For Employers
Mississauga, ON
December 3rd & 4th, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Registration is now closed
To find out when the next Campus Recruitment Forum is taking place,
we invite you to join our mailing list.
Schedule
Tues, Dec 3rd
Campus Recruitment Accelerator
The ultimate training for building a best-in-class student hiring program.
The program is designed to provide a fresh perspective on your campus programs; challenge the assumptions that may limit your thinking; and energize you to achieve greater outcomes.
Lead Presenters:
Graham Donald
President & Founder, Brainstorm Strategy Group
Jennifer Powell
Director of Programs and Community Engagement, Brainstorm Strategy Group
9:00 - 9:30 am
Registration & Breakfast
9:30 - 10:00 am
Welcome & Introductions
10:00 - 11:00 am
The Campus Talent Ecosystem™ & Scorecard™
11:00 - 11:15 am
Break
11:15 - 11:45 am
Developing a Strategic Campus Recruitment Plan
11:45 am - 12:15 pm
Making Your Business Case to Leaders and Hiring Managers
12:15 - 12:30 pm
Break
12:30 - 1:00 pm
Target School Selection and Strategies
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Lunch
2:00 - 2:30 pm
Understanding Employer Branding & Your Employer Value Proposition
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Conveying Your Culture through Persuasive Storytelling
3:00 - 3:15 pm
Break
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Leveraging Internship, Co-op and Leadership Development Programs
3:45 - 4:00 pm
Break
4:00 - 4:30 pm
Managing the Candidate Experience for Engagement & Retention
4:30 - 4:50 pm
Creating Your Action Plan
4:50 - 5:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Wed, Dec 4th
Campus Recruitment Trends & Best Practices
Discover what works now in early talent attraction.
Are you up on the trends and best practices you need to succeed on campus now and in the future? Students & grads have changed. Campus recruiting has changed. Get up to speed.
9:00 - 9:30 am
Registration & Breakfast
9:30 - 9:50 am
Welcome & Introductions
Graham Donald
Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc.
9:50 - 10:10 am
Campus Recruitment Outlook: Insights & Benchmarks in Student Hiring
Discover the latest insights from the Campus Recruitment Outlook Report, based on a survey of employers across Canada.
In addition to an analysis of recent hiring trends and the forecast for the year ahead, this presentation will share key student hiring benchmarks; the top challenges employers face when recruiting; preferred marketing tools and channels; and, insights into employers’ views and experiences with today’s students.
In the quickly evolving world of campus recruitment, you won’t want to write your next strategy without these insights!
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Graham Donald
Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc.
10:10 - 11:00 am
Empowering Future Leaders: Retaining Summer Interns and Building Brand Engagement through Campus Ambassadors
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Natalie Rutkowski
National Campus & Early Talent Leader, KPMG
11:00 - 11:15 am
Break
11:15 am - 12:00 pm
AI and Employer Brand Activation: How the World’s Leading Employers are Integrating AI into Talent Marketing
Is your organization ready to keep pace in the race to integrate AI into recruitment and talent marketing?
With global AI adoption reaching 72% this year, top employers worldwide are embedding AI into their talent strategies to drive efficiency and measurable impact.
Join us for a hands-on workshop led by Jay Kipps, CHRL, Director of Flint & Steel and HR Tech Modernization Lead at The Martec. Jay will present insights from The Martec’s Global AI Benchmark Study, exploring how the top 100 global employers leverage AI to optimize employer brand activation and enhance campus recruiting. He will share key data on AI's role in budgeting, implementation, and returns, covering specific benefits like cost savings, improved candidate quality, streamlined content approval, and faster hiring processes.
Attendees will walk away with a practical checklist of immediate actions campus recruiters can take to modernize their skills and elevate their brand activation strategies. Whether you’re new to AI or looking to expand its role in your workflows, this workshop will equip you with the insights and tools needed to stay competitive—and to measure your organization’s AI plans against those of leading employers.
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Jay Kipps
Director of Flint & Steel and HR Tech Modernization Lead, The Martec
12:00 - 12:15 pm
Break
12:15 - 1:00 pm
Educator Panel: Effective Student Engagement: The View from the Front Line
Nobody sees more employers "in action" on campus than the professionals working in career services. The great, the good, and even the bad are on full display and provide an excellent learning opportunity for other employers.
This panel of experienced career services professionals will share insights from what they've seen work for employers across all majors and industries – as well as the experiments that have fallen flat. At a time when change is constant, they'll share examples of what has proven the most effective to attract and engage students today.
We'll explore questions such as:
- Compared to pre- and early pandemic times, what seems to have worked best for employers this past fall?
- What are some of the most common mistakes you see employers make when recruiting students?
