The Innovator’s Guide to Campus Recruiting

Let’s move on, shall we?

2020 was horrendous. It upended how we do things on a global scale and left nobody unscathed. One particular world it disrupted was the world of early talent. Yes, it’s a small world — but COVID19’s impact was huge. On-campus recruiting and career fairs — key talent pipelines — were canceled. Internships were nixed, leaving students apprehensive and disheartened. First year programs were delayed. Simply put, 2020 left campus recruiting leaders questioning their very existence.

But let’s be real. Frustrations were already bubbling. Companies were getting the same candidates from the same universities and spending an obscene amount of money and people resources to do it. Some companies reportedly spent $1B+/year to acquire thousands of cookie cutter student profiles or roughly $200k per student, who showed up and had no clue what the company did or what work was required of them — then leaving within 2–3 years.

And alongside this, things were starting to change…

Students were unhappy and demanding more cohesive, digital experiences.

Some companies were bucking the trend and actually succeeding at diversifying candidate profiles and getting students desk ready for day one.

The 2020 pandemic took what would have been 10 years of change and accelerated it in 3 months. Now things are never going back to the way they were before. We are now entering the brave new world of early talent.

But let’s take a moment to breathe, reflect, and learn how to thrive in the post-COVID era.