Morningside Connect

Graduation is quickly approaching! As students get ready to graduate, they are starting to look at the next step in their lives and analyzing their options. This is a great time to add quality staff if your organization needs to fill a position or expand. Here are a couple of tips on how to help our students, yourself, and your organization by making employment referrals.

1. Talk to your organization about openings – If you are not a hiring/staffing professional, it is easy to lose touch with the needs of your organization, particularly if those needs are not in your area or department. Check your organizational website, or talk with human resources, or other department staff to determine if you have immediate needs. This time of year is the best time to hire new grads, so if you think you may have a need in the near future, consider posting a position soon so you don’t miss out on the very best candidates!
2. Make connections to Career Services or offer referrals to do so – Reach out to me at hays@morningside.edu or via phone at (7120 274-5032. I’m happy to talk to you about students/majors that might meet the criteria you are looking for. This can be done informally, with an alumni informing me of potential openings, through an introduction to Human Resources, or through a referral where an alum provides the hiring manager with my direct information. If your company offers a referral bonus for new employees hired, we can work to funnel all applicants to you first, and even provide faculty recommendations so you feel good about the referral you are making.
3. Learn about the recruiting process – At Morningside, we post all positions on our job posting site at collegecentral.com/morningside. Once posted, we tweet all full time openings on the Morningside College Career Services twitter account (msidecareers), and post them on the Morningside College Career Services LinkedIn Group (as well as on the Morningside College Business Department LinkedIn group if applicable). I also send direct e-mails to upcoming grads with the desired major, as well as the department chair of the applicable area. This ensures the student has multiple opportunities to see what positions are available. The best benefit of this process is that is completely FREE! There are no costs to promote your position on campus.

No one knows better than our alumni the kind of quality education our students receive. Time after time, I receive personal phone calls, e-mails, and in person visits from employers who are impressed by our students’ efforts. By making a targeted referral of a Morningside graduate to your organization, you can benefit by making an immediate and positive impact to your company. I would love to talk with you about your organization’s needs!

Stacie Hays