Winning Early Talent: Strategies from Handshake's Early Talent Award Winners, Lecture notes of Business

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Your game plan for

winning early talent

Proven strategies from Early Talent Award

winners to compete for Gen Z

Celebrating the top

employers that launch

early careers to new heights

Introduction

Handshake’s Early Talent Awards (ETAs) is an annual awards program that recognizes employers for best-in-class talent engagement and celebrates the top workplaces that attract Gen Z. These are the recruiting programs that are using Handshake to break down barriers, expand access to opportunity, and launch early careers to new heights.

What makes an early talent recruiting program more impactful than others?

According to industry sources, 82% of job seekers say that they consider a company’s employer brand and reputation before applying for a job. Positioning your employer as award-winning can reach students and establish credibility on the platforms they rely on to search for jobs.

The criteria we use to determine Early Talent Award winners is also a way to evaluate the health of your recruiting program. The criteria provides a barometer for you and your team to identify opportunities to improve, experiment, and pivot to achieve a stronger pipeline of more qualified candidates.

So, you want to win early talent—and win an ETA while you’re at it?

Dig into this guide for the criteria that your recruiting strategy should target, and find out what it takes to be a student’s first destination.

Methodology

To become eligible for a win in 2022, employers had to meet a minimum threshold of 100 candidates reached via a message and 10 events attended or hosted in 2021. Handshake’s data insights engine then reviewed platform activity across 650,000K+ employers from January 1, 2021-December 31, 2021 along weighted criteria that tracks:

Engagement

Gen Z brand resonance

Relationships

Event participation

Total job views to total applications

Unique clicks per distinct message recipient

Reciprocal messaging exchange between a student and employer

WEIGHTING: 30%

Career fair or event registrants to attendees

WEIGHTING: 20%

WEIGHTING: 15%

WEIGHTING: 35%

Update your strategies with tips from ETA winners to ensure your Gen Z recruiting game plan has what it takes to compete. In this guide, we share how you can benchmark your team’s work against the scoring criteria, and improve your early talent program outcomes.

Gen Z brand resonance

HOW IT ’S MEASURED:

Total job views compared to total referred applications

BENCHMARK :

The top 10 employers ranking highest in Gen Z brand resonance see an average of 1 to 3 job views per referred application

Thanks to digital disruption and their tech-savviness, Gen Z has more access than ever to find out what a company truly stands for. This generation is relying on online career platforms (66%) and employer websites (62%) to learn about jobs and career opportunities.

With virtual recruiting that here to stay, you need to be attentive to your brand’s digital presence to meet students where they are: online (and on Handshake).

Your game plan for winning early

talent (and an ETA)

Evaluate your job

descriptions

A job title and description are often a candidate’s first impression of your company, and as a result, can either attract or limit qualified applicants depending on the language you include. Job titles should be relevant and accurate —consider the keywords students might use to search for your role. Audit your job descriptions to be inclusive of a diverse audience and remove industry jargon that early talent isn’t yet familiar with.

Emphasize skills over experience

Of course recent college graduates won’t have 3 years of experience, so make sure your job descriptions don’t exclude the very audience you are trying to attract! Job descriptions for early talent should focus on coursework, skills, and certifications—as well as provide insight into the skills and learning/development available on the job. This alleviates the challenge for candidates who might lack all required experience but who are eager to grow professionally and learn on the job.

Cast a wide net to recruit from more schools

Looking for candidates exclusively from select schools has been a common hiring practice for organizations that need a way to sort through an overwhelming talent pool. But this approach won’t help you build the strongest, most diverse candidate pipeline for internships and entry level roles.

Be flexible about majors

Many students don’t yet know the variety of roles that their major can map to, particularly students with liberal arts or business majors, which offer foundations that students can take in various directions.

Examine your nice-to-have

vs. need-to-have

qualifications

To level the playing field and convert more students who view your job to apply, revisit your criteria. GPA cut offs, rigid application windows, and requiring additional documents can deter the best and brightest, and in particular Black students, from going down an extensive application process. By removing barriers like these, you'll increase the potential for students to convert from a job view into an application.

57%

40%

Non-Black students

Applications submitted with a 3.5 GPA or above

Black students

“There’s proven value in becoming school agnostic to diversify your pipeline and engage students who you never would have met otherwise. Take that same approach with majors! For instance, not all sales people have business or marketing backgrounds; what if you took a closer look at sociology majors? Becoming school agnostic can drive more engagement.”

—Buddy H., Customer Success Manager, Handshake

Highlight your culture, DEI programs, and values

Employer brands should give early talent insight into your values and your overall employee experience so candidates can decide if their own goals are in alignment. Your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts show candidates that you value their uniqueness and embrace an inclusive work atmosphere, but it can also mean attracting more applications from qualified students. Your values are part of what will keep Gen Z at your organization once they are hired.

