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LANSING — The University of Michigan is now back on campus looking for new employees after the COVID-19 pandemic forced employers to shift to virtual recruiting strategies.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that more than 91% of 204 employers surveyed nationwide use campus recruiting to find the Class of 2022.
Employers working with the recruiting group Michigan Alliance of Career Educators and Employers say recruiters are tired of virtual alternatives and are eager to return to in-person options.
“We’re exhausted in the virtual world” said Korina Kasperek, president-elect of the education and employer group. “We can all go back and start interacting with students now.”
“We want to create face-to-face connections,” Kasperek is DTE Energy’s director of human resources and a recruiter for the utility.
Her nonprofit works with employers and schools to provide information and opportunities about recruiting events.
“Through knowledge sharing and networking, we are able to enhance our efforts and ultimately benefit students,” Kasperek got it.
Kasperek said virtual alternatives to career fairs are limited and don’t allow for the flexibility and physical interaction that comes with on-campus recruiting.
The shift back to face-to-face recruitment also allows employers to reach students in other ways.
For example, Kasperek said some schools allow recruiters to present to relevant classes.
Resuming in-person recruiting also allows the student body to connect with employers for information about opportunities.
“We’re seeing companies investing more in these clubs and organizations. Being able to meet specifically with a specific major often results in a higher return on investment than a campus-wide fair.” said Joe Bamberger, the organization’s current president and founder and managing partner of Emerge.
Emerge is a Royal Oak-based organization dedicated to connecting employers and students. Bamberg said the organization works primarily with small and mid-market size companies that lack the resources or capabilities to cover every college campus.
“It allows them to focus their resources and punch above their weight class, so to speak.” Bamberg said.
Bamberger also emphasized the importance of in-person recruiting.
“My mentality is, if I have two resumes in front of me and they look similar on paper and I’ve met one of the students in person, I’m always going to give the edge to the person I met,” Bamberg said.
Grand Valley State is a school that is making a big push to revive on-campus recruiting.
Cindy Brown, Grand Valley’s employment development manager, said most of its career services activities have been in-person since fall 2022.
"We have a waiting list of employers for both of our large job fairs," Brown said.
Brown said the fall event, which has more than 230 employers among two large annual job fairs, typically sells out two months in advance.
The Feb. 22 job fair sold out in early January.
“We’re seeing a lot of employers wanting to get back to in-person work,” Brown said. “They want to meet students. They want to be on campus.”
Grand Valley is still hosting virtual recruiting events, but only a handful.
Brown said a large number of engineering companies attend major shows.
Other large employers focus on business students, health care, human and human services, communications, public relations, advertising, marketing and sales.
Grand Valley also hosts smaller, more focused events for specific majors.
A high percentage of the university’s students remain in Michigan. Its first destination survey, which ends in June 2022, found that 85% of graduates live and work in the state.
Most of the employers who visit Grand Valley are headquartered in Michigan, Brown said.
Brown said that throughout the changes to career fairs since the COVID-19 pandemic, some students who have never attended a career fair in person have had a hard time adapting.
“They may not understand how to attend a job fair in person,” Brown said.
Another school moving primarily to in-person recruiting events is Saginaw Valley State.
Saginaw Valley hosted six in-person career fairs last year, including two larger campus-wide events and smaller events focused on specific areas.
The most recent show, held on Feb. 2, had about 120 companies in attendance and an estimated 300 students in attendance, said Sarah Binder, Saginaw Valley employer and student development specialist.
“There’s more room for organic connections at live shows,” Binder said.
However, one barrier that universities face is student participation in these fairs.
“I think everyone in the aftermath of COVID has experienced student engagement challenges,” Binder said.
Saginaw Valley students prefer smaller, more informal events with employers, Binder said.
Saginaw Valley continues to face challenges as the show grows in size.
“We try to avoid too many gimmicks because we want students to understand how important this is to their future and feel its intrinsic value,” Binder said.
Even with fewer students taking part, employers are being flexible.
“Even though we only had five students, they were very open to it.” Binder said. “A lot of them leave with good connections.”
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