Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
July 18, 2012
A large component of your college relations and recruiting program’s efficiency is achieving momentum. Once it’s in motion, it has to stay in motion.
The key is to develop a cyclical rhythm so that as you are completing one year’s activities, you are already planning the next year’s. Following is a sample monthly timeline for some of the important tasks involved in carrying out your college recruiting plan:
July
- Check recruiting material supplies; reorder as necessary for fall.
- Confirm graduation dates of summer interns; begin interview process for those graduating in the coming academic year.
- Sign up for fall career fairs.
- Sign up for next spring campus interview dates.
- Solicit numbers from business units for December graduate needs. If you feel really lucky, ask for numbers for May/June grads.
August
- Finalize fall campus schedule, headcount numbers, and specifications for building candidate pool.
- Conduct training sessions for campus teams and volunteer recruiters.
- Finalize intern evaluations, conduct exit interviews, make offers to graduating interns, and send offer information to career centers.
- Contact student professional association leaders regarding sponsorship/speakers for meetings.
September
- Attend fall career fairs.
- Initiate and participate in campus events to build image and visibility.
October
- Conduct fall on-campus interviews.
- Conduct on-site interviews of “hot” candidates from career fairs.
- Continue participation in campus events.
- Keep in touch with summer interns.
- Remind business units to budget for next year’s summer interns and May/June grads.
November
- Continue on-site interviews.
- Make offers to December grads; send offer information to career centers.
- Make offers to “hot” May/June grads.
- Sign up for spring career fairs.
December
- Check recruiting material supplies for spring events; reorder as needed.
- Solicit headcount numbers from business units for summer interns and May/June/August grads.
- Recognize your campus teams and volunteer recruiters with a luncheon and/or gift.
- Work with your compensation department to set salaries for summer interns.
- Review recruiting results for the fall term; get feedback from campus teams and volunteer recruiters.
- Prepare report for senior management.
January
- Finalize headcount numbers and specifications for May/June/August new grads and for summer interns.
- Finalize spring campus schedule.
- Conduct training sessions for campus teams and volunteer recruiters.
- Participate in spring career fairs as deemed necessary.
- Follow up with your last year’s graduating interns to whom you made offers for full-time employment.
- Make offers to last year’s summer interns who will return for another summer.
February
- Continue participation in spring career fairs.
- Conduct campus interviews for May/June/August new grads and summer interns.
- Follow up quickly with on-site interviews.
- Participate in campus relationship/image events.
- Contact target campuses to sign up for fall semester campus interview dates.
- Review image/advertising campaign and materials. If a new campaign is needed, prepare for fall semester campaign (some print deadlines are as early as May).
- Conduct on-site interviews for May/June grads and intern candidates whom you met at fall campus events.
March
- Make offers to new summer intern candidates.
- Make offers to May/June grads; send offer information to campus career centers.
- Continue participation in campus relationship/image events.
- Complete plans for summer internship program (housing, activities, etc.).
April
- Finalize intern hiring.
- Conduct orientation sessions for intern managers/mentors.
- Make offers to August grads; send offer information to campus career centers.
- Confirm acceptances and start dates of May/June grads.
May
- Review recruiting results for the year; get feedback from campus teams and volunteer recruiters.
- Prepare report for senior management.
- Provide feedback to compensation department on success of salary levels.
- Conduct orientation sessions for summer interns.
- Finalize advertising campaign for the next academic year.
June
- Host an on-site event for faculty and career center staff from your target schools.
- Participate in your intern program activities.
- Take a vacation—this may be your only “downtime” all year!
Throughout the year
- Meet periodically with your campus recruiting teams and/or team leaders.
- Maintain contact with key faculty, career center staff, and student leaders.
- Review NACE publications and benchmark with colleagues to stay on top of trends.
- Periodically meet with or survey your hires for feedback on your college relations and recruitment practices.