These thoughts from Thomas Schulz were first shared in an interview here.

At CareerFairy, we’ve recognised that recruiting is no longer a one-way street. The traditional methods, such as physical career fairs and job boards, fall short in connecting companies with today’s Gen Z talent. Instead, the focus should shift to creating an engaging, authentic experience where students and companies discover each other on equal footing. Here's how we’re helping businesses, like BMW and L’Oréal, attract young talent using digital tools.

Why Gen Z Thinks Differently

Gen Z is a unique generation - they value transparency, purpose, and security over flashy perks. In fact, 73% of them are more likely to apply to a job if they can see behind-the-scenes content that reflects the company’s true culture. If a recruitment process feels outdated, over half will abandon it altogether.

They prefer learning about potential employers through social media and word-of-mouth over traditional channels like job boards or career fairs. Companies that showcase their authentic workplace culture and openly share their values through interactive formats are far more likely to engage and retain Gen Z talent. Being transparent and vulnerable in how you present your company resonates with this generation, building trust and lasting connections.

Limitations of Traditional Recruiting

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For years, companies have relied on campus career fairs to recruit students. But these methods are becoming increasingly outdated. While career fairs offer a chance to meet students face-to-face, they are costly, time-consuming, and difficult to measure in terms of effectiveness. Often, you only meet students who are already familiar with your company.

Today’s graduates expect more. They want authentic engagement, real-time interaction, and personalised experiences. That’s where digital recruitment tools, like those we offer at CareerFairy, come into play.

Leveraging Digital Recruitment Tools

At CareerFairy, we’re committed to making the recruitment process more interactive, engaging, and scalable. In the first half of 2024 alone, we’ve hosted over 1,000 live streams for 300+ companies, helping more than 18,000 applications reach their dream companies. Our platform leverages tools like Live Streams and Spark Videos to build real, authentic connections. With a student community spanning 300+ universities, these tools ensure companies reach top talent with the right message at the right time.

Our Live Streams allow HR managers to present their company to students across multiple universities in real time. This interaction is personal, allowing students to ask direct questions and get a feel for what working at your company would be like. These sessions are led by actual employees, often those who share similar backgrounds with the students. This creates trust and helps to humanise your company. Unlike pre-recorded, highly-polished videos, live streams provide an unscripted, authentic look into your workplace culture.

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In fact, we’ve seen companies like BMW, HelloFresh, Trumpf & Sunrise use these tools to showcase their graduate programs and daily work environments, leading to higher-quality applications. These companies report up to over 30% of their live stream attendees going on to submit job applications.

Spark Videos are another powerful tool we offer. These short, engaging clips give students a snapshot of life at your company, allowing them to swipe through and quickly find what resonates. Less formal than corporate presentations, these videos offer an authentic glimpse into your company’s values, culture, and day-to-day operations. For talent program managers looking to strengthen their employer brand, Spark Videos help target the right students at key universities with compelling, engaging messages that attract top talent.

Benefits for HR Managers

Digital tools offer several key advantages for HR professionals. First, they tackle your biggest challenge - not being able to scale your initiatives across multiple universities. Digital recruitment is scalable. While career fairs are limited to one or a few universities, our platform allows you to reach hundreds of students at multiple universities simultaneously. With targeting capabilities, this makes it easier to cast a wider net and target the right students who might otherwise be hard to reach.

Secondly, they allow you to engage a broader, more diverse group of students while providing better ROI. You can target specific universities or programs without you and your team needing to travel, saving time and money. Our platform also provides detailed engagement metrics, so you can track registrations, attendance, questions asked, and applications submitted, giving you real-time insights into the effectiveness of your recruiting efforts.

Finally, these tools help you stand out from the competition. In today’s crowded job market, every company is vying for the attention of the same top talent. By offering authentic, engaging content through Live Streams and Spark Videos, you create a deeper connection with students - one that goes far beyond a job post written by ChatGPT.

Moving Towards Authentic, Interactive, Inbound Recruitment

At CareerFairy, we are committed to revolutionising the way companies and students discover each other. We believe that by using digital tools like Live Streams and Spark Videos, companies can create authentic, two-way interactions that help them build strong relationships with Gen Z talent.

Today’s students want more than just a pay check - they seek purpose, security, and a sense of belonging. They’re looking to understand their employer deeply to make informed decisions and secure that ideal first job. By adopting digital recruiting strategies, companies not only attract top talent but also foster lasting connections that lead to higher-quality hires.

If your company is ready to shift to a more engaging, efficient recruitment strategy, CareerFairy is here to help you get started