On-Campus Recruiting Insights

On-Campus
Recruiting Report
2013
A survey of top Canadian post-secondary
students and recent graduates about their on-
campus recruitment habits and preferences

Table of contents
Survey respondents
On-Campus Recruiting Report: 2013
2
3-5
Number of on-campus recruiting events 6
Reasons for not attending more events 7-10
Preferred events to attend 11-12
Preferred employer representatives 13-16
Content of on-campus recruiting events 17-18
Preferred “swag” 19-20
Additional student feedback 21-23
Resources 24
About TalentEgg 25-26
TalentEgg.ca is Canada’s most popular job board and
online career resource for students and recent graduates

Business/Commerce (61%)
Arts/Humanities (18%)
Tech/Eng. (4%)
Science/Math (9%)
MBA (3%)
Fine Art/Design (2%) Did not specify (4%)
Includes undergraduate accounting, marketing, finance, commerce, business administration, management, etc.
Survey respondents: Program
Nearly two thirds (61%) of the survey respondents were
undergraduate business/commerce students or recent graduates,
and an additional 3% were MBA students.
3

Nearly three quarters (73%) of the survey respondents were current
students, with the majority of the students saying they were currently
in second, third, fourth or fifth year.
A little more than one quarter (27%) of respondents said they were
recent graduates.
First
year
6%
Second year
20%
Third year
20%
Fourth year
25%
Fifth year or
more
2%
Graduate
27% First year
Second year
Third year
Fourth year
Fifth year or more
Graduate
Survey respondents: Year of studies
Recommendations:
Engaged Leaders and High Potentials can be found in every year –
don’t limit your on-campus or online campus recruiting activities only
to graduating students.
4

Universities (A-Z)
Acadia University
Brock University
Cape Breton University
Carleton University
McGill University
McMaster University
Nipissing University
Queen's University
Ryerson University
Simon Fraser University
Thompson Rivers University
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of Guelph
University of Guelph-Humber
University of Manitoba
University of Toronto
University of Toronto Mississauga
Note: 6.3% of respondents did not specify a post-secondary institution
University of Victoria
University of Waterloo
University of Windsor
University of Winnipeg
UOIT
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University
York University
Colleges (A-Z)
Centennial College
George Brown College
Humber College
Seneca College
Sheridan College
St. Lawrence College
Academy of Design
Survey respondents: Schools
5

13%
30%
33%
12%
12%
0
1 to 2
3 to 5
6 to 9
10+
Number of on-campus recruiting
events attended in the last year
The majority of respondents (63%) said they had attended 1 to 5 on-
campus recruiting events (e.g., career fairs, employer info sessions,
networking events, etc.) in the last year.
Meanwhile, 13% indicated they had attended zero events, 12%
attending 6 to 9 events, and 12% attending 10+ events in the last
year.
How many on-campus recruiting events
have students attended in the last year?
6

On its own, the number of on-campus recruiting events that students
attended doesn’t mean much. There are, in fact, many different
reasons why students are only able to attend a small number of
events each year:
Why didn’t students attend more events?
Didn’t know they were taking place
“I wasn't aware of any recruiting events”
Third year marketing student, Humber College
“I did not know there were sessions being held”
Second year BComm student, University of British Columbia
“They weren't especially well advertised so I didn't know about most
of them until the last minute”
Fourth year arts and science student, Queen’s University
“I didn't know some of them were happening”
Third year economics student, University of Waterloo
Recommendations:
Promote your upcoming events through as many channels as
possible well in advance and leading up to the date of the event:
• Campus career website
• Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn group
• TalentEgg campaign (events page, profile, social networks)
• Campus career centres
• Professors and faculty
• Influential students
7

Not enough time
“I did not have time and sometimes the scheduling did not work for
me”
Third year marketing student, Ryerson University
“I'm always in class or working, not enough variety of times”
Third year eBusiness marketing student, Humber College
“A lot of them conflicted with my classes.”
Fourth year management student, University of Toronto Mississauga
“There were more, but I was busy at the time they were being held”
First year accounting and financial management student, University of Waterloo
Recommendations:
Implement online strategies for engaging and interacting with
students during key recruitment periods that are more flexible and
which students can access again later if they’re not able to attend the
live event.
• Twitter chats (e.g., #TEretail)
• Office Hours live chats
• Webinars
• YouTube videos of on-campus presentations
• FAQ page on campus career website
“Time constraints/schedule conflicts”
Fourth year commerce student, McMaster University
“Conflicting schedules with school and extra-curriculars”
8

