Do companies not recruit on college campuses these days?

[SteveH]

It's easy for them to just list everything, but then it results in a flood of applications.

To be "legal" you pretty much have to list it publicly, if not it can get you in trouble with discrimination, etc. My HR guy is adamant that all potions be listed for at least 2 weeks as part of our HR plan, I can't blame him. He's following best practice but sometimes it can drive me crazy when I have a great person for a job.

 

[GreatLakes]

To be "legal" you pretty much have to list it publicly, if not it can get you in trouble with discrimination, etc. My HR guy is adamant that all potions be listed for at least 2 weeks as part of our HR plan, I can't blame him. He's following best practice but sometimes it can drive me crazy when I have a great person for a job.

I just ignore the resumes after I've made my decision. I wanted to bring over someone I used to work with for a role under me. I called them, interviewed them, they interviewed with a peer, and we had a handshake deal. We had to post the job internally for 1 week then publicly for 2. I didn't even look at a resume. I just waited the 3 weeks total and the paperwork became official.

 

[kamik86]

I just ignore the resumes after I've made my decision. I wanted to bring over someone I used to work with for a role under me. I called them, interviewed them, they interviewed with a peer, and we had a handshake deal. We had to post the job internally for 1 week then publicly for 2. I didn't even look at a resume. I just waited the 3 weeks total and the paperwork became official.

We don't have a time frame for all jobs but they have to listed.

Making matters worse they often will post a new job listing for someone to apply to as its easier way to process a raise for a current employee. So we have listings for a short time up even though its not even a real listing someone is doing that job already and just applying to the new one for a raise. (I got my last raise this way. I didn't know it was listed for anyone to see until a coworker asked if I was leaving because my job was posted)

 

[bcla]

I just ignore the resumes after I've made my decision. I wanted to bring over someone I used to work with for a role under me. I called them, interviewed them, they interviewed with a peer, and we had a handshake deal. We had to post the job internally for 1 week then publicly for 2. I didn't even look at a resume. I just waited the 3 weeks total and the paperwork became official.

Depends on the position. In the past I got hints that perhaps I was being interviewed simply because they were required to interview other candidates, even though there was a hand-picked employee already assured of getting the job. There's this one address (a federal government office actually) in Atlanta where applications/resumes can be mailed in order to certify that a "US worker" isn't being displaced. It's kind of disingenuous, but there might be requirements for certain positions to accept applications and/or interview "US workers". One time I absolutely knew I wasn't getting the job. The manager flat out told me he already had a guy on an H-1B they were looking to keep, but that they to conduct interviews in order to sponsor him for permanent residency. I was even told the company had a hiring freeze, so even if he wanted to replace this guy they couldn't. I get it. A lot of my coworkers and friends got green cards this way. It's kind of stupid, but they have to go through the motions.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

OP- It seems more like you're asking "why can't these recent grads get jobs..I did why can't they"

Times change, companies change, workplace norms change, the world changes.

It's not so much that recent grads can't get jobs but they may have a much harder time than before getting jobs in the field they have a degree in for a variety of reasons. College campus recruiting is but one way but you're probably going to find more local jobs and some sectors aren't going to be as easy to come by depending on where you live. It would be risky either way but it's not as if getting a degree in a field that is heavily represented in your area is a fail safe. Companies go by the waste side, merge, move their headquarters or campuses elsewhere, etc.

I have in the past told my husband how darn lucky he is that he worked for the company at age 17 (nearly 18) as an intern paid well above what I was getting paid elsewhere at that time in the retail world and that he was asked to stay on while he was in college and that he was offered a position well before he graduated (he actually took a few classes to supplement his knowledge because his degree was not in the exact same field as his present job). He's now going on nearly 12 years at that company---he was lucky. He's not the norm at least in my experience.

Finding a job might be easier (depending on the economy and unemployment rates and needs of places) but finding the job isn't necessarily that way.

 

[tvguy]

To be "legal" you pretty much have to list it publicly, if not it can get you in trouble with discrimination, etc. My HR guy is adamant that all potions be listed for at least 2 weeks as part of our HR plan, I can't blame him. He's following best practice but sometimes it can drive me crazy when I have a great person for a job.

Our jobs are always posted. But the reality is, you are usually applying for a position that may open up in the future.

