Read on to explore tips for generating revenue through curated employer engagement opportunities from career services partners at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), San Diego State University (SDSU), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), The University of Oklahoma (OU), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Build a strategy that creates value for all stakeholders
When thinking about your strategy, consider the following questions:
- What are your employer engagement goals for the year?
- What type of employer interactions do your students respond to best?
- Which of your employer partners are looking for cyclical recruitment opportunities—like industry-specific career fairs—versus continuous connection to candidates?
While answers to these questions will change over time, creating an employer monetization strategy that includes both standardized and customizable options can help you meet the varying needs of your network—without having to reinvent the wheel every semester.
We currently have 18 employers in partnership with us at UCLA. We offer premium opportunities at several fairs each quarter, open our career center spaces for employer info sessions, and allow unlimited virtual info sessions. If employers are not in our partnership program but would like their info session to be advertised, we charge a fee for creating and distributing a targeted email to students of interest.
Neva Larrimore, UCLA
SDSU implements a five-tiered, customizable program in which we offer employers services and resources based on business size, along with support from members of our team who act as industry liaisons. We are also exploring monetized monthly membership services for recruiters.
Daniel Newell, SDSU
Let your program pricing reflect your efforts
Students’ attention is hard to get, and keeping it requires continued creativity and collaboration between career services and employers. Though not every employer in your network will take advantage of premium advertising or recruitment options, it’s important to focus on the varying goals of those interested when developing pricing.
We have four sponsorship levels for the academic year [which] include various levels of student, staff, and campus engagement, and we modify as needed to meet the needs of the employer partner.
Brenda Mendez, CSUDH
For inspo, here’s what the benefits of those four sponsorship levels look like at CSUDH:
- Silver ($2,000)—Advance invitations to career fairs, outreach tables, info sessions, customized workshops, partnership acknowledgement and marketing, and recruiting strategy session
- Gold ($5,000)—Silver benefits plus additional advertisements, food and beverages at student events, customized marketing, sponsorship opportunities, access to limited student organizations, and event parking passes
- Titanium ($7,500)—Gold benefits plus posted webinar, collaboration with specialty programs, invitation to host workshops, access to customized resume book, additional sponsorship opportunities, additional marketing
- Platinum ($10,000)—Titanium benefits plus customized social media marketing, virtual chats with students, connections to faculty, advanced invitation to classroom presentations, and sessions with cultural centers and affinity groups
Measure ROI your way
Depending on your team’s bandwidth and the frequency of your program evaluation, there are a multitude of metrics you can use to measure ROI and tell the story of your employer engagement efforts. For example, you could align your analysis with:
- Outcomes data: number of applicants or hires from your institution per year
- Event attendance: number of students driven to employer events
- Social media metrics: impressions, likes, and comments on social media posts
- Additional marketing metrics: open and click rates on emails and unique website visitors
Or perhaps you’d like to establish employer goals at the onset of the partnership and use them as a roadmap for success.
At VCU, our Employer Relations team creates a custom plan for each employer partner, each semester that we use as the guide to determine if their goals were met. We reassess each semester with the employer's input to determine if any changes need to be implemented for the following semester.
Julia Wingfield, VCU
Analyze, adjust, repeat
The world of work is changing faster than ever, so keeping your strategy fresh is key. We suggest making micro adjustments to your employer monetization strategy as needed to ensure your premium offerings remain appealing to employers.
We adjust our benefits based on evolving recruiting trends—like an increase in virtual opportunities, for example—so employers can meet students where they are. Targeted engagement opportunities with specific career communities have also come into focus in recent years.
Justin Morris, OU
We focus on two semesters at a time since many things impact branding and programmatic decisions such as the job market, student demographics, changes to services, company mergers, etc.
Julia Wingfield, VCU
Best practices to consider as you develop your program strategy
We know that charging for engagement opportunities that have historically been free can seem daunting, but the benefits of increased opportunities for students and revenue to support your continued efforts outweigh the risks.
Start small. Be realistic. If you can't offer a year long program, offer the opportunity to host a session or sponsor a student event.
Brenda Mendez, CSUDH
Focus on a combination of brand-boosting benefits and face-to-face interaction. Most of our partners want the opportunity to put a "face-to-the-name" so students will feel a personal connection with them, while also leveraging the power of the career center's marketing and branding tools.
Justin Morris, OU
Explore expanding your scope of B2B services to go beyond one-time recruiting services to include various forms of revenue streams. Be inclusive by offering small business-friendly options and create a strong presence in your communities.
Daniel Newell, SDSU
Know your worth and the worth of your students. We shouldn't be afraid to charge for the spaces we create for employers to make meaningful connections with students and the campus.
Neva Larrimore, UCLA
Thank you to our contributors!
- Brenda Mendez—Director of Career Development & Liaison to the College of Education, CSUDH
- Daniel Newell—Executive Director, SDSU Career Services
- Julia Wingfield—Associate Director of Employer Relations, VCU Business Career Services
- Neva Larrimore—Assistant Director of Employer Relations & Campus Partnerships, UCLA Career Center
- Justin Morris—Associate Director, OU Career Center