5 Steps to Developing a World-Class Campus Recruiting Program (Part 1)

In my next several articles I am going to discuss five steps involved in developing and implementing a truly strategic campus recruiting program. This information is also the subject matter I have been presenting at the Campus Recruiting Forums this fall. If you can, consider joining us at the last Forums of the year in San Francisco on December 12th (www.CampusRecruitingForum.com) and Waterloo on December 15th (www.CampusRecruiting.ca).

These are the five steps:

1. Build a solid business case
2. Evaluate your current programs, processes and people
3. Create your campus recruitment strategic plan
4. Focus on your Employer Value Proposition
5. Implement

Your process does not necessarily have to occur in this sequence. Chances are that you are in the midst of implementation right now – and it’s unlikely that you can take a lot of time away from that to prepare your business case or develop your plan. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but completing the first four steps before your next recruiting cycle will dramatically enhance your success at implementation.

My approach to this process is based on two fundamental truisms:

1. Failure to plan is planning to fail; and,
2. That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially. (Karl Pearson)

Step 1: Building Your Business Case

Building a solid business case for investing resources into campus recruiting is the first step towards developing a truly strategic program. Even if you’ve been “thrown” into the job and told that you already have a clear mandate, the sooner you can get to work on building a solid business case the better. For one thing, it will help you better understand the needs and opportunity that support your organization’s investment. It will also provide some clarity that will support better decision-making when it comes to the many choices you will have to make regarding marketing, target school selection, program types (co-op, leadership development, internship), and so on.

Regardless of your situation, there will inevitably come a time when you’ll be asked: “why exactly are we doing this?” In fact, even if your current support comes from the CEO level, there will undoubtedly be those in your organization – people you rely on – who will not be completely convinced of the importance of your work. This could be your boss or your boss’s boss; your direct reports; hiring managers; colleagues in the marketing department; others in HR; recent hires you want to bring to campus; and many others. And of course, if there are leadership changes, you may find yourself having to defend your costs there too – or risk starting from scratch!

Part of your job is to ensure clarity among others. Your colleagues may think there is an endless supply of young talent or they may feel threatened, or concerned, by new hiring on campus when there are layoffs elsewhere in the business. Almost certainly, the colleagues you need support from are very busy with other tasks and responsibilities. The reasons for recruiting on campus may seem obvious to you, but often they are not; everyone deserves the opportunity to see the case clearly laid out. And remember, anecdotes are not data. You will need both.

Building your business case is a continuous process. You can continue to add data, case studies, and competitive intelligence to your business case on an on-going basis – the stronger your case, the more secure your role and your potential to expand your programs.

In my next article I will share eight topics that you should include in your business case.

Of course, if you’d rather discuss all five steps in person (along with many other topics at the conference), join us an upcoming Campus Recruiting Forum:

• San Francisco, December 12th (www.CampusRecruitingForum.com)
• Waterloo, December 15th (www.CampusRecruiting.ca)