How EDAWN helps to recruit great workers

During strong economic times and downturns like the one our nation and region has been experiencing this past year, a fact remains progressive companies are always looking for great employees. It is also a fact that the struggle to find skilled professionals is not a unique issue for our region: companies across the country face the same challenge. To help address local companies' No. 1 concern finding skilled professionals and to support EDAWN's primary mission of recruiting, retaining and expanding companies and their workforce needs, we have spent the past year partnering with several companies and regional organizations to offer several community supported recruiting events. The goal of these events is to help our regional companies find and recruit skilled professionals both in Greater Reno-Tahoe and outside the market.

The most recent program offered to assist companies in finding skilled workers was a Recruiting Collegiate Talent Workshop held at the University of Nevada, Reno in August. The inaugural program was sold out with more than 150 people in attendance.

The workshop was designed in response to many regional employers requesting ways to work more effectively and strategically with public higher education campuses in the area for recruitment needs. The program focused on what companies can do to improve their recruiting efforts right in their own backyard and how our university, colleges and employers can work more closely on hiring students and graduates

keeping that talent here before they look elsewhere for work.

Speakers from the University of Nevada, Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College and Western Nevada College offered attendees information in four specific areas to help regional companies connect with and better recruit students for skilled job openings.

Four things to keep in mind to effectively recruit collegiate talent:

1. Call the Career Office. Your first step is simply making a call and setting an appointment with the career office on the campuses you want to work with. You can reach the Career Development Office at UNR at 784-4678; Truckee Meadows Community College at 673-7063 and Western Nevada College at 445-4427.

Be prepared by outlining your objectives and expectations and the career representative will help you create a strategy, action plan and outline potential costs.

2. Create or increase your visibility and name recognition. A few ideas to increase awareness of your company with students is to include sponsoring a student organization meeting or event. Free food is always a winner with college students, or consider offering your services as a guest speaker for a class. Consider hosting a tour of your corporate facility and sponsoring career development Web sites and publications. Other opportunities include sponsoring sporting events such as tailgate parties or an academic competition. Find what campus program best fits your company culture and philosophy.

3. Advertise. Advertise jobs and internships in multiple ways such as notifying the individual departments and schools on campus about open internships and positions that may interest students. With prior approval, place company banners in department buildings, participate in career fairs or sponsor networking receptions or breakfasts to introduce your company to students.

4. Prepare students. Each campus offers programs to prepare students for interviewing and building their resume. Offer to participate in mock interviews with students or assist them in preparing their resume. Consider sponsoring job-search workshops and honors banquets that will get your company in front of students and make them aware of your company and job opportunities. Don't assume they know about your company.

Complementing this local recruiting program is an out-of-market community recruiting effort that promotes Reno-Tahoe and its career and lifestyle to prospective skilled professionals out of the area. With increased competition among cities and regions to attract and retain skilled professionals, EDAWN has partnered with a coalition of companies to host joint events targeting prospective professionals out of market. The events target skilled professionals interested in Reno-Tahoe's unparalleled quality of life and outdoor recreation AND the diverse skilled job opportunities available.

The first community recruitment event, "Beers and Careers in Greater Reno-Tahoe," was held in San Francisco in June and more than 100 qualified professionals attended to learn more about the job opportunities in the region. With skilled professionals 30 years and older preferring online communication versus traditional advertising or printed invites, we promoted the event primarily through social marketing and email campaigns designed as online invitations that people could email their friends and contacts in the Bay Area. The main selling point for the event was: Greater Reno-Tahoe offers a hybrid lifestyle not attainable in the Bay Area; where you can have a dynamic career and quality lifestyle with less commute time, more affordable housing, world renowned outdoor recreation, and plenty of skilled job opportunities.

The success of the San Francisco recruitment event sets the stage for future programs in other key cities with the ongoing support and participation of regional companies.

At the core of the Reno-Tahoe recruitment campaign is a newly updated and interactive Web site, MyNVDreamJob.com. This specialized Web site is a tool to connect workers with local employers by promoting the diverse job opportunities available and the region's desirable quality of life.

If you're a company or organization that's looking for talented employees now or in the coming year when the economy cycles through, and want to participate in future Greater Reno-Tahoe community recruiting programs, please contact me.

EDAWN's primary mission continues to be recruiting, expanding and starting up quality companies that have a positive economic impact on the quality of life in Greater Reno-Tahoe. Key to that mission is helping companies like yours doing business here and those considering relocating their companies to the area to tap into local talent and provide out of market recruitment tools helping to fuel our region's future economic and job growth. Without the workers, the companies won't come or expand and the jobs won't be there it's a vital cycle for any economy ours included.

Gail Conkey is director of marketing for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. Contact her at (775) 829-3720 or conkey@edawn.org.