Be transparent about salary and benefits

Displaying the salary, or salary ranges, in a job post is the most compelling factor that attracts Gen Z to apply. Handshake’s Network Trends report on Gender, Equity, and Gen Z found that around 65% of students say that salary ranges in job postings are the greatest motivator to apply. But salary isn’t the only part of the job’s benefits you should reveal. A company’s perks and benefits play a large role in whether candidates accept a job offer.

Engagement

HOW IT ’S MEASURED:

Unique clicks per distinct message recipient

BENCHMARK :

The top 10 employers ranking highest in engagement see a message engagement rate of 46% to 58%

HOW IT ’S MEASURED:

Unique clicks per distinct message recipient

BENCHMARK :

Approach candidate engagement through

multi-channel marketing

To boost your engagement rates as well as your brand resonance, make sure the content across your Handshake Employer Page, careers page, and social presence provides sources of truth for Gen Z to get a sense of culture, alignment with interests, and belonging.

“Students are invited to study your culture the moment they arrive for an interview. They dissect the language in your outreach—every single touch point in the process matters.”

—Tiffany T., Director, EDU Success & Education, Handshake

According to ETA winner UnitedHealth Group, students are most likely to respond to relevant messages that are personalized, contain relevant job opportunities, spell out the recruiting process, and clarify if a response is needed.

Relate to candidates with empathy

You can authentically and empathetically usher early talent toward meaningful career opportunities by opening the door with engaging messages that are sensitive to what they are going through at any given time. Learn more about how students are exploring career opportunities on Handshake year over year.

Replicate what works

If you see certain messaging tactics yielding results, bake them into your processes. For inspiration on what to say and when throughout the candidate engagement journey, we’ve put together recruiting message templates based on message content with the highest engagement rates on Handshake.

Monitor, measure, and

prepare to pivot

If you notice open and engagement rates dipping, that can be a sign that you are sending too many messages, or that the message content isn’t relevant. Use data to figure out the best days and times to reach your audience.

Engage students through messages and double down

on video

Handshake findings indicate that employers who build relationships 1-on-1 through messaging and video see up to 16x more applications than employers that don’t.

Best days to send a message

Best times to send a message

PT

Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri

8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

AM PM

Event participation

In the past, when employers relied on student foot traffic to drive interest to their booths at campus events and fairs, it was difficult to quantify and qualify connections. But now, with 71% of students agreeing that virtual recruiting makes it less intimidating to learn about employers, there are so many more avenues for creativity with the types of fair participation. Virtual events can be hosted across schools, so you can truly target the most relevant candidates.

Handshake’s Career Fair Playbook also has a multitude of tips for building excitement leading up to events—and increase your fill rate ratio.

HOW IT ’S MEASURED:

Career fair or employer-hosted event registrants to attendees

BENCHMARK :

The top 10 employers ranking highest in event participation see 139-455 average attendees per employer-hosted event and 92%-99% of 1-on-1 sessions filled at virtual career fairs

Two-time ETA winner Gap Inc. customizes its programming to students by where they are in their college-to-career journey. Their team bakes follow-up events as well as messaging outreach into their strategy to keep the drum beating on their brand. Virtual events and fairs offer the opportunity to expand brand awareness over the course of a student’s education lifecycle to invest in early talent long-term.

Tailor event content to students by year in school

Participate in multi-school

virtual fairs

Since talent is equally distributed across the country, the institution a candidate attends doesn’t come close to telling their full story. Keep in mind that career fairs aimed at underrepresented groups don’t occur only at HBCUs or MSIs—they can happen anywhere, including multi-school and niche fairs where target candidates may be looking to work in specific industries or utilize specialized skills. This type of targeted approach can make way for a more personalized experience for employers and students alike.

Get creative with themes for your employer-hosted events

Pick a theme for each session and create interactive content that helps students explore career opportunities. With these events, you can increase your overall registration to attendee conversion rates and zero in on inviting the most qualified and interested candidates.

For example, ETA winner Procter & Gamble raised awareness around their culture and their city as welcoming places for LGBTQ+ early talent with a virtual employer-hosted event across schools, “This Is Love,” that resulted in 500+ applications.

Creative and interactive event ideas include communicating in online settings, navigating the hiring process virtually, networking and making connections between candidates and school alumni—compelling opportunities that students are likely to attend! ETA winner Liberty Mutual offers a variety of engaging event types, like 4 Skill-building experiences (i.e. public speaking, resume writing 4 Topics Gen Z cares about (i.e. DEI and mental health 4 Tactical support (i.e. building out students’ Handshake profiles)

Let students choose how they want to engage with you

Something as simple as changing the time that you host events or the length of an event can make a big impact on event attendance.

Communicate consistently to registrants

Tease the content, schedule reminders, and invite ambassadors to connect with students and show excitement about meeting them.

62% of Black and 60% of Hispanic or Latine students say they are more likely to apply to a job after attending a virtual event. Get more data in Handshake’s Virtual Events Playbook.