Lack of interest
“I did not find any of the employers attending the events appealing”
Fourth year business management student, Ryerson University
“There wasn't enough variety of employers attending”
First year business administration student, University of Winnipeg
“They all seem very sketchy - they try to SELL too much and it
always seems like a scheme”
Media studies graduate, University of Guelph-Humber
Recommendations:
Think outside the box
In this case, the “box” is the traditional career fair or information
session. The 2013 TalentEgg National Campus Recruitment
Excellence Awards’ student judges voted for on-campus campaigns
that were highly engaging, exciting and interactive.
Let them learn about you throughout the year
How do you reach students with and spark interest in your employer
brand outside of the traditional campus recruitment schedule?
Build your employer brand by partnering with trusted third-party
organizations that students already engage with.
“Thought it would be easier to find a job”
Third year interior design student, Ryerson University
“They tend to become redundant and very time consuming”
Fourth year BComm student, University of British Columbia
9

“Not too many were geared to my program which was frustrating -
many were for the more 'popular' engineering streams and then
recruiters who did come did not have a great attitude when I'd say I'm
in computer engineering”
Computer engineering graduate, Queen’s University
Not relevant to them or they felt excluded
“A lot of info sessions at Western are limited to Ivey students”
Media, information and technoculture graduate, Western University
“There were not as many recruiting sessions for co-op/summer
students as new hires”
Fourth year communications student, Wilfrid Laurier University
“Most career recruiting events target students enrolled in specific
majors and mine isn't one of them”
Third year humanities and social science student, University of Toronto
Recommendations:
Don’t let students develop a negative association with your
organization because you’re not hiring candidates with their major.
Make it known on your campus career website, TalentEgg profile,
etc., which students you hire – and don’t hire – for certain roles roles.
If students from all academic backgrounds are allowed to attend,
shout it from the rooftops! Students from non-business backgrounds
are used to being excluded, so they will flock to organizations that
are open-minded and interested in engaging with candidates from
diverse academic backgrounds.
10

Preferred type of on-campus recruiting event
More than two thirds (68%) of respondents indicated that they prefer
to attend employer information sessions, followed by one-on-one
meetings at 45%.
Many students indicated that career fairs were also valuable, but only
as a method of meeting many employers at once, given their busy
schedules.
Which types of on-campus recruiting
events do students prefer to attend?
68%
45%
30% 32%
29%
5%
11

Other responses:
“Conferences”
Second year Schulich business admin student, York University
“Something more practical--information about companies can easily
be found on the internet”
“Presentation with lunch”
First year medicine student, University of Manitoba
“Networking events like workshops, etc”
“Resume writing tips”
Fourth year health sciences student, McMaster University
“Visit offices”
Bachelor of Commerce graduate (university unspecified)
“Companies should select a few students and have them visit their
office before the selection process commences”
Second year MBA student, Schulich School of Business, York University
Which types of on-campus recruiting
events do students prefer to attend?
12

Preferred employer representative to meet with
Campus recruiters topped the list, with 66% of respondents indicating
they’d like to meet you! However, managers/supervisors (61%),
current interns/co-op students/entry level employees (62%) and
employees who started at entry level and progressed (60%) weren’t
far behind.
Fewer than one third of students said they’d prefer to meet senior
employees (26%) or executives (31%).
Which employer representatives do
students want to meet on-campus?
66%
61% 62% 60%
26%
31%
13

“Students appreciate personal stories - not only of success but also
failure and overcoming challenges. We also know everyone isn't a
good fit for a certain position/company, but company research can
only tell us so much. As such, it's vital that the reps who attend fairs,
info sessions, etc - no matter what their position - are eager to talk
and share with students, and are a good representation of your
brand. As much as recruiters are evaluating us, keep in mind we are
also evaluating them!”
Schulich School of Business graduate, York University
“Having more than one employee who is currently a student is better
because you get more diverse opinions.”
Fourth year commerce student, McMaster University
“There must be a sufficent ratio of recruiters to students to avoid long
lines to speak to recruiters. This will further diminish students feeling
discouraged.”
“It's always nice to have employees of all levels (first year associates,
managers, partners) to talk about their career path and insights to
prospective employees.”
Third year BComm student, University of British Columbia
14

