14 Sep Great Green Talent Machine ? But how do I get the job ?

Bain and Company, one of the world’s leading consultancy companies, recently released their report – “Great Green Talent Machine” touting the importance of CSR in recruiting talent. This is the latest in a series of articles and papers highlighting the importance of corporate reputation and values, often best expressed through their CSR activities, as a factor in attracting talent.

So what if you are the “talent”? You are attracted to the company and now you want to work with them. How do you get the job ? What do recruiters from these companies look for ?

As a college professor I know this question is particularly important for recent grads trying to establish themselves in new careers. Fortunately, recent research gives some answers to this important question. In a recent study conducted with Aini Karani, we asked college recruiters from hospitality companies whether they felt CSR was an important factor in recruiting college students. Corporate Reputation was the top reason they listed. CSR ranked 10th in things that recruiters felt attracted students to want to join their company. Interestingly – salary was ranked 13th !

Then we asked what they looked for in new recruits. The results reinforced the importance of attitude, team orientation and communications skills. The study showed that recruiters pay little attention to specific activities but that they are influenced by what they perceive to be  the values of the potential recruit.

The full study is published in Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism – “Corporate Social Responsibility and College Recruiting in the Hospitality Industry”