[Source: INEDA, 11.2016 | Keywords: Human Resources, Recruiting]
1. Fifty-four percent of companies who participated in the annual “AgCareers.com Agribusiness HR Review” estimate 1-5% of their current workforce will retire in the next two years. Talent doesn’t grow on trees but it’s growing at colleges and universities across the country!
2. Looking for local talent? According to CollegeBoard.org, 80% of students begin college in a state where they are a resident. Attending a campus career fair will give you access to talent who wants to stay in your area.
3. Think new grads lack knowledge? The millennial generation entering the workforce now is tremendously innovative. Just consider all the social media outlets and apps they’ve developed in the last 5 years!
4. In the 2015 “AgCareers.com Internship Benchmark Survey,” 49% of interns in the agriculture industry from across the country said they learned about their internship through career services/at a career fair.
5. A growing number of students are no longer active in clubs and organizations. Over the past 5 years in the annual “AgCareer.com Internship Benchmark Survey,” nearly 20% have reported not to be active in any club or organization. So you can’t rely on faculty/club connections alone to help you attract new talent to your organization.
6. If you are a smaller employer who is not a government contractor, and therefore not required to use an ATS system to track applicants for compliance, then you’ll be one of the few at the career fair who can actually take a resume from a student. Word will spread quickly and your pile of candidates will grow! Go the extra mile and discuss the resume with the student, offer suggestions, and you’ll be on the fast track to developing a strong employer brand on campus!
7. Your competitor is probably at the career fair. More than 45% of companies participating in the “AgCareers.com Agribusiness HR Review” said they plan to be more active with college and university recruiting in the next 5 years. Additionally, in the bi-annual “AgCareers.com Intern and New Grad Hiring report,” 92% of employers listed campus career fairs as a recruitment method they use to compete for talent.
8. Looking for diverse talent? Career fairs are open to all majors within the college or university, especially if you are attending a campus wide vs. college specific event. It’s a one stop shop to recruit from diverse set of majors.
9. Meeting your candidates face-to-face will help you make more informed decisions based on first impressions. It is much more cost effective to have personal interaction at this point in the process than bringing in a large number of candidates for face-to-face interviews.
10. AgCareers.com has complied a listing of Ag related Career Fairs across the country to make locating and registering for the event a quick and easy process, so take advantage of it!