Outline of Campus Recruitment Process: Here’s everything you need to know
The recruitment landscape has undergone a sea of change in the past few years. Technological advancements, changing work culture, and employee demographics are some factors that have fuelled this change. It is also interesting to observe that the unemployment rate is currently close its lowest.
As a result, various aspects of recruitment such as hiring and retention have become more complex than ever before. Top organisations are focusing on hiring young talent they can train and groom to fit into their work culture. Therefore, campus hiring has become more important than ever before!
Campus recruitment is a strategy usually employed by medium to large-sized companies to fulfill their high-volume recruitment needs. HR professionals of different organisations work closely with career centres in colleges to source, engage, and hire young talent. They also attend events such as career fairs to interact with college students, especially recent graduates. They might have to visit several universities and colleges to find the right talent for their organisations.
Why has campus hiring become important?
Most organisations find it difficult to get the right talent for entry-level positions. Campus hiring overcomes this challenge by providing a large talent pool to recruiters.
As the need for hiring digital-native workforce increases, the demand for Gen Z employees will increase. Data shows that Gen Z is expected to constitute 30% of the workforce by 2030. The best place to find Gen Z candidates is the college campus. Also, companies that hire young talent through campus recruitment have found it easier to engage and retain talent.
Campus hiring also enables businesses to cope with market changes and challenges, as it is closely tied to market conditions. Thus it is beneficial to have an idea of campus hiring trends in 2023 so you can build an effective hiring strategy.
Some major trends that will dominate campus hiring in 2023 include:
Employer branding
It is vital for attracting and retaining top talent from colleges and in general. In today’s job market, high-quality talent is likely to look for top brands to work for. Therefore, businesses need to place enough emphasis on brand building.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion have become prime focus areas in many organisations. Having a diverse workforce enriches the quality of work and speaks a lot about your brand. Organisations that have D&I initiatives are perceived to have a fair and unbiased hiring process, and attract a large talent pool.
Virtual campus hiring
Virtual campus hiring which proved to be an effective hiring strategy during the pandemic has become an integral part of the campus recruitment process. Virtual campus hiring provides access to a larger talent pool for employers at a lower cost. It is a more effective recruitment technique that also offers a better candidate experience.
Automation tools in campus hiring
AI tools offer significant benefits and are fast becoming an integral part of the campus hiring process. AI sautomates various processes like candidate screening, application tracking, and can also proctor online assessments and interviews. It can also identify top talent with the help of predictive analysis. This helps remove bias from the selection process while enhancing the speed of the hiring cycle.
Emphasis on skill-based hiring
Skill-based hiring is expected to be a vital factor that will impact the campus hiring process. More and more organisations are shifting focus from hiring candidates based purely on their qualifications to their skills and potential. AI-based tools facilitate skill assessments and work simulations that help identify the right candidates.
It is important to keep track of the latest trends to ensure that you do not lose top talent to your competitors. Keeping pace with these and other campus hiring trends in a dynamic market alongside performing other HR functions can be overwhelming for the HR team. Campus hiring partners are one of the most effective ways to overcome such challenges!
Here’s why you need a campus hiring partner
They have expertise in campus hiring
Collaborating with campus hiring partners is beneficial because they bring to the table several years of experience in the field. They know the nuances of campus hiring and are aware of the latest campus recruitment trends.
An in-house recruitment team that matches the expertise of a campus hiring partner can be expensive and inefficient to assemble.
Campus hiring partners have access to a larger talent pool
A campus hiring partner with sufficient experience in the field will have a large network. This includes the career centres of multiple colleges and universities. They can easily identify the colleges/universities to approach for meeting your hiring needs. Therefore, they are better positioned to spot the right talent and recruit candidates.
Unlike a campus hiring agency, an in-house HR team has a limited network and hence cannot access a vast talent pool. Consequently, it takes much longer for them to identify the best colleges/universities for recruitment. And, hiring the right candidates is the next part.
Therefore, by partnering with a campus hiring agency, you can hire the right talent quickly.
Campus hiring companies leverage the latest automation tools
Most recruitment professionals of today have adopted automation technologies to streamline the hiring process. Automation speeds up the hiring process and offers better outcomes. By working with a campus hiring partner, you can leverage the benefits of these tools without investing in them. You also save the effort and resources on training your in-house team to use the tools or hiring an IT team to support automation.
In most cases, automation tools help companies hire high-potential candidates.
An automated hiring process also provides a better candidate experience and it will be easier for you to attract quality candidates.
Saves time and money
In business “time is money.” So the longer you take for hiring, the more you stand to lose. A slow hiring process hardly pleases candidates and you run the risk of losing the best talent to competitors. Besides, delays in hiring can impact your business outcomes.
Campus hiring partners armed with their experience in the field, access to a wider talent pool, automation technologies, etc., have much faster time-to-hire cycles.
You can focus on other tasks
When you work with a campus hiring partner who takes care of the end-to-end hiring process, your HR team saves a lot of time and resources. They can also focus on other areas to foster the growth of the organisation.
When you start your search for a campus hiring recruiter, discerning the right one can be an uphill task.
How to select a campus hiring recruiter?
Here are some tips to select a campus hiring partner:
Before you start your search for a campus hiring partner, ascertain whether you want the partnership for a short-term or long-term. When you look for campus hiring partners online, make sure to browse their websites thoroughly. The website will give you clarity about their services and approach to work. Client testimonials and reviews are also a good yardstick to measure the quality of their services.
Compare different hiring partners based on:
- Whether the company’s value system is aligned with yours or not?
- Experience in the field.
- Whether they use automation tools for recruitment?
- Ask them about their approach to hiring and whether it gels with yours or not.
- Cost of the services.
- Verify any other specific concerns you might have.
This information from different service providers will help compare them and select the best one.
HirePro is one of the leading campus hiring platforms that is a partner of choice for global firms and top startups.
Features of the HirePro end-to-end campus hiring platform
- We have experience in campus hiring since 2004 and have built expertise in all its aspects.
- We have our finger on the pulse of the changing dynamics of the campus recruitment ecosystem and are well-equipped to adapt to them.
- We cover your end-to-end needs for hiring freshers and entry-level candidates.
- We work closely with our clients to understand their specific needs and provide tailored services.
Takeaway
College campuses have become the “go-to” place for businesses looking to source Gen Z talent. However, campus hiring can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Working with a campus hiring partner not only provides you with quality hires in quick time but also minimises the effort and resources spent. Choose a partner like HirePro to make the process seamless and provide you the best talent for your business!
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