TalentEgg 2013 On-Campus Recruiting Report

On-Campus

Recruiting Report

2013

A survey of top Canadian post-secondary

students and recent graduates about their on-

campus recruitment habits and preferences

http://talentegg.ca/

Table of contents

Survey respondents

On-Campus Recruiting Report: 2013

2

3-5

Number of on-campus recruiting events 6

Reasons for not attending more events 7-10

Preferred events to attend 11-12

Preferred employer representatives 13-16

Content of on-campus recruiting events 17-18

Preferred “swag” 19-20

Additional student feedback 21-23

Resources 24

About TalentEgg 25-26

TalentEgg.ca is Canada’s most popular job board and

online career resource for students and recent graduates

http://talentegg.ca/employers

Business/Commerce (61%)

Arts/Humanities (18%)

Tech/Eng. (4%)

Science/Math (9%)

MBA (3%)

Fine Art/Design (2%) Did not specify (4%)

Includes undergraduate accounting, marketing, finance, commerce, business administration, management, etc.

Survey respondents: Program

Nearly two thirds (61%) of the survey respondents were

undergraduate business/commerce students or recent graduates,

and an additional 3% were MBA students.


3


Nearly three quarters (73%) of the survey respondents were current

students, with the majority of the students saying they were currently

in second, third, fourth or fifth year.

A little more than one quarter (27%) of respondents said they were

recent graduates.

First year 6%

Second year 20%

Third year 20%

Fourth year 25%

Fifth year or more 2%

Graduate 27% First year

Second year

Third year

Fourth year

Fifth year or more

Graduate

Survey respondents: Year of studies

Recommendations:

Engaged Leaders and High Potentials can be found in every year –

don’t limit your on-campus or online campus recruiting activities only

to graduating students.

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http://talentegg360.com/?p=2865


Universities (A-Z)

Acadia University

Brock University

Cape Breton University

Carleton University

McGill University

McMaster University

Nipissing University

Queen's University

Ryerson University

Simon Fraser University

Thompson Rivers University

University of Alberta

University of British Columbia

University of Calgary

University of Guelph

University of Guelph-Humber

University of Manitoba

University of Toronto

University of Toronto Mississauga

Note: 6.3% of respondents did not specify a post-secondary institution

University of Victoria

University of Waterloo

University of Windsor

University of Winnipeg

UOIT

Western University

Wilfrid Laurier University

York University

Colleges (A-Z)

Centennial College

George Brown College

Humber College

Seneca College

Sheridan College

St. Lawrence College

Academy of Design

Survey respondents: Schools

5



13%

30%

33%

12%

12%

0

1 to 2

3 to 5

6 to 9

10+

Number of on-campus recruiting

events attended in the last year

The majority of respondents (63%) said they had attended 1 to 5 on-

campus recruiting events (e.g., career fairs, employer info sessions,

networking events, etc.) in the last year.

Meanwhile, 13% indicated they had attended zero events, 12%

attending 6 to 9 events, and 12% attending 10+ events in the last

year.

How many on-campus recruiting events

have students attended in the last year?

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On its own, the number of on-campus recruiting events that students

attended doesn’t mean much. There are, in fact, many different

reasons why students are only able to attend a small number of

events each year:

Why didn’t students attend more events?

Didn’t know they were taking place

“I wasn't aware of any recruiting events” Third year marketing student, Humber College

“I did not know there were sessions being held” Second year BComm student, University of British Columbia

“They weren't especially well advertised so I didn't know about most

of them until the last minute” Fourth year arts and science student, Queen’s University

“I didn't know some of them were happening” Third year economics student, University of Waterloo

Recommendations:

Promote your upcoming events through as many channels as

possible well in advance and leading up to the date of the event:

• Campus career website

• Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn group

• TalentEgg campaign (events page, profile, social networks)

• Campus career centres

• Professors and faculty

• Influential students

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http://talentegg.ca/events

http://twitter.com/talentegg



Not enough time

“I did not have time and sometimes the scheduling did not work for

me” Third year marketing student, Ryerson University

“I'm always in class or working, not enough variety of times” Third year eBusiness marketing student, Humber College

“A lot of them conflicted with my classes.” Fourth year management student, University of Toronto Mississauga

“There were more, but I was busy at the time they were being held” First year accounting and financial management student, University of Waterloo

Recommendations:

Implement online strategies for engaging and interacting with

students during key recruitment periods that are more flexible and

which students can access again later if they’re not able to attend the

live event.

