Recruitment: Candidate Sourcing Through University Partnerships

Many organizations are looking to gain a competitive edge in the market.  This can include reducing costs, developing a new product or service, better means of operation, or something that they can then tout as a core competency.  One area that can have a multiplying effect is partnering with a university.  A business that does this has a sophisticated way of looking at growth, development, and establishing future dividends for the long-term health of the business.

Growth

Identifying new areas to generate a quality pipeline of candidates can be challenging.  When an organization partners with a university, they are able to work hand-in-hand with people that have an intimate knowledge of students that are currently in the program.  Utilizing this as a resource can provide an organization the opportunity to select a potential prospect that would take a lot of searching and digging to find under the normal recruitment process. Not only saving time and money, but this also provides a more immediate impact on the business unit as these individuals join the team.
These new individuals also can become strong resources when it comes to learning about the latest techniques and growth areas within a given field.  They would be on the cutting edge of the technical development within the marketplace.  These individuals can provide valuable insights to seasoned leaders looking to strategically assess their next move.

Development

A critical aspect to staying ahead of the competitive curve is developing current talent.  This can be done in one off scenarios, but that is inefficient and difficult to truly measure.  When a partnership with a University is established, a cohort can be developed so that a group of employees can enter into the educational program at the same time.  This can help with continuity amongst the team in a variety of factors:

• Study groups can be easily established, leading to better cohesion and teamwork.
• Comradery can form amongst the group.
• An increased level of technical skills can develop across the team.
• Qualitative skills begin to form.

These are just a few of the skills that can be established when an organization looks to invest in the employee on a larger scale.

Long-Term Benefits

When there is a focus on bringing in the right person and then advancing that person in their career through developmental tactics, a snowball effect can begin to take place.  This improves an organization’s culture through strong feedback loops between the University and the company.  As people graduate and encounter positive experiences, they can become advocates for both the organization and the universities program that they graduated from during their time at a particular role.  This can lead to a stronger reputation within the marketplace.  When this reputation is established, it will help an organization stand out against the competition when it comes to bringing in new employees, because people will then want to work at a place that develops people into leaders.
This partnership can have a profound effect on an organization, both short-term and long-term.  There are many lenses that a partnership makes sense for both the University and the organization.  This can setup an organization for future success that is sustainable, because it goes beyond the tactical short-sighted view of only recruiting or only developing on individual department.  This partnership says loud and clear, “we are going to be successful for a longtime, and we want current and future employees to lead us to greater heights.”  When an organization says “yes” to a partnership, it says “yes” to establish themselves as the premier player in the market.  This is a vital step that an organization needs to take to separate itself from the pack.

Find out more about how a partnership with the University of Cincinnati can benefit your organization.