Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

At Yeshiva University, the career center requires students who want to participate in on-campus recruiting (OCR) to complete a series of activities that are designed to prepare them for their interactions with employers.

Before their first interview, students are required to:

• Sign an OCR contract and return it to the career center.  
• Have their resume reviewed and approved, and then upload it onto Yeshiva’s career planning system.  
• Know how to use the career planning system. They are encouraged to make an appointment or come to walk-in appointments with a career counselor for assistance.
• Understand the timeline and requirements for participation in OCR by reviewing an OCR orientation presentation, viewing career fair and interview orientation videos, and passing the quiz at the end of each presentation.
• Participate in a mock interview.

Once students have completed these requirements, they are granted access to the employer job postings, the calendar that maps out all Yeshiva OCR events, and more in the university’s career planning system.

“As long as our career center has existed, there has been some sort of requirement and protocol in place,” says Dana Simpson, Yeshiva’s employer relations specialist. “It has evolved and changed over time to align with student needs and the job market, but the goals have not.”

Simpson says the career center wants to give Yeshiva students the best opportunities and help set them up for success.

“We want them to always be accountable, responsible, polished, and professionally developed,” she says. “If candidates don’t know what to expect from the on-campus recruiting process and are unprepared, that’s on us.”

This preparation is especially important at Yeshiva for several reasons. First, many students begin their Yeshiva education with a year of study in Israel, so they are not on campus their first year.

“And because on-campus recruiting is being conducted earlier, our students are interviewing within their first weeks back on campus,” Simpson explains. “Our students’ time is further constrained because, with the dual curriculum here, they are extremely busy, and also because on-campus recruiting in the fall occurs during the peak season of Jewish holidays.”

This also comes at a time when there has been increased recruiting activity on campus thanks to Yeshiva’s strategic work with employers. Between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years, these efforts have led to:

• A 43 percent increase in the number of companies that participated in on-campus recruiting;
• A 70 percent Increase in the number of employer events on campus; and  
• A 100 percent increase in the number of employer-led information sessions on campus.

With this in mind, the career center urges Yeshiva students to complete the OCR qualification requirements as early as possible. For example, the career center e-mails students during the summer reminding them that counselors are available during the summer break to provide guidance on the career planning system, review resumes, and conduct mock interviews.

“We keep a tight ship,” Simpson says. “There are exceptions to the requirement, such as a student being away for a family tragedy, so ultimately we will do what [our individual students] need. But, overall, we still hold our students accountable so, in terms of their preparation for interactions with employers, they don’t slip through the cracks.”

Simpson advises other career services practitioners considering requiring their students to complete activities before participating in on-campus recruiting to: 

• Know your population—Simpson says this is the key step. Understand both the ways in which students need to prepare for their interactions with employers and the factors that have an effect on your students as they relate to their preparation for college recruiting. Keep these front and center as you build your requirements.
• Don’t let roadblocks stop you—Because the culture and nuances of each campus are different, and student populations have unique needs, you will encounter challenges. Work backward from these challenges. Doing so will allow you to develop your plan. For example, reaching students can be a challenge at Yeshiva. To minimize this, Simpson has partnered with faculty to target communications to students.
• Use feedback from stakeholders to help with strategy—Yeshiva solicits input from students, faculty, and employers. In addition, counselors who work with students and employers can have valuable insights.

Simpson recently posted an inquiry on the NACE Community asking about similar requirements for students to participate in on-campus recruiting. Share your insight and experience in the NACE Community.