Using Technology for Corporate Recruiting

By Kim Tarasiewicz

How many of you were recruited for a job right out of college? Did you attend the sessions where you “dressed for success,” met with corporate representatives, and then typed out or, heaven forbid, hand-wrote a thank you letter? As my son begins life on campus as a freshman at Temple University, I am amazed at how much technology has changed the face of college life and also job recruiting.

This generation of college students is the most tech-savvy group by far; a Mashable infographic shows that 73 percent of students say they cannot study without the use of technology. As the class of 2019 makes its way through college, technology will impact the process of gaining employment even more, and those organizations that want to hire the best of the bunch will have to keep up with those advances, as well.

Just networking and putting out an advertisement on LinkedIn might not be enough for companies to connect with the right hire. Technology companies are launching new applications to help college students find the right job, and you better believe this technology-driven group will know how to use those apps.

Companies like Symplicity have partnered with college career centers to give businesses that are hiring access to highly qualified job candidates. Job seekers can download an app and keep all of their resources and searches stored in one place - yet another reason that any company developing a new website needs to have a mobile site as well if they want to remain competitive.

College students today are aware of how competitive the job market is. To remain competitive as that market evolves, they must partner with their career center early on to match skills with opportunities. As is the case at Temple, on-campus interviews are still important, but much of the process and tracking is done online with your student account.

For talent managers, keeping up with the technology college students are using can be tough, but recruiters should be aware of how potential hires are using QR codes to upload resumes, using calendars to schedule interviews, and checking websites such as Glassdoor to rate interviews and compare corporate hiring processes. Recruiters themselves can access apps to evaluate candidates, keep track of job fairs, and access a database of job seekers.

So to those hiring students fresh out of college, start updating your corporate technology now to keep abreast of the latest resources and hire the best. And to the class of 2019, good luck in your college endeavors and here’s hoping that each of you can connect on the right job with the right company four years from now.

Thank You Notes: Old Fashioned or Professional?

By Rose Strong

My nephew, who just graduated in June of 2014 with a biology degree with a concentration on entomology (that’s bugs, folks!), is currently in a job-seeking mode. Since grad school is tough in the entomology field, he took what seems to be a good entry-level management position with one of those pet supply chain stores where they sell small pets like reptiles, fish, rodents and birds. For now, it pays the bills and gives him the chance to work with animals.

I helped with his cover letter and reviewed his resume. He received a call for an interview last week with a company in the business of raising insects for animal feeding. (I know, ewwww.) He texted me all excited about it. The first text I sent was a clear YAHOO! The next was telling him to get a thank you card ready to write and send when the interview was over.

My gut told me he was thinking I was just his crazy aunt, (which I am,) but that he’d get around to it.

After the interview he stopped by to tell his parents about it and I happened to be visiting. He said he did great and met with the CEO and the general manager. He felt good about how it went and when I said he now had to send out two cards, he nonchalantly said, “Oh yeah, okay.”

Working at Furia Rubel, we keep a stack of thank you cards on hand and send them out for all sorts of things. They are sent to convey gratitude for a business referral opportunity. We write them out after some business meetings or a networking event we attend. Furia Rubel even sends out thank you notes for gifts folks send to thank us for something! We find the time it takes to write them is a good business investment and helps to leave a lasting impression. This article from Entrepreneur.com is a great introduction to the “how-to’s” of a professional thank you note. It doesn't have to be long or laborious, just legible and sincere.

This article from BusinessNewsDaily.com is filled with the top 10 things you shouldn't write in a thank you note. It includes excellent tips on how to keep your note professional.

Thanks to the instant gratification of email, Twitter, Facebook and all the other forms of electronic communications, too few of us today take the time to hand write a letter or mail anything via the U.S. Postal Service more than some bills. There may still be a few of us who send birthday cards and holiday greetings, but it’s rare to see an actual handwritten note. Perhaps because it is a rare gesture these days, we find that the act of sending a hand-written card makes the recipients very happy, and as a consequence, they remember us fondly. I know that is true in my own life, too. Besides the excitement I feel when I receive a handwritten envelope in my pile of mail, the idea the sender is offering their sincere appreciation or good wishes sticks with me. And that is what good marketing – and good manners – is all about.