Graduate Careers Australia
ergo - Number 95 June 2004
Targeting New Hires On-Campus
The essential task for graduate recruiters is to attract the best and most appropriate new talent to their organisation. As an increasing number of information sources demand the attention of job-seekers, developing a targeted strategy to reach final and pre-final year students becomes vital; here the University careers service is ideally placed to help.
Careers services should be the first stop on-campus when planning and executing a student/graduate recruitment drive, as they offer a range of services from which the savvy recruiter can choose an effective mix. For direct contact with proactive job-seeking students, the university careers service provides (usually online) direct job vacancy advertising – particularly useful when an urgent need to hire arises, as well as profile-raising opportunities through the careers website and inhouse careers publications.
Targeted Email Campaigns
The careers centre can also provide targeted email campaigns (where students from a certain faculty or year level can be selected) and facilitate campus visits and information sessions; these are all good ways to build up the students’ perception of your organisation as an employer with a real interest in providing good graduate opportunities. Some services will also keep a library of information about employers with ongoing programs, so it’s useful to ensure that the marketing materials you give out to universities are kept up to date.
Similarly, keep university careers services abreast of hiring requirements and planned on-campus activities, as the better-informed they are the more they can do to help you; if you have new graduate recruitment staff, introduce them to the relevant careers service staff. Careers Fairs are a vital means for larger employers to not only promote graduate programs and employment opportunities, but in some cases to conduct interviews on the spot. Often, selection interviews will be permitted throughout the year at appointed times; and if supplemented by information sessions with recent graduate recruits, they can provide a firsthand glimpse of employment possibilities for students who are soon to graduate.
Plan Using the University Calendar
It is essential to plan using the university calendar, as there are peak periods to attract candidates and other times when they are occupied with examinations, or simply not there. Timing is essential, and employers should know when exams are held and assignments due (usually the end of semester), when semester breaks occur and when the year begins and ends. These important dates, as well as contact details for careers services in Australia and New Zealand can be found under Important Dates and Contacts on gradlink – www.gradlink.edu.au/content/view/full/208
Other Methods to Reach Students
In addition to these careers service activities there are many other methods to reach students; briefly these include online “virtual” careers fairs (ideal for reaching remote or regional candidates in a cost-effective manner), co-operative education (co-op) and other curriculum-based programs (in conjunction with the relevant faculty), contact with academics and alumni offices, involvement in student activities and scholarships, sponsorship of events and competitions such as the Higher Education Workplace Skills Olympiad (HEWSO) and inclusion in publications such as Graduate Opportunities – www.graduateopportunities.com
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For Further Information
For information about HEWSO, the annual Virtual Careers Fair and other events, as well as help for new graduate recruiters and more, visit the gradlink website at www.gradlink.edu.au
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Dugald McNaughtan
Communications Coordinator, GCCA
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