Employer Information Sessions or sometimes referred to as Pre-nights or Spotlights are a good way to compete for student's attention. Planning an event that is appropriate for your firm's hiring needs and presence on-campus is the best road to a successful session.

The session can greatly enhance your on-campus recruitment effort. These sessions raise student awareness about your organization, thereby increasing the number of resumes submitted for an interview and/or increasing the number of students who come visit you at a job fair. It allows you to present information about your organizational culture, available co-op/internship and career-track positions, training programs, advancement opportunities, and recruiting practices with students on your interview schedule; giving you more time during the actual interview to concentrate on the interviewee.

Usually information sessions are held the night prior to your organization's on-campus recruiting visit (on-campus interviews and/or job fairs).

For an effective session

• Keep the formal, informational part of your presentation brief. Students prefer more time for questions and interaction.
• Bring a variety of actual employees to talk to students, especially recently hired alumni. One-to-one and small group discussions are the most valued part of the presentation.
• Include detailed descriptions of your organization and the position(s) for which you are interviewing for, allowing students to see the day-by-day activities and responsibilities they might be hired for.
• Discuss the recruiting process and timeline, including an overview of the number of interview rounds and what generally takes place, with practical tips for being a successful candidate.
• Create interacting activities, so you can evaluate the different qualities of your candidates, i.e., teamwork, communication skills, patience, leadership, etc.
• Bring a copy of your interview schedule with you to make sure you can schedule interested students who attend but could not schedule an interview due to class/work schedule conflicts.

Please note that alcohol should not be served at these events, in accordance with the NACE Principles for Professional Conduct for Career Services & Employment Professionals.

To schedule an information session, please access your WorkNet account and access the events module.