ExactTarget's growing -- and fast.

That's why we created Catapult and Slingshot -- two college recruiting programs helping us build a pipeline of top-tier hires. Catapult places recent grads into a full-time rotational program, while Slingshot gives current students a summer internship complete with at least two "resume worthy" projects.

After months of recruiting, we brought select groups of students to Indianapolis for Finalist Night, an evening of "speed interviews," group case studies, and office tours (ok...and about 900 lbs of pasta at Buca di Peppo). After several late nights, our managers narrowed the field, matched students with projects, and extended offers to 4 Catapult and 6 Slingshot candidates.

And guess what, they all accepted.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. If you've done any college recruiting recently, you know it's fiercely competitive. You'll need to put your game face on -- recruiting is serious business.

Here's a smattering of techniques we used this year:

  • Website: Two microsites, streaming video, tips & tricks and more. Welcome to the hub of college recruiting at ExactTarget.
  • Email: Through on-campus events, microsites (thank you Web Collect!), and our online application engine, we launched an email nurturing program to educate and engage students. Each email conveyed a consistent program message and pushed candidates to our microsites for additional information and video. And it worked. We saw open rates upwards of 70% and click-throughs upwards of 50%. Not sure about you, but I'll take those metrics anyday!
  • Print: We developed a new deliverable affectionately known as "The Little Brown Book," a quirky, tactile copy concoction to help seal the deal. 
  • Face-to-Face: We talk the talk, so it's just as important we walk the walk. The personality and message we conveyed all season was reflected at Finalist Night, in our personal communications with students, and -- most importantly -- in the experience we delivered.

How many of you used an integrated marketing plan to bolster your HR efforts? Getting the right talent in the door is 99% of the battle. They'll do the rest.

Signing off,

Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate