Graduate recruitment

Graduate recruitment or campus recruitment refers to the process whereby employers undertake an organised program of attracting and hiring students who are about to graduate from schools, colleges and universities.

Graduate recruitment programs are wide-spread in most of the developed world. Employers commonly attend campuses to promote employment vacancies and careers opportunities to students who are considering their options following graduation. In the United Kingdom, the process of employers visiting a series of universities to promote themselves is called the milk round.

Selection methods used by employers include interviews, aptitude tests, role plays, written assessments, group discussions and presentations.

Many schools, colleges and universities provide their students with independent advice via a careers advisory service which is staffed by professional careers advisors. The careers advisory service often organises a careers fair or job fair where a large number of employers visit the campus at once giving students the opportunity to meet a range of potential employers.

Employers involved in graduate recruitment programs often form themselves into professional bodies or associations to share best practice or to collaborate in setting a recruitment code of practice.

Careers advisors also form themselves into professional bodies or associations to ensure that current best practice is shared across members and passes onto students.

Examples of professional associations in the graduate recruitment sector include the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in the United States, the Canadian Association of Careers Educators and Employers (CACEE) in Canada, the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) in the United Kingdom and the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) in Australia.

Many of the national professional associations are members of the International Network of Graduate Recruitment and Development Associations (INGRADA).