9 Topics to Include in Your Campus Recruiting Business Case

This is Part 2 of...
5 Steps to Developing a World-Class Campus Recruiting Program

In Part 1 of this article, I described the importance of building a solid business case for campus recruiting. This is the first step in developing a world-class campus recruiting program. Your business case plays a vital role in helping you get the resources you need for a successful program. Here are nine topics you may wish to research and include in your business case:

1. The demographic shift

This is probably the most compelling (and perhaps obvious) argument for investing in campus recruiting today. A Google search will quickly provide you with plenty of evidence of the aging population, declining birth rates, and the fact that fewer workers are going to have to support more retirees. There is plenty of evidence (and those who debate the opposite as well) that this will lead to shortage of workers within the next few years.

But that’s not the only aspect of the demographic shift that may affect your company. January 1st of this year (2011) marked the date that the first baby boomers turned 65 – the traditional retirement age. Most companies are sitting on a potential mass exodus when your senior employees decide they can afford to retire. What are the projections for your organization? Obviously retirees can’t be immediately replaced with new grads, but foresight is required to put your organization in a good position to fill future gaps.

Seek out national data, industry-specific data and then complement that with information about your own organization. Include labour market details specific to your industry. Data is best, but opinion pieces and case studies will help support your case.

2. Eye on the competition

Compile evidence of what your competitors are doing in terms of campus recruiting. Is this your opportunity to get ahead of competitors by attracting the best young talent? Or are you in severe catch-up mode? Either way, learn your position among your competitors and build your argument around that.

3. Future workforce

The world of work is changing: how it gets done, where it gets done, and who does it. Young employees are keen and able to work in collaborative work environments; they know how to connect and communicate with others around the world through a variety of technologies; and they may adapt more easily to how businesses will operate in the future. Understand how the changing workplace is affecting your business and add details to your business case about how new grads can support that change.

4. Building diversity

Simply put: if your business is trying to re-balance its workforce to reflect the diversity of the population, campus recruiting can be one of the most effective ways to attract and recruit your target audience. Ensure that your efforts, and your business case, align with your organization’s diversity efforts (and you may even be able to acquire support and resources from that area of HR).

5. Understanding changing times

The world outside your organization is changing in ways that older workers sometimes don’t grasp. Compile information about how your business is expected to change and make the case that students in the programs you recruit from are being trained for these changing times.

6. Creativity and innovation

Few will argue that young talent can bring creativity and innovation to an organization. If this is something your organization values – it may even be built into your organizational vision – be sure to demonstrate alignment with campus recruiting.

7. ROI – corporate examples

Seek out case studies of successful organization and articles by respected business leaders that endorse the case for recruiting and “developing your own” talent straight out of campus. It may not be “data”, but it can be persuasive.

8. Future customers

If your organization directly serves or sells to consumers, there is likely an effort to ensure that your employees are also a reflection of your customer base. Make the case that it takes young people to understand, market, and sell to young consumers.

9. They “get” technology

Never before have we been in a position where all young new hires have wealth of know-how that is in demand by more experienced workers: how to use new technologies. Develop opportunities for younger workers to share their knowledge of these technologies and add this as evidence to your business case.

Collecting this information may seem like a lot of work – but unless you’ve been asked for it right away, you can work on this over time. Always be on the lookout for new statistics, hiring trends, and case studies to support your argument.

That’s it for Step 1. The next step (coming soon!) is to evaluate your recruiting programs, processes and people to help you determine the highest priorities in your recruitment strategy.

What else do you include in your business case for campus recruiting?


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