Updated 10 March 2023
It’s peak season and you’ve launched your campaign for your biggest annual graduate program push and waiting to see how the numbers will look – but how do you know whether your campaign is on track, especially with the changeable graduate market and last-minute nature of students we all know too well? We give our top tips below on how you can set goals, monitor your progress and ways to create peaks when you need a little mid-campaign boost.
How should you monitor your campaign?
Once you’ve set your campaign to go live (typically for anywhere between 3-6 weeks), the most important thing you can do is monitor your applications. We recommend that you have a look at your application numbers from the same period last year and set goals accordingly that you want to hit this year. You’ll then be able to use this as a benchmark and see where you’re at in your weekly review of numbers. It’s also a good idea to put some form of tracking, for example, UTM Codes on the application link you send through to GradConnection or include a “How did you hear about us?” question as a part of the application form so you can keep track of where your candidates are coming from!
How can you create peaks throughout your campaign?
It’s important to plan promotional activities all throughout your campaign in order to create peaks in applications. This can involve things that are already included in your package with GradConnection such as targeted eDMs and social media posts on both our pages and your own company profiles, which can help with boosting application numbers mid-campaign. If applications still aren’t coming through, it might be time to double check your listing copy and content – see our guide on how to make sure your campaigns are discipline-specific and relevant to students.
When should you set your campaign closing dates?
It’s no secret that students are known for their last-minute antics, and this doesn’t change when it comes to applying for jobs. That’s why setting soft closing dates are a good way to get that final peak of applications twice. Set a tentative closing date, let your campaign close then reopen or ‘extend’ for a few extra days. You’ll be able to catch the students who maybe didn’t quite get there in time or saw the campaign last minute. This also makes optimal use of our automatic email alerts to students which are aligned with the opening and closing dates of campaigns.
How can you beat out the competition?
The graduate market has become increasingly competitive, with a 56% increase in the number of new job ads posted on GradConnection (PcP). A part of this could be attributed to a noticeable increase in small and medium-sized enterprises coming to market and continuing to launch grad programs for the first time. With a shift in priorities post-pandemic, students are also now more open-minded and looking for range and diversity in opportunities. Coupled with the return to on-campus learning, this could see a slight decrease in applications per role across the board.
With this higher level of competition and changing student mindset, it’s more important than ever to try to utilise the tips above to stand out to grads and perhaps even think about other premium options in your package you may want to use. This could include front page banners or boosters so you appear at the top of search results.
How can GradConnection help you?
Despite this fierce competition, our product team here at GradConnection have been working hard on optimising our website to make things more efficient for you! While the total number of application clicks on our site are up 85% (PcP), the number of application clicks per job ad have also increased by 37% (PcP), meaning that that more (and the right demographic of) students are still getting those applications in for the roles you're hiring for. This is all thanks to tweaks to our self-serve offering and employer profile, amongst improvements to other features based on your feedback.
Keep in touch!
Your Account Manager is here to help! Make sure you keep communication open and always feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if your campaigns need an additional push. Remember - it’s too late to do anything once your campaign is closed, but while your campaign is still open there are always options to help boost numbers! You'll also get a complete post-campaign report at your next meeting with your Account Manager for a full debrief of how things went.