Campus recruiting 101: The long-term solution to reactive hiring and skills shortages

In a recent focus group centered on future of work challenges, the HRD Global Advisory Board highlighted talent acquisition and skills shortages as a crucial priority for organizations to resolve. The board recommended a focus on campus recruiting but emphasized the increasingly competitive landscape for talent does still extend to early career hiring. From engagement to onboarding, campus recruiting is increasingly saturated. Many leading organizations have well-established campus recruiting teams and the necessary infrastructure in place to support this type of hiring. Brittany Ramsey, Director of Early Career Recruitment, L’Oréal USA is an expert in campus recruiting and joins the HRD Live podcast to discuss best practices and inside knowledge on long-term, relationship-driven early career recruitment to win the battle for talent and develop a future of work-ready workforce. Best practices for campus recruiting Regardless of size, scale, or budget, it is important to establish a cohesive partnership between early career recruiting and overall talent acquisition strategy. “Pair and merge campus recruiting with experienced hiring,” highlights Ramsey. “If you’re looking at long-term talent retention, that’s probably the smartest thing you can do for your company.” Tying campus recruiting to a broader talent acquisition strategy addresses long-term skills shortages. “Where are you seeing the biggest talent gaps around the three to five-year mark?” begins Ramsey. “If your gap is around sales… …what schools then have the skills that you need in the future?” By working backward, campus recruiting and talent acquisition teams can then develop the right program in partnership with universities to cultivate the skills they need. Not every student from the school needs to have the skills the organization needs for the future, but by working with universities closely, they can develop a steady stream of candidates with the right capabilities. “Start with the gaps of your organization,” Ramsey notes. “Second, approach the universities based on those gaps. And then third, create a program in your own company that cultivates those skills so that the students can build and really grow into the future.” This method ensures a talent acquisition strategy based on long-term skills hiring, development, and retention rather than reactive hiring. Building campus recruiting partnerships Building long-term relationships with universities and other early career institutions plays a heavy role in remaining competitive. “Focus on breaking down the universities that you want to connect with today (short-term) and then long-term,” explains Ramsey. By prioritizing institutions that are the most valuable to your organization, your talent acquisition teams can meet with schools one on one. This is beneficial, argues Ramsey, as you develop an understanding of how you provide value to their students and how they can offer value to you. In the long term, this allows organizations to strategize a longer, more holistic strategy around each partnership.