If you’re struggling with staffing challenges, the solution might be closer than you think: local colleges. They are often overflowing with potential hires who are eager to find seasonal work or accept a full-time position shortly after graduation. However, recruiting college students might be more complicated than you think. It’s important to follow these best practices to ensure you find the best employees for your business.
Of course, you can always just use Sprockets to quickly stabilize staffing levels. Our AI-powered platform augments sourcing and reveals the best applicants without any stress, guesswork, or wasted interview time.
The Ultimate Guide to Recruiting College Students
1. Know Your Audience
Recruiting 101: You need to think like your target audience to advertise opportunities effectively. While people of all ages could be college students, the majority of them are members of Generation Z. So, what do Gen Zers want in a job?
First of all, you can take the word “job” out of your vocabulary. They are searching for careers with growth potential. While 76% of surveyed Gen Zers said they’re willing to start at entry-level positions, 64% also said the opportunity for growth is one of their top priorities when selecting a workplace. Make sure you offer them chances to climb the ladder and promote this in your job description, along with the pay rate, benefits, and workplace culture. These are among the top details job seekers want to see.
2. Engage With Local Schools
Don’t simply post on Indeed or other popular job boards and wait patiently for people to apply. Take the initiative of engaging with nearby colleges and universities! This can take many forms, including attending career fairs and speaking with students, posting information on bulletin boards, and networking with school staff who might know potential hires.
3. Use Social Media
Many college students are tech-savvy and spend time on various social media platforms. They’re not just chatting with friends and sharing pictures, though. These websites may also be where they read the news and network with peers or industry professionals. Use this to your advantage by creating profiles for your business and maintaining a consistent social media presence.
We also recommend running paid ads on these websites to attract potential applicants. It can actually be more cost-effective than paying for job boards (unless you’re using Sprockets to avoid these fees!)
4. Prioritize “Fit”
Don’t be overly concerned about industry experience, especially with college students. Applicants with no experience can turn out to be the best hires! It’s much more important to focus on an applicant’s personality traits and “soft skills” to ensure they’ll mesh well with the team and thrive in the work environment.
5. Use Sprockets to Reveal the Ideal Applicants
Don’t worry if you’re too busy to create a college recruitment strategy and read through a pile of resumes. Sprockets can handle the heavy lifting of the hiring process! Our sophisticated solution lets you post jobs for free to several websites and reveals which applicants are most likely to succeed. It’s like replicating the talent of your current top-performing employees!
Schedule your free demo today to live a life with less turnover, ultimately saving you thousands of dollars each year.