New Parker Dewey Sentiment Survey Reports Students Want Experiences That Allow for Career Exploration

Parker Dewey, the leading platform for providing Micro-Internships to college students and recent graduates, reported results of a nationwide student sentiment survey regarding campus recruiting this fall. The results of this survey highlight the challenges facing companies in accessing, engaging, and hiring college students during the upcoming academic year.

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The survey shows a strong preference by college students for experiential recruiting to help them explore career opportunities, demonstrate skills, and build relationships with employers to secure the right job after graduation. A majority of respondents (77%) agreed that gaining actual professional experiences is crucial to their career preparation, while 67% reported a limited understanding of the companies and roles that are available to them. This provides a particular challenge for employers that historically relied on career fairs, information sessions, and other on-campus events to provide these insights, with just over half of students viewing virtual career fairs as a valuable way to engage them. “The tricky part for companies this year will be to create experiences that stand out to students who aren’t already considering working for them,” said Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of Parker Dewey.

Further results of the survey show that 86% of students rated “real work experience with a company” as the most important tactic to engage them. “With so much changing because of the pandemic, I want to spend my time really learning about a role, not listening to the company’s talking points,” said one rising senior. “The opportunity to build my resume and show my skills is so much more valuable to me than virtual meet and greets.” Furthermore, the importance of early career exploration and opportunities to build skills has been amplified in light of internship cancellations due to widespread cancellations and hiring pauses due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a majority (69%) of college students impacted by disruption to summer plans and job offers.

For companies looking to recruit this fall, providing short-term, paid, professional opportunities can appeal to a robust candidate pool while allowing them to engage with your brand. This also aligns with the efforts of universities to prepare their students and collaborate with companies.

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