Competition Leads to New College Recruiting Strategies

(CPWire) Melville, NY -- May 3, 1999 -- Let`s face it, attracting star recruits is getting harder for companies these days. In fact, a poll conducted last month by The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), concluded, `Life is looking rosy for the class of `99.` According to NACE, employers are forecasting a 10 percent increase in job opportunities for the class of 1999, and in light of the vigorous job market -- caused by unemployment levels of less than 5 percent -- students can afford to be selective.

In order to improve their chances of being `selected,` corporations, like Melville, New York-based Arrow Electronics, are developing new methods of attracting the best and the brightest, and these programs rarely rely solely on campus interviews to fill job openings.

``Traditional recruiting methods aren`t enough to uncover the raw talent that companies need,`` said M.J. Wheble, program manager of Pathways, Arrow`s college recruiting program. ``We`re more interested in a candidate`s learning agility than their major. We can teach people about the ins and outs of the electronics distribution industry. But we can`t instill motivation, imagination, and drive.``

With this in mind, Pathways recruiters evaluate applicants` abilities to articulate life experiences, make connections and draw analogies from those experiences. ``Then we test how they apply that learning to new challenges,`` Wheble added.

Arrow is the world`s largest distributor of electronics components and computer products serving industry leaders. Company recruiters view Pathways as an ideal means to interest candidates in a segment of the high-tech industry that they may not have considered.

Asiya Abdul-Aleem, a graduate of Texas Tech University, is one such candidate. ``I didn’t even know what electronics distribution was until I began researching Arrow,`` Abdul-Aleem said. ``During the program I learned that distribution is more than moving parts. Arrow sales reps play an important role in bringing new products to market. I was also impressed by Arrow`s commitment to ethics, extensive training, and the prospect for rapid career advancement. Those are the qualities I want in an employer.`` The English major is now based in Arrow Semiconductor Group`s Dallas office, selling semiconductors to electronics manufacturers.

Associates are selected from applications received during on-campus recruiting efforts, at local branches or over the Internet. The nine-month program begins with a five-week, classroom-based orientation at the company`s headquarters, followed by 10-12 weeks of branch-level training, usually in the city where the Associates were hired. The Associates then return to Melville for two weeks of intensive sales training as well as classes that focus on business development and company financials. During the remainder of the program, Associates work with the sales teams of their branch office. At the end of the program, they are evaluated and placed in full-time positions that best fit their qualifications.

Katey Messner, a graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver, particularly enjoyed the training. ``During the program, we were exposed to every aspect of Arrow`s business — from customer credit to asset management,`` she said. ``By the time the program ended, I was totally prepared for my first full-time assignment.`` Messner now works with Arrow`s CMS Distribution Group in Denver selling electronic components to contract manufacturers.

Apart from the in-depth training, another benefit the Associates report is the camaraderie that develops during the program. ``Our group was small -- less than 30 people,`` said Matt Mitchell, a Boston College graduate now serving Arrow`s national accounts in Chicago. ``Although we`ve wound up in offices across the US, many of us still keep in touch, and that kind of peer support can`t be beat.``