Building relationships with Colleges

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Building relationships with Colleges Career
Services
Rod TonerTalent Acquisition MgrAbbott Ireland
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Presentation overview

• Abbott in Ireland A brief overview
• Building a positive relationship
• Key challenges for Employers
• Setting expectations / understanding each others
  needs
• Understanding Career Services Needs
• QA

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Abbott in Ireland

• DONEGAL
• Diabetes Care
• SLIGO
• Nutritional Device
• Diagnostics
• Pharmaceutical
• Nutritional TPM
• COOTEHILL
• Nutritional
• LONGFORD
• Diagnostics
• DUBLIN
• Commercial
• Mature Products Mgt
• CLONMEL
• Vascular Devices

Total Ireland headcount 3,500
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Building a positive relationship
For success, both colleges employers must
benefit from the relationship
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Key Challenges for Employers

• Business constraints
• Budget / funding for graduate hiring
• Headcount approval
• College recruitment is an all year round activity
• Graduate recruitment
• Work placements
• Summer internships
• Basic needs from Career Services
• Designated contact in colleges go to person
• Basic information on course content
• Early interventions with employers wrt work
  placements etc

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Understanding Employers Needs

• Career Fairs
• Often the only access to students
• Career fairs are hit miss
• Too many fairs makes it confusing a strain on
  resources
• Student Diversity
• Hiring international students Right to work
  in Ireland
• Students with disabilities
• Deciding which students to hire
• Employers need the best match for their
  businesses
• Not always the highest performers instead a
  cross section of graduates are required

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Understanding Career Services Needs

• Gaining insights into Employers businesses
• Need greater understanding of employers
  businesses
• Key activities of the business
• Transparency of the careers on offer
• Employers need to view Colleges as a business
• Supporting student interest in key areas of
  study
• New course development 4th generation
  education
• Offering value added support to colleges
• Offering meaningful work placements
• Sponsoring student projects alignment with the
  workplace
• Providing feedback to the colleges
• Guest lectures

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Working together
By working together, everyone will benefit ....
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Working together
The Alternative ....
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Building Relationships between Employers and
Careers ServicesPerspective of Careers Service

• Mary Sweeney
• Head of Careers, University of Limerick

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Overview

• Role of Careers Service
• Services to support employers
• How to impress students
• Challenges in meeting expectations
• How can you help us
• The way forward Building relationships

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Role of Careers Service

• Key objectives of Careers Services
• Support students in career choice and planning
• Facilitate the recruitment process for employers
• First point of contact for
• Students graduates interested in exploring
  career opportunities
• Employers interested in recruiting
  students/graduates
• Academics interested in graduate employability
• Link between students and employers
• Services outlined on websites

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Services to Support Employers
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How to impress students

• Attendance at careers fairs
• Well-briefed representatives, recent graduates
• Interesting display, interactive features,
  freebies
• Focused presentations skills workshops
• Careers page on company website
• Graduate profiles, career paths
• Simple, transparent application procedure
• Harness the power of the alumni
• Use students to promote company on campus
• Advertise in Student newspaper
• Turn up, follow through, respond

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Challenges in meeting expectations
Employer Expectations
Student Preferences

• Only the best students
• Experience, qualifications, soft skills
  attitude
• Choice location, presentation time, etc
• Guaranteed attendance at presentations
• Early application deadlines
• Easy access to lectures
• Well-resourced Careers Service
• Head-hunting service

• Time to consider options
• Careers page on website
• Simple application process accept CVs
• Efficient recruitment campaign
• Campus interviews
• Specialist Fairs
• Graduate Training prog.
• Time out to travel
• Positive company culture
• Work life balance

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How you can help us

• Open Days for careers advisors
• Support gradireland GCI initiatives
• Share training expertise
• Assessment Centres, Project Management, Meetings
• Offer placements or work shadowing
• Provide clear job descriptions and selection
  criteria
• Information on selection procedure
• Value potential over achievements
• Recognise diversity of student population
• Increase in postgrad research students 4th
  level
• Mature students, students with disabilities
• Provide speakers for careers skills seminars
• Talk to us about what you want

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The Way Forward Mutually Beneficial Relationships
Careers Services
Employers

• Employer Liaison policy
• Commit to level of support and service
• Invite employers on campus
• Advise on changes in courses, calendar, numbers
• Provide information on graduate employment trends
• Different perspectives,

• Contact person for graduate recruitment/college
  relations
• Support college initiatives placements,
  research, etc
• Implement recruitment best practice
• Advise on industry trends
• Provide feedback on outcome
• Common Purpose

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Discussion Topics
What obstacles do you experience?
What else can we offer?
Alternatives to presentations
What about mature graduates?
Research opportunities
Work-life balance
How useful are placements?
Value of Careers Fairs
Recruitment agencies