• Twitter chats (e.g., #TEretail)

• Office Hours live chats

• Webinars

• YouTube videos of on-campus presentations

• FAQ page on campus career website

“Time constraints/schedule conflicts” Fourth year commerce student, McMaster University

“Conflicting schedules with school and extra-curriculars” Second year BComm student, University of British Columbia

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http://talentegg.ca/office-hours



Lack of interest

“I did not find any of the employers attending the events appealing” Fourth year business management student, Ryerson University

“There wasn't enough variety of employers attending” First year business administration student, University of Winnipeg

“They all seem very sketchy - they try to SELL too much and it

always seems like a scheme” Media studies graduate, University of Guelph-Humber

Recommendations:

Think outside the box

In this case, the “box” is the traditional career fair or information

session. The 2013 TalentEgg National Campus Recruitment

Excellence Awards’ student judges voted for on-campus campaigns

that were highly engaging, exciting and interactive.

Let them learn about you throughout the year

How do you reach students with and spark interest in your employer

brand outside of the traditional campus recruitment schedule?

Build your employer brand by partnering with trusted third-party

organizations that students already engage with.

“Thought it would be easier to find a job” Third year interior design student, Ryerson University

“They tend to become redundant and very time consuming” Fourth year BComm student, University of British Columbia

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http://talenteggawards.ca/

http://talenteggawards.ca/

http://talentegg.ca/employers/





“Not too many were geared to my program which was frustrating -

many were for the more 'popular' engineering streams and then

recruiters who did come did not have a great attitude when I'd say I'm

in computer engineering” Computer engineering graduate, Queen’s University


Not relevant to them or they felt excluded

“A lot of info sessions at Western are limited to Ivey students” Media, information and technoculture graduate, Western University

“There were not as many recruiting sessions for co-op/summer

students as new hires” Fourth year communications student, Wilfrid Laurier University

“Most career recruiting events target students enrolled in specific

majors and mine isn't one of them” Third year humanities and social science student, University of Toronto

Recommendations:

Don’t let students develop a negative association with your

organization because you’re not hiring candidates with their major.

Make it known on your campus career website, TalentEgg profile,

etc., which students you hire – and don’t hire – for certain roles roles.

If students from all academic backgrounds are allowed to attend,

shout it from the rooftops! Students from non-business backgrounds

are used to being excluded, so they will flock to organizations that

are open-minded and interested in engaging with candidates from

diverse academic backgrounds.

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Preferred type of on-campus recruiting event

More than two thirds (68%) of respondents indicated that they prefer

to attend employer information sessions, followed by one-on-one

meetings at 45%.

Many students indicated that career fairs were also valuable, but only

as a method of meeting many employers at once, given their busy

schedules.

Which types of on-campus recruiting

events do students prefer to attend?

68%

45%

30% 32% 29%

5%

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Other responses:

“Conferences” Second year Schulich business admin student, York University

“Something more practical--information about companies can easily

be found on the internet” Fourth year BComm student, University of British Columbia

“Presentation with lunch” First year medicine student, University of Manitoba

“Networking events like workshops, etc” Third year eBusiness marketing student, Humber College

“Resume writing tips” Fourth year health sciences student, McMaster University

“Visit offices” Bachelor of Commerce graduate (university unspecified)

“Companies should select a few students and have them visit their

office before the selection process commences” Second year MBA student, Schulich School of Business, York University

Which types of on-campus recruiting

events do students prefer to attend?

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Preferred employer representative to meet with

Campus recruiters topped the list, with 66% of respondents indicating

they’d like to meet you! However, managers/supervisors (61%),

current interns/co-op students/entry level employees (62%) and

employees who started at entry level and progressed (60%) weren’t

far behind.

Fewer than one third of students said they’d prefer to meet senior

employees (26%) or executives (31%).

Which employer representatives do

students want to meet on-campus?

66% 61% 62% 60%

26% 31%

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“Students appreciate personal stories - not only of success but also

failure and overcoming challenges. We also know everyone isn't a

good fit for a certain position/company, but company research can

only tell us so much. As such, it's vital that the reps who attend fairs,

info sessions, etc - no matter what their position - are eager to talk

and share with students, and are a good representation of your

brand. As much as recruiters are evaluating us, keep in mind we are

also evaluating them!” Schulich School of Business graduate, York University

“Having more than one employee who is currently a student is better

because you get more diverse opinions.” Fourth year commerce student, McMaster University

“There must be a sufficent ratio of recruiters to students to avoid long

lines to speak to recruiters. This will further diminish students feeling

discouraged.” Schulich School of Business graduate, York University

“It's always nice to have employees of all levels (first year associates,

managers, partners) to talk about their career path and insights to

prospective employees.” Third year BComm student, University of British Columbia



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“It's always an added bonus when there are many recruiters/people

to talk to following the event. If recruiters are limited, students leave

without asking questions that may lead them to applying.” Fourth year communications student, Wilfrid Laurier University

“I loved meeting with officials from the companies to learn about the

opportunities to grow as an engineer” Electrical engineering graduate, University of Windsor

“Employers should make an effort when they come to career fairs. So

many times, you could tell the people were disorganized or didn't

want to be there and it made me not want to work for that company.

