Managing Campus Recruitment for a Leading Professional Services Firm

Project Overview

A leading professional services firm required a robust and scalable campus recruitment strategy to meet its high-volume hiring demands. With business functions spanning Audit, Tax, Advisory, and Technology, the firm aimed to recruit 3,500-4,000 graduates annually from top-tier universities. The challenge was to create a cohesive campus recruitment program that could efficiently manage high volumes while ensuring the quality of hires aligned with the firm’s growth objectives and future talent pipeline.

Project Objectives:

Develop a Scalable Campus Recruitment Model – Design a structured and repeatable recruitment framework capable of handling large volumes of graduate hires each year.
Employer Branding & Campus Engagement – Establish strong relationships with top-tier universities and implement effective employer branding strategies to attract high-quality talent.
Streamlined Recruitment Process – Create a seamless end-to-end process, from campus outreach to onboarding, to ensure efficiency in handling a high volume of candidates.
Candidate Experience & Retention – Provide an engaging candidate experience that enhances the firm’s brand and improves post-hire retention.
Diverse Talent Pipeline – Build a talent pipeline that supports diversity and aligns with the firm’s strategic needs across various business functions.

Project Execution:

Campus Recruitment Model Design:
- A comprehensive campus recruitment framework was designed to meet the high-volume needs of the firm. The model included targeted campus outreach, tailored recruitment strategies for different business units (Audit, Tax, Advisory, Technology), and an optimized screening process to manage the influx of applicants efficiently.
- Automation and Tools: Leveraged technology and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to streamline the application review and interview scheduling process, ensuring timely responses and an efficient hiring process for thousands of candidates.
Employer Branding & University Relationships:
- Established strong, ongoing relationships with top-tier universities to build a continuous talent pipeline. The firm’s brand presence on campuses was strengthened through career fairs, workshops, and guest lectures, highlighting the firm’s values, growth opportunities, and culture.
- Developed customized employer branding campaigns that resonated with students, showcasing the firm as an employer of choice for graduates seeking careers in professional services.
Streamlined Recruitment Process:
- Implemented an efficient, multi-stage process to handle the large volumes of applications. The stages included application screening, online assessments, group discussions, and panel interviews, all tailored to meet the specific skill sets required for different business functions.
- Ensured the recruitment cycle, from application to offer, was reduced significantly through effective time management and coordination between the firm’s talent acquisition teams and university placement cells.
Enhancing Candidate Experience:
- Focused on delivering a positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. Regular updates, personalized communication, and a transparent hiring process ensured that candidates remained engaged and excited about potential opportunities with the firm.
- Post-offer engagement programs were introduced to maintain candidate interest before they officially joined, increasing offer acceptance rates and reducing dropout rates.
Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline:
- Worked closely with university partners to promote diversity and inclusion as part of the recruitment strategy, ensuring the firm attracted candidates from varied academic backgrounds, gender, and ethnicities.
- Tailored campus engagement programs to support students from underrepresented communities and ensured a holistic talent acquisition approach.

Results:

Successfully recruited 3,500-4,000 graduates annually, meeting the firm’s high-volume recruitment needs while maintaining a high standard of candidate quality.
Increased Offer Acceptance Rates: By focusing on candidate experience and post-offer engagement, offer acceptance rates significantly improved.
Streamlined Recruitment Process: The optimized recruitment process reduced the time-to-hire, enabling faster decision-making and onboarding for new graduates.
Enhanced University Relationships: Established the firm as a top employer across universities, strengthening long-term partnerships with key educational institutions.
Diverse Talent Pipeline: The initiative successfully supported the firm’s goals of creating a diverse workforce, with measurable improvements in the hiring of candidates from underrepresented groups.