Higher ed officials discussed how employers can improve and diversify their student recruiting efforts during a virtual panel hosted on Tuesday by career network Handshake.
“When you do virtual recruiting, you are able to help students that might have neurodiversity, that might have disabilities, that need to try and juggle a very heavy course load or part-time work because that’s how they’re getting through school,” said Christine Cruzvergara, chief education strategy officer at Handshake. “It helps folks that otherwise may be autistic, may be shy, may need different types of preparation, focus on building a relationship with you – showcasing the strengths that they can bring to the table – rather than focusing on how to navigate a loud networking event or career fair and jostling other peers for competition and getting just a little bit of facetime with you.”
Almost half of students Handshake surveyed preferred one-on-one virtual interaction with employers, especially women and underrepresented racial and ethnic respondents, Cruzvergara said.
Dr. Alex Davis, executive director of the Los Angeles Orange County Regional Consortium (LAOCRC) of 28 community colleges, highlighted why employers shouldn’t dismiss community college students as viable recruits.
“And what’s really unique about our community colleges is that we’re flexible,” she said. “We’ve got all ages. We’ve got individuals with grit, with life experiences, with barriers who have navigated themselves around those barriers. And so, for the employers out there, don’t count the community college system out. Our students are brilliant. They’re economically challenged. But they’re brilliant.”
One thing to keep in mind when recruiting at historically Black colleges and universities is student finances, said Cynthia Downing, executive director of career services at North Carolina A&T State University.
