Starting the Fall Campus Trail

Fall is my favorite season! There is a distinct smell in the air that comes with Fall and what's not to like about hoodie weather, pumpkin spice everything and leaves in every color! The other reason I like Fall is because it's back to school time... not just for my son, but for my candidate pool as well.

This week I've booked my campus travel schedule and mapped out which Sales Managers and Alumni Account Executives will be joining me as I road trip to various campuses across the Midwest. I've also mapped out the next two campus season(s) branding strategies and how we will pipeline for the large ramp of new hires we plan for Q1, Q2 and Q3 of 2014.

I can hardly contain my excitement. For me - I'm in my element on campus, as I love the energy level I get to exude. I often refer to it as hustling, "Everyday I'm Hustling" (Cue LMFAO) haha!

It surprises me how wrong people can be about the Millennial population sometimes. I see this first hand on campus. Sure, there are some entitled kids out there that went to school because mommy and daddy paid for them to go and it was an excuse to get out of the house, join a frat and party. However, I see a great deal of smart go-getters out there that want to make an impact on a company, learn and absorb as much as they can. It is those "go-getters" that are our future! They make a difference and are part of the war on talent from a grow-your-own talent perspective.

The key is having a recruiter that can spot the go-getters and sell the opportunity of making an impact at your organization. Sure branding is a HUGE component, but that is a different post. Weeding out the entitled from the go-getter is not all that hard, but is indeed a learned skill. Some of the things I look for on campus are:

1. Dressed professional and prepared at the career fair
2. Mapped out a plan for which employers to speak with, their openings and did some research on the company
3. Prepared with copies of their resume and pitches for why they are a candidate that should be considered
4. Activities, Philanthropy, Student Government, Internships, Sports, Collegiate Activities/Groups on their resume that showcase that this person is INVOLVED and used to juggling responsibility
5. Energy level and willingness to introduce themselves (you would be surprised how often this is missed)
6. BONUS: Prior to fair, emailed resume or applied online and mentions they will visit your booth (I love this one - extra points!)

Some of the red flags?

1. Sloppy appearance
2. Not prepared
3. Crumpled resumes
4. No research, no map, no plan, no clue
5. Busy socializing with their friends and not actually engaging employers
6. Resume with only school and summer jobs
7. Low energy level (I am not talking introvert here - but literally like they had an all night keger the night before and decided to show up anyway)
8. No real clue as to what types of jobs they are targeting
9. Just hitting the booths for free swag or chotchkies

So... with that said, my campus season starts next week. The chotchkies are ordered and packed in my trunk with my booth, business cards, flyers and maps! They will remain in my trunk until end of November. Now let's just hope no one rear-ends me and we have yet again another stellar recruiting season!!!!