Now that it’s January, it’s usually the time of year when college advisors are telling students to start looking for internships and entry-level jobs.  Of course being told to do something and actually doing it are two different things…And while it’s not that college students are lazy when it comes to planning their futures, they’re probably less inclined to do so unless they’re getting a constant reminder about it. Like, constantly, y’all.

So it’s to an organization’s advantage to step up its campus recruiting efforts during this time.  Even if you’re not looking to recruit right now, as Vault.com’s John Flato will tell you, maintaining your employment branding efforts on college campuses will pay off later on.  

Driving home my point from my earlier post about why companies need to maintain – or even increase – their recruiting efforts during the recession, Flato lists five reasons for you to “stay in school” and continue your campus recruiting efforts today, which I’ve summed up below: 

1. Improve the quality of the talent you are able to recruit – Because fewer companies are recruiting on campus, you can have your pick of the talent litter.
2. Block and tackle competitors – By increasing your presence on campuses, you can target and intensify your message, and get the attention of student job seekers who might have never before considered your organization.
3. Thwart looming retirements and a drain of intellectual capital – Hiring campus talent helps you build a pipeline of future leaders as the current baby boomers retire, and prevents gaps in your talent supply later on.
4. Campus continuity pays off - IBM learned the hard way that taking a hiatus from campus recruiting during the economic recession in the early ’90s only made it harder to “regain a foothold at our key schools” once the recession ended. So now, they actively recruit at more than 100 universities across the country, and have one of the best-known recruitment brands among university students.
5. Campus recruiting is the most cost-effective way to source and retain top diverse talent – Nearly 100% of Proctor & Gamble’s new hires comes from its campus recruiting program, saving the firm the high costs associated with search firm fees, excessive salaries, and, ultimately (because P&G boasts a high retention rate for training and promoting these employees from within), turnover.

One last thought: College students aren’t stupid.  Despite not being in the working world, they understand that the recession is making job-hunting tough – probably even more so than for more experienced workers.  I don’t envy these kids, what with their impending loans and – now that Days of Our Lives’ greatest love story has ended its final chapter – fewer reasons to be home during the daytime hours…

But they’re smart, they’re resourceful, and they’re willing to work hard.  They’ll find their ways, for sure, but they just need someone to have a little faith in them is all…