The Edward H. Schmidt School of Professional Sales

Preparing Recruiting Resources

The University of Toledo (UToledo), Harvard Business Review (HBR), and other successful higher education programs recommend bringing your top people and recent graduates to collegiate recruiting interactions because people and cultural fit is the #1 factor that Millennials consider when choosing an employer.

Once you have determined which universities are a good fit for your organization, you then need to consider the recruitment resources needed to establish and maintain your employer brand.  Professional sales students are coached to look for organizations that have a sales approach that matches their sales DNA and our education/training (collaborative, relationship, etc).  They will make decisions on how your organization approaches sales based on how your organization recruits (ie: sells).  An organization would never sell their product/service without the proper resources, and recruiting is no different and requires its own level of attention.

calendar Time

New students are always entering the program or graduating, and you can lose momentum quickly if you are not involved:

  • Connect with students at major-specific (ESSPS) events/interactions/classes, college (COBI) events, and student organization meetings/projects
  • Deliver a consistent presence each semester and year so the students get to know you, your value proposition, and your level of sincerity
  • Recognize that freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will all be seniors one day and how you interact and treat them now will have a very real impact on their level of interest in your organization in the future. 
  • Offer an internship.  Your company's brand will be stronger and better compete with other opportunities if an internship and career pathing can be established.  With 100% of professional sales majors doing at least one internship (required for the major) and 85% of COBI students doing an internship, it is pivotal to build your brand and pipeline.   Internships take place year round and can be full time or part time to get to the 170 hours required for academic credit.                     

talent Talent

Who you send to campus and have involved in the recruiting process makes a difference:

  • Coordinate with sales and human resources.  Sales is key to better communicate culture, expectations, and career pathing.  They get the students more excited.  Human resources is key to keep the process moving in a timely manner and to ensure that engagement opportunities are not missed. Involve frontline and leadership level team members to communicate that the position and the sales team are important and to give them a preview of what their role could look like years down the road.
  • Bring UToledo/COBI/ESSPS alumni to events, interviews, etc to leverage that mutual connection and to prove the fit to students.  Rocket pride is alive and well!
  • Offer an internship that has the right level of support so that the experience is positive for all involved parties.  Internships need to balance the student's existing skills, the student's need for further development, the company's structure and pathing, and the company's market approach.

treasure Treasure

Dedicating the right time and talent takes treasure:

Investing proper time, talent, and treasure is critical because posting in Handshake alone is typically not effective because students do not have the time or interest in reviewing the almost 18,000 jobs (1,700+ are for sales and business development). 

Last Updated: 6/27/22