Download now

Relationships

HOW IT ’S MEASURED:

Reciprocal messaging exchange between a student and employer

BENCHMARK :

The top 10 employers ranking highest in relationships see an average of 29%-51% of unique students they message responding to a message, resulting in better relationships

What if you approached your investment in long-term relationships with early talent not as a transaction, but as a transformation?

Recognize that a connection begins the very moment a

potential hire learns about your company

And it shouldn’t end there. Including a personal note at the end of your message like, “I look forward to reviewing your application!” can increase your likelihood of a response.

Spark a relationship with a

message

The easiest way to start building one-on- one relationships with students is by sending a message, and maintaining the exchange. Begin your message with context around who you are and why you’re reaching out. Include what stood out to you about this candidate, how you think they can thrive at your organization, and why your employer is the best place for them to launch their career.

Topics to personalize messages

+ Qualifications + Interests

+ Industry + Student orgs

+ Alumni connection

Create a space where one-on-one connections are

encouraged

Personalization, transparency, and authenticity are critical to engaging with Gen Z and will be your most valuable currency for building relationships.

Invite candidates to informal 1-on-1 video chats

According to a Handshake survey of 1,000+ students and alumni, early career job-seekers rank 1-on-1 video chats as the most valuable way for them to learn about employers.

Personalize your messages

The more a student feels like they’re talking to a real person, the more likely they are to respond and apply to your open roles. That includes not only what you say, but when you send! Finding commonality is another great way to personalize your message and establish rapport. If you went to the same school or have another common interest with the candidate, go ahead and make that connection!

Unsure how to add 1-on-1 video chats to your normal routine? Just map these conversations back to those you would have during in-person office hours, tablings, and post-info sessions.

Key takeaways

Learn about your audience

Personalize your recruiting message

Communicate authentically

Close with a call to action

Review before sending your message

CTA

Expose students to a diverse range of voices from within

your organization

Since the average recruiter already speaks with 13,000 candidates each year, involving non- recruiters, such as hiring managers, current employees in the same role, and alumni from their school in the hiring process not only saves your team valuable time—it positively influences recruiting for internships and full-time roles while providing development and mentorship opportunities for existing employees.

Follow up

Event registration provides a touchpoint for you to follow up on and build a relationship with that student. ETA winners that score high on this criteria have realized that, whether a student attends a virtual career event or not, a connection was made with your company.

ETA winner Prudential taps employees to share their personal stories about how they’re navigating their careers. To build authentic programming and foster relationships between students and employees who look like them, partner with employee resource groups. Part of the relationship-building process is encouraging employees to stay in touch with the candidate and turning off the corporate speak!

Hi [student name],

I’m following up on my previous message because I think you would be a great fit for [role] at [employer], and thought you might be interested in learning more.

It’s not too late to sign up for our upcoming virtual information session on [event details]! RSVP here: [insert link].

Thank you for your time and consideration–hope to see you there!

[your name, your role, company name]

Celebrating the top

employers that launch

early careers to new heights

Closing ceremony

See how to get on the list next year →

Since Handshake partners with so many incredible employers, selecting ETA winners is difficult. Winners are evaluated on their early talent recruitment and engagement activity (not by their company size, hiring volume, or self-nomination). This reduces bias in the selection process and means employers across industry categories and scale are eligible to win.

Each of the ETA criteria maps to an important outcome for employers and demonstrates an engaging early talent recruiting program. While the methodology may evolve slightly year over year, the metrics in this guide are what you’ll want to focus on to not only strengthen your early talent recruiting program and how you use Handshake, but to achieve the best outcomes for students.

Now you can add winning strategies for early talent recruitment into your own game plan. By striving for success with the criteria and benchmarks provided in this guide, you can build a robust early talent pipeline—one that engages the job seekers of today and the graduates of tomorrow.

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Engagement

Are you proactively communicating with your candidates? Message students to promote jobs, events, and career fairs. Messages are limited to 100 candidates per semester with Core.

Core

Are you finding students that match your job criteria? Identify and message students at scale based on 19+ filters and attributes to narrow down your search.

Gen Z brand resonance

Event participation

Relationships

Are you connecting with the right schools (and students) based on your job openings? Through School Recommendations, connect with more schools based on the number of students that fit your job location and their career interests.

Are you prioritizing virtual events and career fairs in your recruiting strategy? Host virtual events and attend career fairs to engage with students from a range of schools, backgrounds, and disciplines.

Can students access your calendar? Add your availability to Handshake and attach your schedule to job postings or messages to candidates.

Are you tailoring your brand to reach students on their terms? Update your Company Profile to feature jobs, videos, company news, and employee testimonials that feel relevant to students.

Are you measuring your event and fair performance over time? With Applicant Analysis, calculate the ROI of your career fairs, events, and other interactions through data-driven insights.

Are you leveraging employees’ alumni networks? Personalize your outreach by introducing candidates to employees who attended the same school.

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