From webinars to info sessions and even career fairs, virtual recruitment events have been growing in popularity for some time now for their ability to reach more candidates and reduce costs, while still creating an engaging experience. Switching to virtual events is the responsible and necessary thing to do in this current health crisis, but it doesn’t mean you are sacrificing candidate experience.
For planned in-person events like info sessions, contact anyone who RSVPed with a reminder that the event has moved online, and provide clear instructions about how to access your now-virtual event. If you were scheduled to attend a career fair and did not have a list of attendees ahead of time, consider planning an alternative event, like a webinar or Q&A session. As your team was likely already coordinating with career services, they might advertise your new event through student listservs or to registered career fair attendees. If you planned to recruit heavily at conferences such as NSBE, reach out to the organization or regional chapters about setting up a virtual networking session so you still have the chance to connect with members. Finally, you can proceed with coffee chats or ‘on-campus’ interviews through a video call – just be sure to leave a buffer in your schedule in between chats, as many students are likely unfamiliar with video software such as Zoom or HireVue.
Source students remotely for your entry-level positions
Many companies already turn to sourcing for its advantages in diversity recruiting and to build a strong pipeline of good-fit candidates. But during this time, sourcing can be particularly powerful in creating a positive candidate experience as the added complications of COVID-19 makes an already stressful process for college seniors that much harder.
In addition to or in lieu of virtual recruiting events, lean into traditional sourcing tools like LinkedIn, or explore a university-specific remote recruiting solution, like RippleMatch to source students that match your hiring preferences. You can build your sourcing strategy around how you might target candidates in-person: filter for certain schools, membership to national organizations like SWE, NSBE, or SHPE, or academic background.
Go the extra mile to share relevant information about your company throughout the hiring process
Data shows that Gen Z candidates associate a positive candidate experience with one that includes personalized communication and interaction. When face-to-face communication isn’t an option, it can make it more difficult for candidates to feel like they have a connection with the company. That means that going the extra mile to share information on things like company culture, career growth opportunities, and work-life balance can have an impact on winning over a candidate. (Read our article on why candidates accept job offers for more insight, here.) Whether you carve out extra time during a video call or prepare a post-interview email with additional resources, it’s important to help candidates envision themselves at your company by providing as much useful information as possible.
Plan for the future
While you move your recruiting events and hiring processes online, it could also be a good time to invest in recruiting strategies that will pay off down the line.
This could include things like evaluating vendors that can help reduce your reliance on in-person campus recruiting strategies, brainstorming ways to revamp your recruitment marketing materials, or investing in digital early engagement initiatives. Allocating some time to be proactive can make the eventual transition back to business-as-usual that much stronger.
Meeting your hiring goals and helping college students start their careers in the process will be a bit more challenging to navigate in these uncertain times, but it’s achievable – and important. Even in challenging times like this, companies still need to find and hire great people, making the adaptability and resilience of talent acquisition teams as essential as ever.
