Student Engagement Tactics

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STRATEGIES AND TACTICS FOR ATTRACTING STUDENTS TO YOUR COMPANY

BEST PRACTICES HOW TO ENGAGE AND ACTIVATE FMK STUDENTS

Goal Make your company top-of-mind for students when considering Co-ops, Internships, and Full-Time work

Toolbox Engagement Opportunities – Getting students to know who you are Activation – Understanding what it takes to have students say ‘YES’ to your company

Engagement Tactics BE SEEN ON CAMPUS Food Marketing Association Tent Event

Lunch & Learn Food Marketing Association sponsored event

Spring event (April) Present company background, career paths, job opportunities, benefits of working for your company Make presentation modern and fun

Companies gather outside of Mandeville Hall and speak with students about their companies/products

Lunch is served by visiting company

Give away product samples

Career Fairs Fall & Spring Exceptional booth design to attract students Give students a reason to stop and talk Ask students what they are looking for in a career Follow-up with students afterwards Highlight competitive advantage of working for your company Who from your company attends?

Human Resources? Corporate? What level of experience?

Classroom Speaking Opportunities Present to students in FMK class Inform students on company, current projects, and future careers Speak about how you managed your career and arrived at where you are now

BE SEEN ONLINE @SJU_FMK Instagram

Engagement Tactics SHARE-GROUPS ARE IMPACTFUL

Share-groups Smaller setting than traditional Lunch & Learn format Up to 8 students who can be gathered remotely or in person over lunch or dinner Talk about company and career paths

Company Takeovers FMK Alumni spotlight Post pictures of your company events/HQ visit

Handshake Main job posting portal where students go to look for jobs Post Co-op, Internships, and Full-time positions for students to apply to

Students are encouraged to ask questions about company culture, job openings, career paths

LinkedIn

Companies use this forum to ask students questions to gain a better understanding of what they are looking for in an employer

Send us your full-time job openings and we will post them in the SJU FMK Alum group

Great way for companies to get students talking about them to their friends

Engagement Tactics OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS

Arrange for students to attend company functions Summits Conferences

Food Shows HQ Visits

Tactics to incorporate Meet & Greet with key personnel Allow students to sit in on meetings Students can assist in Food Show booths Participate in HQ and store visits Participate on panels

Understanding what it takes to have students say ‘YES!’ to your company

Which means an understanding of...

The competitive environment (Co-op and Full-Time) Competitive salaries and benefits

And thinking about...

What makes you different from other companies?

How to recruit Gen Z

ACTIVATION

Additional ways to fill the recruitment pipeline

COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT CO-OP POSITIONS

Understanding the competitive environment Students are attracted to recognizable brands/companies

Lead with your most popular brands/store names Co-ops often work on major customer teams (Walmart, Target) in sales/marketing, data analytics, and consumer engagement or will work in various departments in a retail environment while learning the essentials of store operations After their Co-op ends students are often hired to work parttime (10-20 hours/week) while taking classes Time worked counts towards their time with the company allowing their starting salary to be higher than someone just being hired

Compensation Students are earning $18-25 in their first Co-op and $20-27 in their second Co-op experience

What makes you different?

What does your company offer that not every company can?

Are these benefits communicated through a company career guide or over social media?

FMK CO-OP PROGRAM TIMING

Interviews begin in February for a Fall Co-op Placement Interviews begin in September for a Spring Co-op Placement

COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT FULL TIME POSITIONS

Understanding the competitive environment Often hired for rotational program (18-24 months) allowing 6-8 months in different departments Rock wall approach allows full-time hires to decide in what area of the business they’d like to forge their career

Compensation Salary range $55-80k with signing bonus, annual bonus, car stipend, relocation package, 18-month rotational program

Benefits 401K, 3 weeks vacation, hybrid/remote work location, Metro areas are popular

APPROACHING GEN Z What are they looking for in a company?

Who is Gen Z? Born after 1997 Tech-savvy

Work/life balance

Experienced pivotal events: The rise of school shootings Post-9/11 terrorism The Great Recession of 2008 The COVID-19 pandemic

Hybrid/remote work Skills development programs Potential high salaries & quick promotions (including promotions from within)

Have a great desire to make a difference

Innovation and growth of industry

Need for financial security

Move away from a mindset that requires people to pay their dues

Value diversity more than any other generation Taking care of mental health is their leading health priority

*Source: FMI-The Food Industry Association and authored by Ernest Baskin, Ph.D., Gerald Peck Fellow, St. Joseph’s University

Emphasize the positives of the food industry by feeding the American population

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO ATTRACT STUDENTS TO YOUR COMPANY Micro-Internships for Student Athletes Athletes have limited availability for internships and often cannot participate in Co-op programs Offer micro-internships over the summer for 2-5 weeks Allows for student athletes to learn something about the company and add work experience to their resumes Student athletes feel comfortable enough to continue working with them

Operation Boomerang (for Retail Operations) Identify high school employee as a potential rising star and along with AFM and SJU offer financial support through scholarships to attend SJU as an FMK major Student can participate in Co-op program doing both Co-ops with your company and eventually return as a full-time employee after graduation

VERSATILITY IN CAREER POSITIONS The Food Marketing Department prepares students for careers in: Marketing Sales Analytics Retailing Wholesaling Distribution Market Research Research & Development Supply Chain Management

And more!

Share Group

Lunch & Learn

Social Media

Hybrid Workplace

HQ Visit

Engagement Recruitment Strategy Classroom Speaker

Compensation

Career Fairs

Company Events

Work/Life Balance

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

MIMI NULL DIRECTOR OF CO-OP EDUCATION, FOOD MARKETING MNULL@SJU.EDU 610-660-1601