FOOD MARKETING
Student Engagement ToolKit
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
Lunch & Learn
Food Marketing Association sponsored event
Present company background, career paths, job opportunities, benefits of working for your company
Make presentation modern and fun
Lunch is served by visiting company
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?
Engagement Tactics
BE SEEN ON CAMPUS
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
Spring event (April)
Companies gather outside of Mandeville Hall and speak with students about their companies/products
Give away product samples
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
Students are encouraged to ask questions about company culture, job openings, career paths
Companies use this forum to ask students questions to gain a better understanding of what they are looking for in an employer
Great way for companies to get students talking about them to their friends
BE SEEN ONLINE
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
Send us your full-time job openings and we will post them in the SJU FMK Alum group
Engagement Tactics
OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS
for students to atte y functions
Food Shows HQ Visits Summits Conferences
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
ACTIVATION
Which means an understanding of... Understanding what it takes to have students say ‘YES!’ to your company
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
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
Compensation
Students are earning $18-25 in their first Co-op and $20-27 in their second Co-op experience
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
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?
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
Who is Gen Z?
Born after 1997
Tech-savvy
Experienced pivotal events:
The rise of school shootings
Post-9/11 terrorism
The Great Recession of 2008
The COVID-19 pandemic
Have a great desire to make a difference
Need for financial security
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
What are they looking for in a company?
Work/life balance
Hybrid/remote work
Skills development programs
Potential high salaries & quick promotions (including promotions from within)
Innovation and growth of industry
Move away from a mindset that requires people to pay their dues
Emphasize the positives of the food industry by feeding the American population
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
(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
Operation Boomerang
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!