- How can employers more effectively reach diverse students on your campus?
- How do you see the relationship between career offices and employers evolving?
- What are your expectations for the campus hiring market in the months to come?
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Robert Wooden
Director, Management Career Services, Dalhousie University
Cory Latimer
Associate Director, Cooperative & Career Education, Sheridan College
Leesa McLeish-Diaz
Employer Engagement Coordinator - EDI, Academic Advising & Career Centre, University of Toronto Scarborough
Geoff Anderson
Director, Science Co-op Program, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Lunch
2:00 - 2:30 pm
Identifying Great Student Talent: It Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult!
When recruiting student talent, it’s time to shift the focus from where they study to who they are. Employers often overemphasize academic programs and technical expertise, but is this truly the best approach? Students choose their majors at 17 or 18 with little real-world experience, yet we hold them to career paths based on those early decisions. Instead, let’s recognize the value of transferable skills and broader experiences.
In this session, we’ll explore ways to remove biases tied to schools, fields of study, and specific skills—biases that hiring managers may unknowingly hold. We’ll also discuss how to identify well-rounded candidates: those who balance academics with work experience, volunteerism, or leadership roles, and who demonstrate strong communication and presence.
Discover how to widen career pathways for students entering your company, and learn why finding great talent that will thrive and stay with your organization doesn’t need to be a complicated process.
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Jeff Ollinger
Director, Talent Acquisition - Corporate and Campus, SunLife
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Hot Topics Roundtables: Enhancing Campus Recruitment Strategies
These interactive roundtables are designed to facilitate in-depth discussions on pressing issues and innovative approaches in campus recruitment. Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences, exchange ideas, and explore effective strategies to attract and engage top talent from universities and colleges.
We'll explore topics such as:
- Building Awareness on Campus
- Maximizing Your Website, Social Media, and Other Communications
- Creating Impactful Events & Activities
- Leveraging Data Analytics in Recruitment
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives
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3:00 - 3:15 pm
Break
3:15 - 4:00 pm
Employer Panel: Differentiating Your Brand on Campus: Improving Engagement & Conveying Culture
With so many organizations vying for the right talent on campus, it can be challenging to make authentic connections and help students understand what differentiates your organization from others. With many employers offering similar value propositions, how do you stand out? How do you build trust so students can make their choice with confidence?
We'll explore questions such as:
- What strategies have been most effective in helping your organization stand out on campus?
- With the challenge of “everyone offering similar value propositions,” how does your organization communicate its culture in a way that feels authentic to students?
- Are there any trends you’re noticing in what students look for in potential employers, and how have you adapted your campus engagement to meet those expectations?
- How does your organization seek and act on feedback from students about their recruitment experience?
- How do you see your organization’s campus branding and engagement evolving over the next few years?
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Angelique Joseph
Campus and Brand Program Manager, Human Resources, Definity
Katie Flanagan
Manager, Campus and Early Talent Recruitment, Technology & Operations, BMO Financial Group
Paige Sulek
Executive Recruiter and Campus Lead, Labatt Breweries of Canada
4:00 - 4:15 pm
Break
4:15 - 4:55 pm
Understanding Today's Students
Based on the most recent survey of more than 24,000 Canadian students, this presentation will highlight key changes in the interests, preferences, and expectations of your target candidates and how they have evolved in recent years.
Are you still recruiting with tactics and messages from 2020? When it comes to careers, the planet has shifted and every employer needs to understand what drives students’ decisions today.
After this presentation, you’ll be far better prepared to build, or re-build, your talent attraction strategy.
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Graham Donald
Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc.
4:55 - 5:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Graham Donald
Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc.
Registration
Individual - 1 Day
$695
per person
Group of 2 to 4 - 1 Day
$556
per person
Group of 5 or more - 1 Day
$486.50
per person
Individual - Both Days
$1195
per person
Group of 2 to 4 - Both Days
$956
per person
Group of 5 or more - Both Days
$836.50
per person
Cancellation Policy
No refunds will be provided within three weeks of the conference. Cancellations three weeks or more before the event date will be refunded less a $100 administration fee. Substitutions from the same organization are welcome at no cost up to three weeks before the event date.
Venue, Directions & Accommodations
Venue
The event is taking place at Sheridan College’s Hazel McCallion Campus, 4180 Duke of York Boulevard, Building C, 5th floor – Room C506, Mississauga, ON.
Only 30 minutes from Pearson International and Billy Bishop Airports.
Directions & Accommodations
The closest major hotel to the conference venue is the Delta Hotels Toronto Mississauga, however delegates are welcome to choose a location that suits their needs. Here are directions to the venue.
Things to Do
Interested in getting to know Mississauga while you’re in the city? Check out Visit Mississauga.