They have to impress us just as much as we have to impress them.” Third year eBusiness marketing student, Humber College

“I remember going to one hosted by [company] in Sheridan College.

It consisted of a full-time employee and a student who recently

completed their co-op work term at [the company]. It was amazing to

hear both perspectives, learn about their career paths, and ask

questions regarding the company and for advice.” Business marketing graduate, Sheridan College

“Recruiters are great to meet because they are the people who can

directly get you an interview” Second year BComm student, University of British Columbia



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Recommendations:

Leverage alumni

There are likely a number of people at your organization who

graduated from your target schools – seek them out and ask them to

join you for on-campus visits.

Alumni tend to be more passionate about helping students from their

own school and current students relate to them better than non-

alumni.

Prepare your representatives ahead of time

Equip anyone who is accompanying you and your team on-campus

with adequate information to answer students’ basic questions about

which jobs your organization hires for, how the application and hiring

process works, etc.

The staff representing your organization on-campus should be

prepared to provide real information – not just tell students to visit

your website.

Continue the conversation online

Not having enough representatives from your organization can cause

frustration, but one solution is to encourage students to connect with

you online so you can continue engaging beyond that one on-

campus event.

Direct students to your Twitter account, LinkedIn group or upcoming

online event (e.g., Twitter chat or Office Hours live chat on TalentEgg)

for additional opportunities to ask questions.



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Information students want to learn from

employers at on-campus recruiting events

Students can learn about the rest online – what they’re interested in

learning from you at on-campus recruiting events is information about

career opportunities specifically for students/grads (71%).

Career paths was selected as a distant second, with about half of

respondents (48%) indicating that’s what they want to learn from

employers on-campus.

What do students want to learn?

40%

71%

43%

48%

35%

45% 41%

2% 5%

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“It is very easy to attain information about companies, history, good

things they've done, job descriptions, and such other information on

the internet. Employers giving realistic view of competitiveness, how

many students they hire, how to differentiate yourself, and what the

skills and experiences are required to be a successful candidate

would be helpful.” Fourth year BComm student, University of British Columbia

“Corporate culture, existence (/lack thereof) of clubs, committees,

external events - ex: Social Committee, volunteering, activities, etc” Schulich School of Business graduate, York University

“Best procedure to apply, corp culture, getting mentors once you're

hired” Third year eBusiness marketing student, Humber College

“If a manager attends, what he/she is specifically looking for.” Schulich School of Business graduate, York University

What do students want to learn?

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Recommendations:

Eliminate low-value information from your on-campus presentations,

focusing instead on content that cannot be easily accessed on your

campus career website, TalentEgg profile, etc.

Students can research what your company does anytime, so get to

the heart of what they’re looking for at these events: specific career

opportunities that are applicable to them, career paths available

within your organization, how you’ll develop them as young

professionals, etc.


Preferred swag to receive from employers

According to the survey, the most valuable thing you can give to

students at on-campus recruiting events is information: informational

brochures topped the list with 54% of students saying they’d like to

receive them.

The least popular item was candy/mints, with only 12% of

respondents choosing that option. Some of the “other” responses

included reusable water bottles, coffee mugs and sticky notes.

What kind of “swag” do students want?

54%

16%

24%

44%

12%

37%

28%

5% 3%

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Recommendations:

Distribute swag that does double duty

Don’t settle for an item with just a logo on it – the swag you hand out

on-campus should do double duty and actually help students learn

more about you.

In addition to your logo, incorporate the URL to your campus career

website.

Put info about your organization on USB keys

Load a digital version of your campus recruitment brochure or other

campus materials (e.g., links to your social networking profiles,

frequently asked questions, employee testimonials, etc.) on to the

USB keys before you distribute them so that when students go to use

them, they’ll have another opportunity to interact with your employer

brand.

Tip: USB keys are cheap and plentiful. Don’t distribute USB keys

with storage less than 1GB otherwise students will probably just

throw them in the trash.

Encourage students to share photos of them with your swag

Your swag can be a great tool to encourage social sharing of your

employer brand.

Encourage students to pose for pictures while at your booth or, later

on, ask them to post pictures of themselves with their new swag on

Twitter.

What kind of “swag” do students want?

