Council Post: Your Revised Early Talent Hiring Playbook For 2020 And Beyond

In a matter of eight weeks, the U.S. college grad hiring forecast shifted from what was supposed to be the best one in 50 years to the worst since 2008. While recessions are not new, the speed at which employer engagements with college fairs and campus visits came to a screeching halt in Q1 is, and this leaves HR departments with several decisions to make as they adjust talent and recruiting strategies for the rest of 2020.

The current employer sentiment on college grad hiring is neutral to positive, hinting at a strong desire to return to normal and maintain momentum if possible. Our company recently conducted a survey of several hundred employers. The survey found:

• A majority of employers (54%) were still evaluating the impact on hiring plans.
• 23% of employers had made no changes to their hiring plans.
• Only a small minority (9%) had decided to pull back on their hiring plans.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers conducted a weekly survey to take the pulse of employers, and according to the April 3, 2020, results, many summer 2020 internship programs remain on track. But employers are making adjustments in the form of delaying start dates, moving some or all of the experience online and reducing the number of interns hired.

We should expect businesses to run multiple hiring scenarios based on how fast shelter-in-place laws are lifted and we can resume relatively normal business operations. But the NACE data and our own insights from the nearly 500,000 employers on our platform indicate that no one is sitting still. While we all wait patiently to resume closer-to-normal business, here are three recommendations to consider.

1. Plan on doubling down on virtual and online recruiting.

With spring and summer 2020 campus visits and career fairs now off the table, it’s important to have a plan for Q4 2020 and Q1 2021 in case there are no physical events in this time frame. Remember that Generation Z is the online generation. The most innovative employers we work with are leveraging virtual events, personalized messaging campaigns and targeted outreach to connect with college students, and they are developing creative virtual marketing campaigns for early talent just as they do for other high-value customer segments. Online recruiting was already gaining rapid traction over the past few years, and COVID-19 has just accelerated its activity. 2. Keep your active candidates close.

Even if you’ve rescinded offers to the class of 2020, candidates will understand within reason as long as you communicate effectively. This means closing the loop above all else. During the recession in 2008, there was a widespread trend of sending one-line emails to candidates, if anything at all, especially those at earlier stages of the hiring funnel. What if, instead, you treat anyone who has passed the first screening interview the same way you would if they were a paying customer? Send them a personalized note letting them know the status of the role and how you will reengage when the status changes. Candidates remember authenticity and expressions of humanity in times like these.

3. Keep investing in your employer brand.

With more fresh grads predicted to be on the sidelines this year than in the previous 10, you can bet they are doing more proactive company research than ever. Generation Z prioritizes corporate culture, diversity and brand authenticity more than previous generations. How do you rate on these fronts today? Just as business buyers make up to 70% of their decision before they make human contact with your company, the college recruiting game is going the same way. So, we recommend committing a reasonable portion of your external communications resources toward this audience and updating your digital recruiting storefront often.

No matter how long the COVID-19 outbreak lasts, it has already made a profound impact on our culture and the way we will do business going forward. Record numbers of employees work from home now. And it may take us all quite a while to resume having conversations with colleagues around a table inside of a six-foot perimeter. But I hope as we all recover from these historic events and create the new normal, we will also take square aim at any archaic business practice that prevents us from being ultimately more productive and more on-target toward our organizational missions.