 

[tex1989]

My company ( a large international oil company) recruits on campus all the time. I think the biggest difference between when I graduated college in 1981 vs today is that the competition at that level is fierce. I freely admit if I was graduating today with my college credentials my company would not even give me an interview. Just to get an interview you have to have a minimum of a 3.5 GPA. To get to the second level interview you have to interview well, have extra curricular activities, preferably a work history in the field as an intern, stellar references, and the right demographics behind you. There are so many graduates these days that the number that actually get to the interview phase get invited for an onsite interview and eventually a job offer is a difficult processs that takes sometimes as much as 8 months. This process is not unique to my company, lots of major corp's do the same. Now there are tons of other companies out there hiring but those are the ones that the graduates don'r necessarily want to work for. Through a local orginization I interacted with a large number of graduating seniors from a couple of large universities in Texas. They were taking jobs with car rental companies, retail companies, and other companies where they had career potentials, but not what they considered top tier companies.

There are jobs and unemployment is lower than in times past, but not all jobs are equal and that is part of the issue.

 

[NotUrsula]

Those job boards generally don't have anything that can't be found from corporate websites. I do remember one time I got laid off and an old manager of mine got me an interview for a job at his current employer that wasn't listed publicly. However, in my experience almost everything can be found these days on corporate websites. It's easy for them to just list everything, but then it results in a flood of applications. I have gotten interviews and have gotten employment recently that way.

Well, yes, but when you are new to the field, you usually will only know the names of the really big players. Association job boards, and assn boards in general, will help you learn the names of other companies, which of course you can then target directly. Lots of new graduates "don't want to work for" a company not because it has a bad reputation, but because they have never heard of that company. Many times smaller companies are very good places to work, but not household names except for a tiny in-the-know minority, which students, even grad students, usually are not part of unless they have family ties.

Naturally, everything varies by field and by firm. In some fields companies put up job descriptions hoping to amass a selection pool to be drawn from when they have a vacancy; in other fields companies will toss any resumes they receive when they do not have an opening on the books. Some places are known to almost always hire from inside, and some places never do.

In my field, it's rather expected that once you get past entry-level, you'll dig deep enough to find out who the head of the hiring committee is (yes, we have hiring committees, it's never a single person's decision), and send a second application directly to that person, in addition to the one that has to go to HR under the terms stated in the job posting. However, in some fields, doing that would get you disqualified on the grounds of not being willing to follow procedures. In my field, promotions are vanishingly rare; the standard way to move up is to move from one place to another (for us, being geographically limited means accepting that you will probably never see the inside of a C-suite.)

 

[bcla]

Well, yes, but when you are new to the field, you usually will only know the names of the really big players. Association job boards, and assn boards in general, will help you learn the names of other companies, which of course you can then target directly. Lots of new graduates "don't want to work for" a company not because it has a bad reputation, but because they have never heard of that company. Many times smaller companies are very good places to work, but not household names except for a tiny in-the-know minority, which students, even grad students, usually are not part of unless they have family ties.

Well - these days it would be unusual for a new job listing to not show on on Indeed. Just set up a keyword search and bookmark it. When the listings come up it's possible to research the company.

Still, there are often some really weird listings. I remember a few years back I was looking, and there were listings on Indeed for a company called Tabula. I'd heard of them because they were one of the first companies that Intel had taken as a "foundry" customer (where they take their designs and make the actual silicon). I saw the listings but found out that the company had dissolved. For some reason Indeed had zombie listings indicating that the jobs were newly listed.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well - these days it would be unusual for a new job listing to not show on on Indeed. Just set up a keyword search and bookmark it. When the listings come up it's possible to research the company.

Still, there are often some really weird listings. I remember a few years back I was looking, and there were listings on Indeed for a company called Tabula. I'd heard of them because they were one of the first companies that Intel had taken as a "foundry" customer (where they take their designs and make the actual silicon). I saw the listings but found out that the company had dissolved. For some reason Indeed had zombie listings indicating that the jobs were newly listed.

Only about 20% of job openings in my field ever show up on Indeed. I can't swear to the rest of the world, but if it happens for one field, it stands to reason it could easily happen for others.

 

[DopeyDame]

Possibly, I suppose. I know the frustration for my wife is the time, effort and expense put into recruiting, hiring and training goes to waste when after a year or so, they decide it's not for them. And everyone is totally upfront about what the job entails so there shouldn't be any surprise when they get in the middle of an 80-hour week.

