Phygital campus engagement is key for campus recruitment
With the ongoing talent war and skills shortage, campus recruitment is the way to go. “Catch them young” is the mantra for recruiting the right talent. However, it’s easier said than done. While nearly all companies know that a solid campus recruitment strategy is necessary, almost half of them feel that it is not effective. College students have heightened awareness of companies and brands and they are well-informed about their options for employment. Given the limited time and resource constraints during campus recruitment, companies often lose chosen candidates to competition due to a lack of brand awareness or poor candidate experience.
As companies vie to capture the best talent on campus, they can no longer just appear at placement drives and expect the best talent to sign up. They need to engage with students well before the campus recruitment process starts. To engage with Gen Z, who are the future of the workforce, companies need to have a mix of physical and digital strategies. These digital natives have life at their fingertips, so why should job interviews and offers be any different? A solid campus recruitment strategy is necessary, and phygital campus engagement plays a vital role here.
What is campus engagement?
Campus engagement refers to the activities and events that lead to building the company and employer brand by acquainting students with the company vision and culture and cultivating a relationship with them, with the aim of making the company the first choice of employment during campus recruitment. Campus engagement can fuel the success of campus recruitment. With the right engagement strategies, companies can build brand awareness and recall value. When students need to choose between two companies that place similar offers on the table, they are likely to pick the one that they are more familiar with. To attract the right talent, companies need to think beyond career fairs and competitions. While these are still important, they need to ramp-up on different fronts to attain the coveted employer status on campus. A multi-pronged strategy consisting of a hybrid of physical and digital activities is necessary to build the quantum of engagement. This is also fuelled by an increasingly phygital world, where hybrid recruitment has become the accepted norm.
Technology in recruitment has opened up several possibilities. Companies now have access to and the ability to recruit from remote campuses without the associated logistical nightmares. With one-way pre-recorded video interviews, online assessments, and virtual interviews, companies can improve candidate experience. Alongside, physical presence on the university campuses adds a face to the name, so to speak, giving the opportunity to build personal connections with prospective employees well ahead of the recruitment process. Consistent phygital engagement is the way to go to capture the digital natives.
Strategies for campus engagement
Identify end-goals and involve leadership: The objectives of campus recruitment need to be well defined. For instance, is fulfilling staffing requirements with mass recruitment the end goal or is it to draw the best talent and hire them? If it is the former, the company may conduct mass events and fairs during the year; whereas for the latter, project competitions or online hackathons may work well and the company may identify the best candidates upfront. Getting the buy-in of top management and the go-ahead from business leaders is necessary as campus engagement is a continuous activity throughout the year, one that requires the involvement of several teams. Executive sponsors for campus initiatives are necessary; all the better if they are alumni of the institution as the sponsor has a personal connection and also possibly the necessary contacts at the college or university.
Create a campus engagement calendar: While conducting activities and events on college campuses seems like the way to go, a robust campus engagement strategy, which satisfies the defined goals and objectives and ties in with campus recruitment, is necessary. New engagement models that build online presence and relationships should co-exist with traditional methods such as supporting live projects for students or internship opportunities, giving the company the necessary phygital presence.
Build a calendar for campus engagement activities and events. These should include various touch points for students and also sync with the academic calendar. For instance, during university exams and assessments, the students will be busy with their academics and hence less likely to be engaged. College events or fests are a good time to show support by sponsoring events or merchandise. Organising online competitions is an easy way to get the digital natives engaged. Sending out invitations for Ted talks to the winners may be a way to drive people to participate. Get creative but stay in line with the campus engagement goals and objectives.
Target specific universities, colleges and candidates: Identify institutions that specialise in courses that are relevant to the business. Pedigree matters; however, there are several new universities of repute that are open to alliances with the industry. This also helps in building a long-term relationship with the institution.
You also need to think about the candidates you are targeting. This would depend on staffing requirements. Do you require the best of the best? Or, are you looking at learnability as a factor? Do you need students who have done specific courses or can you look at candidates who have alternate qualifications? For example, an IT company may target candidates who are engineering graduates in computer science or may be open to graduates from other engineering disciplines too. It all depends on the training programmes the company offers, the ramp-up time and the project requirements.
Adopt a win-win approach: Collaborate with universities and institutions to build synergy. Sponsorships for college fests, industry experts for guest lectures, support for any research projects or participation in industry-relevant curriculum development are some methods to build long-term campus associations. They increase visibility for the company and provide easy access to the student body. Transparency in communication with regard to the objectives of building this relationship is vital; expectations are set. Colleges may have tie-ups with multiple companies; therefore, it is important to have insight into activities and events as well as the academic calendar. Ensure an inclusive approach and spread the word to give access to diverse students.
Build the employer brand: Hooking the future workforce requires a phygital strategy, with the right mix of physical and digital activities that enhance the employer brand. Traditional approaches such as career fairs, placement talks, sponsorships and internships need to be combined with a strong online presence. Podcasts, viral marketing campaigns and online competitions, along with creative and interesting social media content, are ways to keep the student body tuned in. The idea should be to create strong brand recall value, which will attract the right students during the placement season.
How to drive phygital campus engagement
Today’s phygital world requires hybrid campus engagement tactics. Companies need to adopt innovative strategies to connect with the zoomers. With Gen Z spending an average of four hours on social media, leveraging social media platforms to build the employer brand and stay connected with college students is, dare we say, “obvio”. Companies should leverage video-based platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, which are popular among this generation. Content should be short videos in the form of stories to hold on to transient attention spans. Showcase content that features employee and alumni stories, work life and other interesting anecdotes about the company and culture.
Create opportunities for active engagement. Interactive and immersive videos that use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can draw in potential candidates and offer a slice of work-life experience. Hosting virtual tech talks and tours, webinars and “ask the expert” sessions are other techniques to give students an insight into industry and business. Invitations to visit the physical workspace, internships, mentoring, coaching and project support will continue to draw students in. Offer soft skill coaching and help with resumes to forge relationships with potential candidates; leverage this during the placement season. Build the employer brand and create a positioning strategy that distinguishes the company on campus. Train interns and make them brand ambassadors. For this highly informed and aware generation, diversity and inclusion can influence workplace decisions. Invest in diversity; for instance, providing scholarships for high-achieving female students or opportunities for neurodivergent individuals will help build a progressive employer brand.
Recruitment technology platforms are highly useful for phygital campus engagement. Companies can connect with candidates across remote universities and colleges to both build and nurture relationships with students and visit the campuses periodically for face-to-face interactions. HirePro’s university hiring solutions offer end-to-end campus hiring services, from strategic guidance to virtual onboarding, on a single platform that can be accessed by all stakeholders.
To establish a relationship with digitally savvy students, a robust phygital campus engagement strategy is necessary. Immersive and interactive virtual and real experiences, constant communication and a transparent and honest approach will help you build the employer brand and give you an edge in the talent war.
