Caps and gowns are being donned all across Michigan. From Western to Eastern, Central to State and all of the other universities our fine state has to offer, new graduates with fresh perspectives are about to enter the workforce. If you want to hire a new grad for your southeast Michigan company, here are some tips to help you target, attract, recruit and retain recent college graduates from the best schools across the state.
Establish Campus Relationships
The best way to attract new graduates through your door is to establish a campus presence very early on. If students know your company hires directly from college, they may begin to focus their experience to impress you and obtain a new position.
You can target top student performers and bring them in for internships before they even graduate. This can help you fill open positions after graduation with individuals you already know, trust and have trained.
Set Your Goals for Recruitment
It’s also important you know what you want to accomplish when you set your recruitment goals. You won’t be able to hire every college graduate, so you need to focus your hiring plans to fit your staffing needs.
It’s essential, not only for college recruitment plans, to have staffing plan for the next year to five years so you know your growth potential and what you need to work on for the future.
Choose Select Target Schools
It’s also okay not to target every college, university, and technical school in the state of Michigan. If you are looking for individuals with certain specializations, focus on just the schools known for producing successful graduates in those fields.
For example, if you’re looking for business school graduates, target colleges with a large business-centered focus. You can think big with schools like U of M and State, but also consider the smaller schools like Hillsdale College. The same is true with technical schools in your area for specialized trades.
Communicate With Students
It’s also imperative you focus on good communications with students. Don’t just collect resumes and let people slip through the cracks. Be an employment partner and keep people informed every step of the way.
Even if they aren’t going to be a fit for your company, you want to keep those relationships fresh. Students will be spreading word of mouth information and you want their experiences to be positive.
Recruit on Social Media
Don’t forget that many of today’s graduates are part of our social media culture. They are online and experience a lot of their communication via the internet. Facebook is starting to become the social media of older millennials, GenX and even boomers, so to target the newest generation of graduates you need to be where they are.
Instagram is still going strong. You can use it to demonstrate your company culture through pictures and stories to attract new grads. Twitter and Snapchat are also used by these college students, and offer other opportunities to reach your target audience.
Do you want to hire top talent from Michigan schools? Contact Harvard Resource Solutions in Southeast MI today. We can help you find the best new grads in Michigan for your workplace or fill any workplace gap.
