This document provides an overview and key considerations for a campus marketing brainstorm. It discusses the large and growing graduate market in China. Important factors to consider include having a clear positioning, engaging attributes, using social media and mobile effectively, referrals, career talks, engaging more campus resources, and watching competitors. The goal is to develop a successful campus campaign drawing on the author's experience in the Chinese graduate market.

1. Campus Overview Brainstorm
Jun 2012
Frank Xu

2. 1. Overview
Agenda 2. Graduate Market
3. Key Considerations
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3. Overview
• Instead of hands-on execution proposal, the deck would be used for brainstorm
Instead of detailed action plan
• The most highlighting parts for the deck would be key considerations for a
successful campus campaign according to my several years experience in campus
market
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4. Graduate Market
• Over 6.6 million students graduated in 2011
(vs. 1m in 2000)
• Reflects population peak in 18-21 yr olds and
expansion in University places
Source: China Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
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5. Graduate Market
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6. Graduate Market: MNC-suitable graduates?
• In 2008 McKinsey claimed
that only 1 in 10 graduates
have the right functional
capabilities, leadership
potential and language skills
required by MNCs.
Source: McKinsey – China’s Looming Talent Shortage (2008)
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7. Graduate Market: Chinese graduate talent on the rise
OECD Educational Ranking Scores 2010
• The best Chinese schools now rank
among the best in the world
(particularly in Maths / Science).
• Top Chinese Universities like Peking
are adopting course materials from
Harvard and London Business
School
• Many more Chinese are also
studying abroad (200,000 in 2010)
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8. Consideration 1:Need a clear positioning
The positioning confusion is commonly
Seen as:
• BU hiring together with MU hiring
• Different campus programs running
but without interaction
• So-called UR campaign
(Never confuse people)
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9. Consideration 2: Find right attributes to engage
Attraction Drivers (external) :
My IDEAL Firm is associated with...
Business students Engineering students
1. Professional training and 1. Will enable me to have a good
development work/life balance
2. Good reputation 2. Professional training and
3. Will enable me to have good development
work/life balance 3. Good reputation
4. Good prospects for high future 4. Offers a creative and dynamic
earnings work environment
• China - Good reference for • China - Good prospects for high
future career future earnings
Universum Undergraduate Survey APAC (2011)
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10. Consideration 2: Find right attributes to engage
Almost each of your competitor would claim they are such a good employer just
like you do , so , need to :
• Work out your own scripts
• Real stories or reasons to believe
• Express in a creative, funny and continuous way would be preferred
• Engage people.
• Say , listen and react
(How to stand out
From the crowd)
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11. Consideration 3: Social Trend
Diverse Social presence with attractive Key visual + activity management

12. Consideration 4: Mobile
LBS
Location Based Services:
Weixin ( a software under Tencent) is one of the most popular message tool with LBS
Function. Image , you open Weixin in your targeted university and see the people who
nearby you within 100m, 200m or 500m
QR Codes Mobile site
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13. Consideration 5: Referral
Referral is one of the
most frequent ways
for professional
recruiting, but it could
also be applicable to
graduate hiring,
especially for the
graduates And
simultaneously
refresh employer
branding among
graduates
Your alumina sells
(Referral sells) 13

14. Consideration 6: Career talk or campus activity
Career Talk
Hot or Not ?
Have to say the offline career talk seems still has to be a “preference" for next few
years
For the new Generation, the first thing they would like is to be social and respected, it
is quite boring for them to sit one hour and half and listen “you should do xxxx “
presentation
Etc: I know some companies now using cocktail party or roadshow instead of
traditional career talk or another approach is that some of the companies would do a
primary search before career talk, so the people coming along is selective and in such
words, it becomes a round table or workshop targeting with target audience
Important Brainstorm area: how to make your career talk impressive
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15. Consideration 7: Engage more resources
Work with NGO Returnee Strategy
Such as JA, SIFE
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16. Consideration 8: Engage more resources
Graduates are not all active job seekers now , and happy accidently, you and your
competitors may likely offer same group talents
• Turndown offer rate is a big headache
To many company now
• It is quite common for your candidates
Have more than 5-10 offers at hand,
• Short term:
• Some companies would choose to
Do a offer ceremony to enlighten the time
When candidates getting offer
• Invite the candidates do internship
Before on-board to influence their decisions
By internal environment
• Long term:
• Build up a strong employer brand
• Campus continuously campaign such as
Ambassador, high touch, summer internship,
Competition…..
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17. Consideration 9: Watch out your competitors
Not only other MNCs , but SOEs or CPCs as well
• SOE’s and Chinese Private
Companies continued to score
more highly than Foreign MNCs in
ChinaHR’s 2011 student employer
preference survey
• But % of students opting for a
foreign MNC as their first job choice
was up
– 32% (vs. 14.5% in 2010)
Number of MNCs in Top 50 = 10 vs. 4 (2010) but note it was 21 in 2009 and 34 in
2003
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18. Consideration 9: Watch out your competitors
• Candidates tend to choose MNCs for learning, development (and culture)
• Chinese private companies rely more on compensation and long term
stability
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19. THANK YOU
Would like to discuss with you more about
Campus and employer branding
Via
frankxu@pincn.com
+86 13524697075
Sina Weibo: 法兰克徐
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