The second week of May is traditionally the busiest week of the year for student and graduate applications on LinkedIn, and, as the barrage of CVs peter out, the social network has shared some advice for anyone still hoping to fill that crucial role.
HR departments need to create a specific employer brand, as students or recent graduates are motivated by different factors. Reflecting this will help any company tap into the vast resource that is the graduate market.
Richard George, a spokesperson at LinkedIn, says: "Students are the fastest-growing group on LinkedIn. Employers that have already invested the time and effort in establishing a presence for their employer brand online will naturally be the first port of call."
However, speaking exclusively to Recruitment Grapevine, he says it is also a student's responsibility to enable themselves to be discovered: "By ensuring their online professional profile on LinkedIn is up-to-date and informative, students will help potential employers find them, even if they’re in the student union taking a much earned break from the studying. A professional-looking profile photo and a succinct – and proof-read – overview of any academic achievements and areas they want to explore in your career will help them stand out in a competitive job market."
Feedback from students to LinkedIn has also shown that this emerging, media-savvy generation prefer direct contact rather than a third-party, blanket e-mail.
LinkedIn also recommends recruiters harness the reams of real-time data, utilising this correctly could result in effective recruitment strategies.
But, the social networking site says that it shouldnt all be about online methods of sourcing candidates as on-campus recruitment events still help to facilitate priceless opportunities for face-to-face contact.
By HR Grapevine
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