“It's always an added bonus when there are many recruiters/people
to talk to following the event. If recruiters are limited, students leave
without asking questions that may lead them to applying.”
Fourth year communications student, Wilfrid Laurier University
“I loved meeting with officials from the companies to learn about the
opportunities to grow as an engineer”
Electrical engineering graduate, University of Windsor
“Employers should make an effort when they come to career fairs. So
many times, you could tell the people were disorganized or didn't
want to be there and it made me not want to work for that company.
They have to impress us just as much as we have to impress them.”
“I remember going to one hosted by [company] in Sheridan College.
It consisted of a full-time employee and a student who recently
completed their co-op work term at [the company]. It was amazing to
hear both perspectives, learn about their career paths, and ask
questions regarding the company and for advice.”
Business marketing graduate, Sheridan College
“Recruiters are great to meet because they are the people who can
directly get you an interview”
15

Recommendations:
Leverage alumni
There are likely a number of people at your organization who
graduated from your target schools – seek them out and ask them to
join you for on-campus visits.
Alumni tend to be more passionate about helping students from their
own school and current students relate to them better than non-
alumni.
Prepare your representatives ahead of time
Equip anyone who is accompanying you and your team on-campus
with adequate information to answer students’ basic questions about
which jobs your organization hires for, how the application and hiring
process works, etc.
The staff representing your organization on-campus should be
prepared to provide real information – not just tell students to visit
your website.
Continue the conversation online
Not having enough representatives from your organization can cause
frustration, but one solution is to encourage students to connect with
you online so you can continue engaging beyond that one on-
campus event.
Direct students to your Twitter account, LinkedIn group or upcoming
online event (e.g., Twitter chat or Office Hours live chat on TalentEgg)
for additional opportunities to ask questions.
16

Information students want to learn from
employers at on-campus recruiting events
Students can learn about the rest online – what they’re interested in
learning from you at on-campus recruiting events is information about
career opportunities specifically for students/grads (71%).
Career paths was selected as a distant second, with about half of
respondents (48%) indicating that’s what they want to learn from
employers on-campus.
What do students want to learn?
40%
71%
43%
48%
35%
45%
41%
2%
5%
17

“It is very easy to attain information about companies, history, good
things they've done, job descriptions, and such other information on
the internet. Employers giving realistic view of competitiveness, how
many students they hire, how to differentiate yourself, and what the
skills and experiences are required to be a successful candidate
would be helpful.”
“Corporate culture, existence (/lack thereof) of clubs, committees,
external events - ex: Social Committee, volunteering, activities, etc”
“Best procedure to apply, corp culture, getting mentors once you're
hired”
“If a manager attends, what he/she is specifically looking for.”
What do students want to learn?
18
Recommendations:
Eliminate low-value information from your on-campus presentations,
focusing instead on content that cannot be easily accessed on your
campus career website, TalentEgg profile, etc.
Students can research what your company does anytime, so get to
the heart of what they’re looking for at these events: specific career
opportunities that are applicable to them, career paths available
within your organization, how you’ll develop them as young
professionals, etc.

Preferred swag to receive from employers
According to the survey, the most valuable thing you can give to
students at on-campus recruiting events is information: informational
brochures topped the list with 54% of students saying they’d like to
receive them.
The least popular item was candy/mints, with only 12% of
respondents choosing that option. Some of the “other” responses
included reusable water bottles, coffee mugs and sticky notes.
What kind of “swag” do students want?
54%
16%
24%
44%
12%
37%
28%
5%
3%
19

Recommendations:
Distribute swag that does double duty
Don’t settle for an item with just a logo on it – the swag you hand out
on-campus should do double duty and actually help students learn
more about you.
In addition to your logo, incorporate the URL to your campus career
website.
Put info about your organization on USB keys
Load a digital version of your campus recruitment brochure or other
campus materials (e.g., links to your social networking profiles,
frequently asked questions, employee testimonials, etc.) on to the
USB keys before you distribute them so that when students go to use
them, they’ll have another opportunity to interact with your employer
brand.
Tip: USB keys are cheap and plentiful. Don’t distribute USB keys
with storage less than 1GB otherwise students will probably just
throw them in the trash.
Encourage students to share photos of them with your swag
Your swag can be a great tool to encourage social sharing of your
employer brand.
Encourage students to pose for pictures while at your booth or, later
on, ask them to post pictures of themselves with their new swag on
Twitter.
What kind of “swag” do students want?
20

