A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Jill Henry: Prospective employers need to engage students early to stay ahead of the talent shift


There is an undeniable shift that’s occurring in this region in the war for talent…and early university engagement is your key to success.

It’s well-known that Cincinnati has been a mecca of more Fortune 500 companies, per capita, than just about anywhere in the nation.

Henry

Your logos sparkle on our skyline and your brands are household names to our student’s parents. In the past, this was enough to generate more applicants than your open positions, however, the competitive landscape has changed and the competition for knowledge workers is steep.

At the same time, regional startups are experiencing a Renaissance period. There are 400 startups right here that are flourishing thanks to Cintrifuse and UpTech, to name a few.  Moreover, an estimated 2,000 entrepreneurs descended upon the city for FounderCon last fall; the founders exhibited a tremendous passion to disrupt and innovate.

As a result, our students are all smiling because they feel the pull of creativity and empowerment, not to mention the lure of financial independence.

As I work with millennials in our co-op program, I’ve come to recognize that they are relationship-oriented. They want to communicate often with their coworkers and supervisors. Thus, it’s not surprising that they deliberately seek out employers who are on campus, having candid discussions about their corporate values, flexible work environments, continuous education programs, volunteer opportunities and social issues such as corporate responsibility.

All of this boils down to student engagement – early and often. NKU’s College of Informatics is proud to offer opportunities for your organization to partake in mock interviews, participate in resume reviews, speak in our classrooms or immerse yourself in a capstone project.

In fact, the most effective way to engage with students is to bring alumni with you who can have a frank discussion about your corporate culture and their transition from college to the workforce.

Early engagement equates to students’ academic career. Begin building relationships with or actively recruiting students in their sophomore year of college. This allows you to hire them into multiple internships or co-ops either for more in-depth understanding or to cross-train among multiple departments.

Upon graduation, your organization will gain a highly trained individual who is already acclimated and allows the student to understand your business from a deeper perspective.

We also recommend exploring our unique virtual co-op program, the Center for Applied Informatics.

In this approach, you define project initiatives and students solve these future-focused business challenges. Our students acquire team-building skills, learn how to work across disciplines and are able to hone their professional skills in the process of providing a professional deliverable. Thus, on the talent acquisition front, employers build rapport with students early in their college career, thereby, gaining a competitive recruiting advantage.

I encourage you to review your hiring plans with your human resource colleagues to target and attract your next generation of dynamic leaders. That plan must include active engagement with universities beyond the standard annual recruiting event. Our students are in high demand, so reach out to me and get involved with NKU to elevate your organization’s social capital within our campus ecosystem and to secure a solid future talent pipeline.

For additional information, click here.

Jill Henry is Executive Director, NKU‘s Center for Applied Informatics

 

 


Related Posts

Leave a Comment