How to Recruit College Students for Your Business

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If you’re looking to hire new talent, then it’s crucial to know how to recruit college students for your business. Although they may not have years of work experience, there are still many benefits to hiring students or recent grads. For example, college students are innovative, eager, and great for entry-level positions within your company.

However, recruiting college students is a bit different than your typical full-time employee. Not only do they have specific needs, but they also look for jobs in different places. For example, college grads usually find jobs through their university or on sites like ZipRecruiter. So after reading this article, you’ll know exactly where to find new, fresh talent for your company!

How to Recruit College Students – 6 Ways to Find Talent Today

1. Attend Career Fairs

One of the best ways to attract college students is to attend job fairs at their university. You’ll be able to showcase your company and even meet dozens of candidates in one place. This is a great opportunity for you to meet job seekers, collect resumes, or even conduct interviews for open jobs.

2. Connect with Universities

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If you want to know how to recruit college students, you need to get yourself known on university campuses. In addition to career fairs, it’s also valuable for your company to connect directly with the university itself. Building a strong relationship with academic departments, teachers, or the career center can lead to new hires. Not only can they refer qualified applicants, but they’re also great for word-of-mouth marketing when it comes to post-grad opportunities.

3. Use the Right Job Sites

Not all job boards cater to recent grads or entry-level job seekers. However, this is a vital step if you want to know how to recruit college students. ZipRecruiter is the best job board site to use. Job seekers can filter by part-time, internships, or student-only jobs, so they can easily find roles that fit their skill set.

For you as the employer, ZipRecruiter also has some great features to make hiring a breeze. When you post a listing with them, it’ll go live on their site along with 100 other partner job sites too. And they even use smart AI technology to match you with candidates that fit your job description. That way, you won’t have to spend time or extra budget hunting for the right college student.

Even better, they have 3 plans that you can choose from, and you can try it for free!

4. Turn to Social Media

Recruitment doesn’t just happen at career fairs. Social media can also be a useful tool for finding qualified candidates. This is especially true if you’re targeting a younger generation, like college students. Creating social media ads for your company on Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram can increase brand awareness. You can also create campaigns for your open positions and encourage job seekers to apply directly through the ad.

5. Create Internship Programs

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Not ready to commit to the time or budget to hire a full-time student? Then consider developing an internship program within your company. This helps you learn how to recruit college students, establishes a relationship with the student, and helps them increase their skillset and experience in the workplace. And if they do a great job, the internship can also be converted into a full-time role. 

6. Focus on Growth

As with all employees, college students are also focused on working with a company with room for growth. Businesses that offer special benefits to foster employee development are especially attractive to new talent. Therefore, you might think about offering tuition reimbursement, training courses, or mentorship opportunities within your company.

And if you already offer these benefits, make sure to focus on them in your job description. Companies that emphasize development will be more memorable, which can help you stand out from your competitors.

Start Recruiting College Students!

There are many ideas to try if you want to know how to recruit college students. In addition to in-person job fairs, we also recommend using ZipRecruiter. They’re one of the best job sites for recruiting students and grads. If you need to hire remote workers or candidates with more experience, ZipRecruiter can also help you with your employee search!

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