The State of Campus Recruiting

Start 2025 with a smarter, data-driven recruiting strategy.

In our latest installment of the State of Campus Recruiting series, we explored how to turn recruiting data into actionable insights that deliver real results.

Recruiting strategies often take months—or even years—to reveal their full impact. But with the right tools and metrics, you can gain immediate feedback to refine your approach. This webinar tackled challenges like achieving DEI goals, improving ROI, and increasing applicant-to-hire conversions, all while aligning with 2025 hiring goals.

What We Covered:

How to leverage data to identify what worked and what needed adjustment in recruiting efforts.
Strategies for incorporating real-world performance data into hiring decisions.
A roadmap for combining traditional metrics with actionable insights to create a balanced approach.

This session provided recruiters, hiring managers, HR professionals, and career services leaders with the tools to create a forward-thinking, data-driven strategy for 2025. Attendees also received an exclusive resource filled with actionable data strategies to implement immediately

About our panelists:

Steve

Steve Tiufekchiev, Strategy Consultant and Early-Career Recruiting Expert

Jeffrey Moss, Founder & CEO at Parker Dewey

Data-Driven Early-Career Hiring: Key Insights

This installment of the State of Campus Recruiting explored how to use data to improve early-career recruiting and hiring. From understanding candidates to tracking program success, we shared actionable strategies to help teams create a more efficient and equitable recruiting process. Here’s a summary of what we covered, along with a few standout quotes from our experts:

Candidate Data

Your candidate data isn’t just numbers on a dashboard—it’s a roadmap to improving your hiring process. This data can reveal critical insights, like where candidates drop off during the application process, how diverse your applicant pool is, and what factors drive the most engagement.

"It’s not just about knowing who’s applying—it’s about understanding why they’re applying and where the process is breaking down," said Jeffrey.

For example, if you notice that a large percentage of applicants aren’t making it past the first interview, it may indicate a mismatch in expectations or unclear job descriptions. These insights allow you to make immediate improvements that benefit both candidates and hiring teams.

Program Data

Program data helps you go beyond the surface and measure the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts. This includes understanding which university partnerships, job boards, or career fairs are bringing in the strongest candidates.

"When you know which programs are delivering results, you can double down on what works and stop wasting resources on what doesn’t," noted Steve.

One example shared in the webinar was how some teams identified a handful of career fairs that consistently yielded successful hires. By reallocating their resources to these high-performing programs, they improved outcomes without increasing spending.

Program data also lets you adapt your strategy in real time. If a new initiative isn’t producing results, you can pivot quickly to ensure every dollar is well spent.

What Executives Care About

Executives want to see clear, measurable outcomes from recruiting efforts. They care about metrics like cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, and the overall quality of hires. The webinar highlighted how tools like Micro-Internships can directly address these concerns by offering a cost-effective way to evaluate candidates while filling immediate needs.

"Executives are looking for value. Micro-Internships provide that by reducing costs, increasing flexibility, and delivering great talent," said Jeffrey.

These short-term, project-based opportunities also create a direct pipeline for hiring full-time employees, which appeals to leadership’s focus on long-term talent strategies.

Tactical Tips for Better Outcomes

Refine your metrics. Focus on tracking actionable data points, such as applicant-to-interview conversion rates or engagement by demographic groups.

Optimize what works. Use program data to identify high-impact recruiting channels and prioritize those efforts.

Incorporate predictive tools. Leverage analytics to forecast outcomes and make proactive adjustments.

Engage with Micro-Internships: These flexible, low-risk projects are an excellent way to evaluate talent and create immediate value for employers.

"The most successful teams aren’t just reactive—they’re proactive. They use data to predict what’s coming and adjust before problems arise," said Steve.

Moving Beyond Rear-View Metrics

Traditional metrics, like past hiring rates, can provide valuable insights—but they only tell part of the story. Forward-looking data, such as applicant diversity trends or conversion rates at each stage, helps recruiters make smarter decisions in real time.

"Think of it like a GPS. Rear-view data shows where you’ve been, but forward-looking data helps you navigate where you’re going," explained Jeffrey.

For example, tracking gender equity in your applicant pool compared to your actual hiring rates can reveal if unconscious bias is affecting outcomes. This allows you to take action immediately, rather than waiting until the end of the year to address the issue.

Ready to Improve Your Recruiting Strategy?

Download our Early-Career Recruiting Metrics Decision Tree here to start using data more effectively in your hiring process. This resource provides actionable strategies to ensure your efforts lead to measurable success.

By focusing on the right metrics, leveraging predictive analytics, and embracing tools like Micro-Internships, you can build a recruiting process that’s not only efficient but also equitable and aligned with your organization’s vision for the future.

Looking for personalized guidance? Connect with the Parker Dewey team.