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“Case competitions are a great way to not only put your knowledge to

the test but network!!” Accounting graduate, University of Windsor

“Provide more internship and volunteer opportunities for current

students and graduates” Business marketing graduate, Centennial College

“Events should be available at more than one time so as to be more

available to a greater number of students” Third year BComm student, University of British Columbia

“Having more than one event for the same company would be great

for those of us that can't attend one for any reason, it would give us

more availability to attend what we want to!” Second year BComm student, University of British Columbia

“I would like to see more career opportunities shown to students who

love working in both English and French! As a French student, it is

tough to find people who are willing to even take a second glance at

your résumé if you are a non-native speaker, but some of us are quite

fluent and well-qualified!” Fourth year BBA student, University of Toronto Mississauga

Other feedback from the survey

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“For me personally, I know that going to networking events is

important, but I do not know enough about external conferences. No

one at my university (student clubs, career centre, etc) emphasizes

going to external conferences; however, a lot of recruiters go to

external conferences and even host case competitions there. The

companies that attend should educate students about them. Students

are always looking for ways to meet recruiters and network for job

opportunities, and external conferences are a hidden gem.” Third year accounting student, University of Toronto Mississauga

“All of the campus recruiters at the career fair I went to knew a lot of

information about their specific job open in my current city. But since I

go back west for the summer, I was looking for more about jobs out in

BC but they never had any information for me. I feel like they should

know of open positions in their company for cities across Canada.” Second year international business student, Carleton University

“Considering the number of companies that attend the larger scale

career fairs, it is important that each booth looks engaging. You are

essentially marketing your booth and unless your company is a very

well-known employer, then students will less likely be attracted to

your booth.” Business administration graduate, Schulich School of Business, York University


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“I think it's good to come to schools with the intent to fill actual intern

positions - that you are actively looking to fill intern or entry level

positions.

I went to a [company’s] campus career fair at Humber this year and I

was speaking to the marketing department who seemed very

interested in me and asked for my resume. I was excited because I

assumed this meant they had summer intern positions and I would be

potentially considered for an interview.

I was very confused with the job application process, as some people

at the fair told me to keep checking the website and that you apply

online, and others told me that HR would contact me since I handed

in my resume to the marketing department.

After reaching out to someone I learned that there weren't any intern

opportunities within the department I was interested in so, for me it

was like 'what's the point?' I think as a student you go to a career fair

to get valuable info about the company and jobs, but you are also

going to hopefully GET a job (at whatever level). So when companies

come to schools with really no current openings or intern programs,

it's a bit of a let down for students who are looking for real world

opportunities.

The next career fair I attend I'd love to see which departments are

hiring and what the process is for applying. In the end, the point of a

career fair is to A) tell students why your company is a great place to

work, and B) actually have open opportunities to hire.” Third year creative advertising student, Humber College


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Campus recruitment:

2013 TalentEgg Campus Recruitment Awards: Finalists, best practices and

winners

How to take student relationships from on-campus to online

5 campus recruitment lessons from PwC’s NextGen study

Communicating career paths: How retention can start with campus recruitment

The relationship between recruitment and retention at TD Business Banking

2012 Campus Recruitment Excellence Awards best practices

Students:

The 3 types of students and how they approach their careers

How student leaders choose where to work: Introduction and Exploration

What every campus recruiter should know about graduating students

Social media:

How to make the most of Twitter for campus recruitment: Part 1 and Part 2

Social media for campus recruitment: 10 Twitter tips for tweeting effectively

Social media for campus recruitment: #TEretail Retail Week Twitter chat

How to leverage Pinterest to support your employer brand

Campus career websites:

What students want: 4 elements of an engaging campus career website

6 easy ways to improve your campus career website before September: Part 1

and Part 2

Resources

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TalentEgg.ca is Canada’s most popular job board and online career resource for

students and recent graduates.

Since 2008, TalentEgg has helped millions of students and recent grads hatch

their careers, and worked with hundreds of Canadian employers to successfully

attract top Gen Y talent to join their organizations.

Learn how TalentEgg can help you attract, target and recruit ambitious, career-

minded interns, co-op and summer students, and new graduates to your

organization. Contact us today.

Get cracking on your September campus recruitment campaign

With campus recruitment kicking into high gear in just three short months, we

have already started preparing for a number of employers' September campaign

launches.

We'd love to get cracking on yours too!

To learn more about how TalentEgg can help you attract, target and recruit top

students and recent graduates this fall, please contact:

Steph Morgan, Director of Sales

[email protected] or 416-479-4186 ext. 114

About TalentEgg

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TalentEgg 2013 On-Campus Recruiting Report

Business

Transcript of TalentEgg 2013 On-Campus Recruiting Report