“Case competitions are a great way to not only put your knowledge to
the test but network!!”
Accounting graduate, University of Windsor
“Provide more internship and volunteer opportunities for current
students and graduates”
Business marketing graduate, Centennial College
“Events should be available at more than one time so as to be more
available to a greater number of students”
Third year BComm student, University of British Columbia
“Having more than one event for the same company would be great
for those of us that can't attend one for any reason, it would give us
more availability to attend what we want to!”
“I would like to see more career opportunities shown to students who
love working in both English and French! As a French student, it is
tough to find people who are willing to even take a second glance at
your résumé if you are a non-native speaker, but some of us are quite
fluent and well-qualified!”
Fourth year BBA student, University of Toronto Mississauga
Other feedback from the survey
21

“For me personally, I know that going to networking events is
important, but I do not know enough about external conferences. No
one at my university (student clubs, career centre, etc) emphasizes
going to external conferences; however, a lot of recruiters go to
external conferences and even host case competitions there. The
companies that attend should educate students about them. Students
are always looking for ways to meet recruiters and network for job
opportunities, and external conferences are a hidden gem.”
Third year accounting student, University of Toronto Mississauga
“All of the campus recruiters at the career fair I went to knew a lot of
information about their specific job open in my current city. But since I
go back west for the summer, I was looking for more about jobs out in
BC but they never had any information for me. I feel like they should
know of open positions in their company for cities across Canada.”
Second year international business student, Carleton University
“Considering the number of companies that attend the larger scale
career fairs, it is important that each booth looks engaging. You are
essentially marketing your booth and unless your company is a very
well-known employer, then students will less likely be attracted to
your booth.”
Business administration graduate, Schulich School of Business, York University
22

“I think it's good to come to schools with the intent to fill actual intern
positions - that you are actively looking to fill intern or entry level
positions.
I went to a [company’s] campus career fair at Humber this year and I
was speaking to the marketing department who seemed very
interested in me and asked for my resume. I was excited because I
assumed this meant they had summer intern positions and I would be
potentially considered for an interview.
I was very confused with the job application process, as some people
at the fair told me to keep checking the website and that you apply
online, and others told me that HR would contact me since I handed
in my resume to the marketing department.
After reaching out to someone I learned that there weren't any intern
opportunities within the department I was interested in so, for me it
was like 'what's the point?' I think as a student you go to a career fair
to get valuable info about the company and jobs, but you are also
going to hopefully GET a job (at whatever level). So when companies
come to schools with really no current openings or intern programs,
it's a bit of a let down for students who are looking for real world
opportunities.
The next career fair I attend I'd love to see which departments are
hiring and what the process is for applying. In the end, the point of a
career fair is to A) tell students why your company is a great place to
work, and B) actually have open opportunities to hire.”
Third year creative advertising student, Humber College
23

Campus recruitment:
2013 TalentEgg Campus Recruitment Awards: Finalists, best practices and
winners
How to take student relationships from on-campus to online
5 campus recruitment lessons from PwC’s NextGen study
Communicating career paths: How retention can start with campus recruitment
The relationship between recruitment and retention at TD Business Banking
2012 Campus Recruitment Excellence Awards best practices
Students:
The 3 types of students and how they approach their careers
How student leaders choose where to work: Introduction and Exploration
What every campus recruiter should know about graduating students
Social media:
How to make the most of Twitter for campus recruitment: Part 1 and Part 2
Social media for campus recruitment: 10 Twitter tips for tweeting effectively
Social media for campus recruitment: #TEretail Retail Week Twitter chat
How to leverage Pinterest to support your employer brand
Campus career websites:
What students want: 4 elements of an engaging campus career website
6 easy ways to improve your campus career website before September: Part 1
and Part 2
Resources
24

TalentEgg.ca is Canada’s most popular job board and online career resource for
students and recent graduates.
Since 2008, TalentEgg has helped millions of students and recent grads hatch
their careers, and worked with hundreds of Canadian employers to successfully
attract top Gen Y talent to join their organizations.
Learn how TalentEgg can help you attract, target and recruit ambitious, career-
minded interns, co-op and summer students, and new graduates to your
organization. Contact us today.
Get cracking on your September campus recruitment campaign
With campus recruitment kicking into high gear in just three short months, we
have already started preparing for a number of employers' September campaign
launches.
We'd love to get cracking on yours too!
To learn more about how TalentEgg can help you attract, target and recruit top
students and recent graduates this fall, please contact:
Steph Morgan, Director of Sales
steph@talentegg.ca or 416-479-4186 ext. 114
About TalentEgg
25
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