Recruiting the Next Generation of Innovators
For graduating American university students, the good news is that many companies plan to hire more entry-level workers this year than last. Unfortunately, while the job market is improving, many grads are still finding it tough to get work. Creativity, connections and hard work are imperative to standing out from the competition.
Businesses are also recognizing that recruiting the best from the next generation requires a different approach. Ketchum, a global communications firm, created a unique open innovation community for college students that has proven to not only be a valuable service for their clients but a valuable recruiting tool as well.
The community, called Mindfire, presents real-life problems from Ketchum clients to students with demonstrated creativity, communications and digital skills. The forum has proven to be a “win-win-win” development. Ketchum clients, such as Frito-Lay North America get to gather inspiration from fresh-thinking minds; participating students get a real taste of what a job in PR entails, and Ketchum gets to see evidence of the way applicants think creatively and work under tight deadlines.
“An unexpected dividend of our growing community is that it’s proving to be an incredible talent pipeline,” said Karen Strauss, partner and chief innovation officer at Ketchum and a co-developer of Mindfire. “Students who have supplied us with a steady stream of original thinking really rise to the top of the applicant pool.”
Structured innovation challenges can also be an extremely valuable tool available to university students looking to stand out to prospective employers. GM has had great success in using their Challenge X competition to aid in identifying recruits not by pre-rehearsed interview answers but based on their performance. The Henkel Innovation Challenge also is known well known as a recruiting tool for top university students. While the finals are a grueling global competition, the efforts frequently lead to internships and full-time jobs for the finalists and an excellent resume addition for other participants.
Reader Comments
Great article Aminda! Unfortunately, the economy hasn't fully recovered fully quite yet and recruiters haven't been able to add more positions within their companies. Recruiting has become such an important part, and recruiting the best and brightest has become essential to organizational success.
Posted by Michelle Mendoza on June 9, 2011
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