While it often pays to cast a big net for certain sourcing, the realities of today’s campus recruiting have made that an old-school approach. If you’re after specific candidates — steeped in STEM, hailing from diverse backgrounds, or possessing a particular set of skills — there’s no assurance that going broad and wide will snag those persons who meet your needs.

As the leader in campus recruiting, Yello knows that targeted strategies have become the best practice for this new decade. Here are our five helpful recommendations for finding the jewels among the stones:

1.  Add a targeting initiative to your sourcing strategy.

You’re likely already partnering with campus career centers, and they’re an important ally for mass events such as career fairs. But you can help them better help you by being as specific as possible with what you need. Identify the candidate types that fit into your overall company recruiting goals, and broadcast your findings.

2.  Rethink your sourcing pool approach.

Instead of focusing on overall volume, focus on specific candidate types. Consider fresh sources of candidates who don’t usually attend career fairs and other hiring events. And create a process to avoid duplicates.

3.  Review your technology.

Many colleges agree their legacies merit respect— but their legacy systems, not so much. Does your current system allow you to pinpoint and filter candidate types? Can you save time by automating your key processes? Or are you so old-school that you’re virtually carrying boxes of punched cards to the computer lab?

4.  Assess how you use sourcing vendors.

This is another area where less is often more. If you are paying multiple vendors for general pools of candidates, consider using fewer vendors with more targeted specifications. Bottom line: you’re likely to have a better return on investment.

5.  Refresh your brand and messaging.

Employer branding has become a crucial part of campus recruiting; your mission and values, your workplace environment, your corporate culture must all be in sync with your target candidates’ expectations. Review your print, web and video content, and revamp if needed, to be sure it presents you in the best light.

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