What Companies Can Learn From the College Admissions Process

I recently spent two weeks touring college campuses with my daughter. I quickly became fascinated with the process…everything from the information sessions to the student guided tours to the admissions requirements made me think about what hiring authorities at companies could learn from the college admissions process.

What struck me on these tours were six things that schools practice routinely that you would think would also be important to the corporate hiring process, but are rarely the norm. I know that the admissions processes for schools and the hiring processes for companies are different, but there is certainly crossover between the two and I think corporate America could learn a lot from the way schools manage the process of sourcing and recruiting the best talent.  Here’s what I observed.

1. 100% of applications are read. Some of the schools we visited receive more than 30,000 applications annually. And generally, at least two people in the admissions office review each application. Compare that to the number of resumes that are actually read for open positions at a company. Why is it that admissions counselors can read so many applications with one or more essays attached to each, yet recruiters can barely spend more than 10 seconds scanning a resume?
2. There are clearly defined  standards and guidelines for applicants. Colleges and universities are very clear on their academic standards. Admissions requirements for standardized test scores and GPA are laid out in plain English. Company job descriptions rarely if ever, outline the job requirements as efficiently. Most are packed with language that focuses on nebulous personal attributes such as self-starter, team player, or individual with strong written and verbal communications skills and few describe the tangible requirements of the job beyond years of experience or knowledge of a particular industry. And then hiring managers wonder why they get so many unqualified applicants. I doubt Yale gets too many applicants with a 2.0 GPA and a standardized test score in the bottom 25%.
3. Visits to the facility are welcome. Colleges and universities invite prospective students to visit their campuses. Admissions counselors agree that it is important for students to get a feel for the culture and community of the school. They only want you to apply if you think you would fit in. We looked at dorm rooms, ate in the campus cafeteria, rode on the school run transportation, and looked at student projects in the library. We observed interactions on campus, read about school activities on the bulletin boards, and peeked inside of classrooms. How many companies invite you on to their premises to see what it is like to work there?
4. Websites are engaging and interactive. Before touring any colleges, we checked out the online presence of each school we were considering visiting to gain a better understanding of what the school had to offer. All the websites were excellent and offered multi-media options for learning about the school. We viewed YouTube videos, FAQ pages, student interviews, and even went into a student chat room to gain a better understanding of what it would be like to attend that school. Every website had a strong social media presence and offered several electronic options for following what was happening on campus. The majority of the company career portals I view lack this level of engagement and to make matters worse, they often make applying for open positions so cumbersome, that it seems like only the most desperate job seekers would bother.
5. Every applicant is informed of their status on a set date. Every school had a clearly defined time frame for informing students of their admissions decision. Expectations are clear and there are no surprises. Imagine knowing that you would actually receive a call from a hiring manager on the day they say they will call you. Unfortunately that rarely happens and more frequently the norm is that the process is delayed by several days, weeks, or even months.
6. People in the organization support and even evangelize the brand. All the campus tours were went on were led by students….happy, excited, and spirited students. These kids weren’t faking it. They were incredible brand ambassadors and they were authentic. They discussed what they loved about their school and were candid when answering questions from prospective parents and students. I know of few corporate environments that offer such a credible take on what goes on inside their organizations.

I really think corporations can learn something from the way schools recruit and I definitely think there is room for improvement in corporate hiring practices. What do you think?