A typical interaction scene with recruiters and college students in college goes like this: Recruiters come to college and talk to students about the company .The moment the presentation finishes they are mobbed by students with questions about available jobs/internships. Some of the more ‘serious’ students ask questions about the company/ about the presentation, a presentation which usually bores you to death. Everyone present tries to get business cards (the achievement of the networking session for students).

Universities encourage you to network in this painful way to land jobs. Students who attend these presentations unfortunately most times aren’t interested in the company, they just want any job. A recruiter will not get the smartest person interested this way, ever.

Networking is about starting a conversation. A genuine conversation which gets both parties interested. How does the genuinely smart student get through this mob of students and differentiate himself in 30 seconds of personal interaction?

We need to start networking over some tangible platform. Over great work, like a tangible project or a great marketing idea, instead. Saves time for everyone and is much more effective. This way both parties are interested, the recruiter in knowing more about the student and the student in knowing what the recruiter wants for the job.

Just a note to all recruiters: presentations don’t interest us unless you are Google.

By David Graham

I love Costco.  I shop there all the time.  But one thing is for sure- you will never confuse a Costco with a Macy’s, a Whole Foods, or Best Buy.  Their business model is very simple.  They provide products to their customers at the lowest prices possible.  There is no flash to their stores, which are typically converted warehouses.  No salespeople are waiting to help you select a product.  They cut their margins razor-thin and rely on volume to drive their profits, selling super-sized packages of almost all their merchandise.  (I love the Family Guy episode where they sell 4-packs of pianos.)

My favorite feature of Costco, even more than the low prices, are the free samples.  You know what I am talking about- the little old ladies who set up stands and offer free bites of whatever food product they are peddling.  They are usually delicious, and I get angry old-lady stares when I go back for a second and third sample…but many times, I have purchased the product (usually in a 4-lb bag) based only on my sampling experience.  

I was pondering this phenomenon one day, thinking about how the sampling stands don’t seem to fit into Costco’s general theme.  But then I realized that because of the large size of their food packages, people are more hesitant to try new items.  And what better way to promote a product than to let them taste it?

Why doesn’t the college recruiting market do this?  Think about this- the investment that it takes to purchase a 4-lb bag of chicken tenders is about $10.00.  How much are companies investing in their entry-level hires?  I would say, at a bare minimum, $30,000 in salary- and that is not even considering benefits and training.  How can you afford to make this type of investment based on a piece of paper and a 30-minute meeting?

Companies will eventually realize that it makes sense to get a “free sample”.  Run a case competition.  Hire through your intern program.  Reduce the chance that you get the wrong person for the job.  It’s not always a free (or even cheap) option, but it sure beats making a $30,000 mistake.

I sat on the green, wooden bleachers at Bethpage Black for the 2nd round of US Open (golf). Surrounding me on the bleachers were 300 golf fans. It was 2pm. Tiger was about an hour away and people were quietly watching the players as two guys with a Budweiser in both hands walked to the back of the green bleachers to sit with the rest of their group.

I sat two rows away from them. Their Irish accents were unmistakable. Their humor was universal. They were the most positive, enthusiastic people I have ever been around. They yelled “Get in the hole!” They heckled, “I’ve seen better chips at the concession stand!” They brought energy to the crowd.

It was as if somebody had flipped the switch from off to on.

The rest of the “green bleacher 300″ began to erupt over a simple tap in or a good approach shot. Then came a golfer by the name of Matt.

Matt hit the crowd at its peak. He missed a birdie putt of about 20 feet and marked his ball. The rest of the players finished out the hole and then Matt easily tapped in his one foot putt for par. As if on que, the crowd erupted in applause. And I mean erupted. Matt was shocked. The NY fans read the shock on Matt’s face and the cheers got even louder. People around the course must have thought Tiger made a long birdie putt. Matt, then turned to the crowd and gave an I-don’t-know-why-your-are-cheering-but-I-like-it fist pump. Matt loved the crowd and the crowd loved Matt.

Two guys and four beers changed an apathetic gallery into an unmistakable noise machine. I don’t think ever, in the history of golf, had a one foot par putt been celebrated the way we did. The experience was remarkable.

So, how do you become those two guys? If you can’t – how do you hire those two guys? And what do your four beers look like?

Find your “two guys” and “four beers” and you just may create an event so remarkable- that people can’t help but blog about it.

Energy – no business can succeed without it.

By Chris Ziembko

Every year in professional sports, there’s a draft. Organizations are excited to evaluate prospects and see how they’ll fit in with the team. The president, the GM, the coaches–EVERYONE is interested in getting the most talented players from this year’s class. They know how a player will mesh with their systems and culture. They know how fast he’ll develop. Aside from the Super Bowl, the NFL Draft is the most anticipated event in the football community.

Why isn’t the college recruiting process like a draft for companies? I know, catching a 66 yard touchdown pass in front of 50,000 people is a little more exciting than briefing the clients on the new management strategy. Still, it’s as if no one cares about getting the best entry level hires or interns.  Most college recruiting consists of pouring time and money into the resume/interview process.

Companies should evaluate college students based on past performance instead of a fluffed up resume. What can they possibly tell about a potential employee’s benefit to the company from a 30 minute interview and a one page life summary? The hiring process for internships and entry level jobs is a gamble based on first impressions and instincts.

There isn’t a successful system yet for evaluating prospective employees.  The best way to evaluate someone is by performance in the field.  Just as NFL teams look at a college prospect’s performance the last four years, companies should look at projects that students have worked on in the past.  They need to know what a student can come up with, given a problem and a blank page.  Let students compete on projects.  It’s the best way to see how they’ll benefit the company in the future. 

If companies looked at ideas and actions instead of arbitrary behavioral questions and extracurricular activities, college recruiting will be more effective.  And, it’ll be more exciting.

By Romy Misra

The jobs which aren’t filled by referrals are filled by resumes, the unfortunate pivot of college recruiting. The company barrier you have to clear based on a piece of paper and how well you write it, but can’t be over a page.

Walk into your university career center and the first thing you will be coached on the importance of having a great resume and why you should spend time on it every day making it look good.

(Just in case you are new to the resume business: the ‘great resume’ reflects all your leadership roles in college, has active verbs (my university career center actually distributes a list which should be used), shows the impact your intern experience has on the organization, even if it didn’t have any.

What a glorious waste of time. So this system has students focusing on making great resumes all the time.  As a consequence, resumes are both highly exaggerated and incorrect portraits of students.  For companies it is equally tough as well, trying to dig behind the fluff and figuring out who the correct person for the job is.

In most cases the resume gives an inaccurate picture of the person. Even to make the first cut in a company. For instance, students join student organizations to have it reflect on their resume and prove they have a rounded personality. Worse some leading student organizations make it part of their recruiting pitch that being a member makes it look good on the resume.

The resume focus is not successful, makes students do some things for all the fake reasons (to put on your resume), yet it exists.

We need a recruiting system where actions speak louder than words. Especially resume words.

I found this interesting internship cover letter on the Weiden & Kennedy Blog:

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My Ideas are Golden