There's nothing quite like connecting in person to encourage engagement among young people. Providing a richer, more engaging candidate experience builds trust and confidence among school-leavers, resulting in greater interest, more applications, and a higher quality of candidates in your pipeline – making the entire exercise more valuable for your business.
So, if you're planning your school outreach strategy (and by the way, Autumn is the optimum time to start), here are our top tips for getting results from your in-person experiences.
1. Get the pace right
We've all experienced death by PowerPoint... right? Resist the temptation to spend too long introducing your business or clicking through reams of slides, or you'll lose your audience before you even get started. Switch up the pace and include plenty of variety in your format if you want to convince young people you're worth paying attention to. Ask questions early, bring in apprentice stories at the start of the session, and be clear on the career opportunities (don't leave that until the end!).
2. Think interactive
Holding the attention of a room full of 17- and 18-year-olds is no easy task. To keep them interested and on their toes, include an interactive aspect to your delivery. But make sure it doesn't feel contrived – young people can spot this a mile off. Whatever you're asking them to do should have a clear purpose and feel natural and enjoyable, rather than forced interaction for the sake of it.
3. Keep it non-threatening
Put yourself in the shoes of the young people you're connecting with. How would you feel about being asked to present in front of a room full of your peers with little warning? Making your audience feel uncomfortable or unsafe is a surefire way to put them off, so keep tasks conversational and non-threatening to make it easy for everyone to get involved.
4.Go easy on the hard sell
So you've got a company culture you're proud of, benefits that other employers don't have, and a great CSR programme where people can give back. While all that's important, it's not always top of young people's priorities. They want to know if the job is fun, if they'll be paid fairly, and if there's opportunity for progression. If you want to win them over, this is what you need to communicate first – the rest can follow later.
5. Tell real stories
We've mentioned before that prospective candidates are three times more likely to trust your employees than your CEO when it comes to recommendations. So why not let previous apprentices tell their story? If you can't bring them along, a simple iPhone video is still a great option – for young people, homemade 'real' content trumps slick corporate videos every time.
6. Capture leads on the day
You wouldn't go to a networking event and expect new contacts to get in touch – you'd get their details and follow up with them. The same applies when you're promoting apprenticeships. Capitalise on in-person engagement by offering an easy way for students to register their interest on the day (or be prepared never to hear from them again).
With over a decade of experience, at Visionpath we know what works when it comes to school outreach.
To find out how we can help you deliver engaging in-person experiences that enable you to reach untapped talent and bring your roles to life, get in touch with me or my team.
