Connecting beyond the internship: Campus engagement strategy

Throughout the year, campus recruiters face the ebbs and flows of candidate engagement. While the campus engagement gears up during the spring semester as students head off to internships, the communication can frequently die down as internships end and students head back to campus in the fall. 

Your interns are an asset—with hopes that your strongest interns will one day be your strongest employees. So it’s imperative to keep them engaged throughout the school year as you plan for an incoming class of employees. 

And do you want to know a not-so-secret secret? Texting is the best way to do that.

Below are 3 reasons why texting builds a strong campus engagement strategy.

1. Build relationships with future employees.

According to one report, “Gen Z averages around 9 hours of screen time per day.” So when we say meet your young talent on their cell phone screen, we really mean it. Meeting them where they are goes a long way in showing you value your employees (and interns) and want to make their experience positive.

The best way to keep candidates engaged after their internships is to maintain consistent communication—and consistent communication is the foundation for healthy candidate and employer relationships. 

HireVue allows teams to send out personalized SMS campaigns or 1:1 messages from the platform—not their personal phones, which not only protects privacy but reduces liability risk, giving HR, IT, and legal teams peace of mind. 

Many interns are offered a job at the end of their internship—with a start date months later after graduation. Keep your previous interns engaged through the entire year with consistent messaging that can include the following:

• “Good luck!” messages at the start of their senior year
• Encouraging words during exam season
• Holiday well wishes
• Happy birthday notes
• Graduation countdown and congratulations 
• Fun facts about your company 
• Onboarding notes before their start date
• New hire events near them

2. Turn passive candidates into active ones.

Finding qualified talent can feel like an uphill battle, so expanding your reach is critical when it comes to filling roles. Keeping past interns engaged throughout the year helps you turn a passive candidate pool into an active one. 

Beacon Health System turned to HireVue texting to keep candidates engaged. Now with HireVue, when a candidate applies for a job, their information is automatically deposited into a resume database. Even if a candidate isn’t hired for the position, recruiters can find another position for them by texting them when new opportunities arise.  When a nursing network event needed promotion, texting offered them a 90% delivery rate compared to the average 21% open rate with email.

Now imagine the same strategy with interns. Automatically deposit their information into a database that can easily be tapped into for future roles—with the ease it takes to send a simple text message. Plus, your interns already have a feel for your business, so hiring them can quicken the onboarding process. 

3. Texting fuels your entire process.

When it comes to finding interns or new employees, there’s a process—from engaging to screening to assessing to interviewing then finally hiring.

Well, texting allows you to keep all your candidates engaged throughout the entire process. HireVue Structured Interviewing and Assessments are both powered by texting—so candidates not only receive invites and reminders via text but can easily schedule or reschedule their interviews as well. (Not to mention, they can complete their interviews and assessments easily on their phones with mobile-friendly solutions.)

Texting is more effective and flexible than the traditional methods like phone and email tag. Your student candidates are busy—between classes, jobs, and extracurricular activities, providing solutions that meet them where they are is critical and shows you respect their time. Yes, people may laugh at Gen Z for always being on their phones, but they are, so you should be, too!

Develop a campus engagement strategy built on text—and start building a workforce excited for their first day at your company. Ready to do just that? Schedule a demo.