I'm old, and there is no way I'd be happy with an 80 hour work week. It sounds like that company needs to hire more people and offer them reasonable hours, and then fewer people would quit.

 

[soccerdad72]

I'm old, and there is no way I'd be happy with an 80 hour work week. It sounds like that company needs to hire more people and offer them reasonable hours, and then fewer people would quit.

It's just the nature of the business - they have about a 2 month stretch where a lot has to get done. The rest of the year is pretty normal work hours and really flexible schedules for the most part.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's just the nature of the business - they have about a 2 month stretch where a lot has to get done. The rest of the year is pretty normal work hours and really flexible schedules for the most part.

Well, yes, but since Interns are by their very nature temp employees, her point is rather well-taken: hire more of them if the time you are hiring them for is that busy.

I agree that it makes perfect sense to say that a permanent employee with a salary and full benefits sees a balance of the work demand over time and should expect to have to sometimes double-down for a while, but that isn't a situation that a temporary employee will ever reap the upside of.

 

[wvjules]

I didn't see where soccerdad was talking about interns. Working in audit for a Big 4 Accounting firm isn't for everyone. There are busy times, as soccerdad mentioned, but then the rest of the year is normal. It's the nature of the business. Some first years get through the first year (staff 1) and realize that it isn't for them even though they most likely know what they are getting into when they are hired. No big deal. There are plenty more lined up for the job. The answer isn't to "hire more" because then there would be layoffs during non-busy season. Sometimes the days are long, but working for a Big 4 also has its perks.

 

[soccerdad72]

I didn't see where soccerdad was talking about interns. Working in audit for a Big 4 Accounting firm isn't for everyone. There are busy times, as soccerdad mentioned, but then the rest of the year is normal. It's the nature of the business. Some first years get through the first year (staff 1) and realize that it isn't for them even though they most likely know what they are getting into when they are hired. No big deal. There are plenty more lined up for the job. The answer isn't to "hire more" because then there would be layoffs during non-busy season. Sometimes the days are long, but working for a Big 4 also has its perks.

Jules is right - I wasn't talking about interns, but full time staff.

 

[morgan98]

I didn't see where soccerdad was talking about interns. Working in audit for a Big 4 Accounting firm isn't for everyone. There are busy times, as soccerdad mentioned, but then the rest of the year is normal. It's the nature of the business. Some first years get through the first year (staff 1) and realize that it isn't for them even though they most likely know what they are getting into when they are hired. No big deal. There are plenty more lined up for the job. The answer isn't to "hire more" because then there would be layoffs during non-busy season. Sometimes the days are long, but working for a Big 4 also has its perks.

Not to mention the hours are long, but the pay raises are generally really strong. 10% raises in the first several years are not rare. It is really an example of people investing their time in their careers by learning through on the job experience. This is also a job where you generally start with four weeks of PTO.

 

[wvjules]

I'm on my second of the Big 4 and find Big 4 benefits to be pretty good. (401K match kinda sucks though) Where I am now have 22 days PTO, 13 holidays including 4 day holiday weekends, a winter break and a summer break. I'm not sure of the policy of where I am now but my previous employer had 6 months paid maternity leave and before I left they added a 16 week parental/caregiver leave policy.

And as you mentioned the raises are pretty strong and I'll add that there is a pretty clear progression up the career ladder. So yeah sometimes the hours suck but the rest of the time it is pretty good.

Disclaimer: I do not have a busy season. I am usually a straight 40HPW at the client so I admit that I have it pretty dang good right now.

ETA: I think most of the big (top 10) accounting firms are probably pretty similar with regards to benefits. My experience is only with Big 4.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Hmmmm I remember Job Fairs but they mostly applied to the engineering/agricultural/science/math/business crowd. Nothing for the art department!
Also I remember the university set up "bouncers" at the Job Fair and if you weren't "dressed for success", they didn't let you in. I never had time to attend - I had part-student jobs to go to, and I certainly didn't own any interview-worthy clothing at that time...

 

[NotUrsula]

DS school has an "interview closet". They will lend you clothing/shoes/bags for interviews.

As for the interns/accounting mixup, sorry about that; I mis-read who I was responding to.