This document discusses developing strategic employer partnerships with colleges and universities. It recommends that career services offices intentionally create engagement opportunities for employers beyond just short-term recruitment needs in order to build long-term investment. Offices should evaluate current offerings, identify new engagement opportunities, and remove or revamp ineffective ones. Developing strategic partnerships requires customized recruiting solutions, special events, and branding initiatives to build strong employer relationships over an extended period. The document provides tips for upgrading standard offerings, determining appropriate partnership costs, and discussing partnership program components and struggles.

1. Connecting the Dots:
Developing Strategic
Programming to Create and
Sustain Corporate
Partnerships
Marielle C. Thomas
Employer Relations Specialist
Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson
College of Business

2. Employer Engagement
• Employer engagement allows employers to engage in
events to meet their immediate recruitment needs.
– Career Fairs
– Career Development Events
– On Campus Interviews
– Jobs Board
• Short term engagement but do not pursue long term
investment
– HR Budgets Constraints
– HR strategy

3. Employer Engagement:
Questions to ask
• What engagement opportunities do we offer?
– Are we being intentional with our offerings?
• What engagement opportunities can we create?
– What is the low hanging fruit?
• What engagement opportunities do we need to
reevaluate?
– Revamp, rebuild or remove?

4. Employer Engagement:
Increasing Engagement
• Do your research
– What type of companies?
– Whose in your back yard?
– Does our talent help meet their need?
• Create, design, invite
– Create a menu of engagement opportunities
– Design the “package”
– Invite employers to engage
• Keep records and follow up
– Create or reorganize database

5. Discussion
• What are some things your
career services office is doing
to get more employers involved
on campus?

6. Employer Partnerships
• Employer partnerships require
strategic and intentional
programming in order to build the
relationship were both parties invest and
receive returns on investments over an
extended period of time.

7. Components of Employer
Partnerships
• Strategic Branding Initiatives
– Building name recognition
• Specialized Events
– Events that give partners a chance to stand out from
the crowd
• Customized Recruiting Solutions
– Help partners build a unique on campus recruiting
plan
• Connect with other on campus departments
and/or colleges/schools
– Employer educational modules

8. Employer Partnerships
• Upgrade your standard offerings
– Job postings—send directly to students instead of
posting to the jobs board
• Pull resumes for partners of top student talent
– Give partners first priority access for all on campus
recruiting opportunities.
• Always give exceptional customer service
• It’s okay if a partnership doesn’t work out!
– Some relationships aren’t a good fit

9. Employer Partnership: Cost
• Be realistic
– Take into account your ranking, programs (school,
college, university) , student pool and partnership
package to determine cost
• Tier v. Flat cost
• Length of Gift
– Semesters
– Academic year(s)

10. Discussion
• Does your school have a strategic
partnership program? If so, what are
some things included in your program’s
package that are unique? What are
some struggles you are having with the
program?

11. Q&A
• Open Floor Discussion

12. Stay In Touch
Marielle Thomas
mthomas125@gsu.edu
@MarielleTGSU
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marielle
t

13. Thank You!!!