Employer Relations Alliance

When it comes to student hiring, the goal isn’t just to compete for a larger slice — it’s to grow the pie. So what drives employers to hire students — and what makes them come back and hire even more? 

This workshop explores how institutions can play a more strategic role in expanding student hiring by focusing not just on employer engagement, but on employer success.

You’ll explore the core reasons employers hire students, the key factors that lead them to increase hiring, and the common obstacles that prevent them from continuing. We’ll examine how your team can reduce friction in the hiring process, support first-time and small-scale recruiters, and apply sales, marketing, and service strategies to help more employers participate and thrive.

You’ll leave with new tactics to grow the number of employers who hire your students — and increase the volume and consistency of their hiring over time.

Join us each month as we explore topics that matter most to our members.

These roundtable conversations are your opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and discuss strategies.

Feel free to send your topic suggestions to julie@brainstorm.ca.

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded to ensure a space for open and candid discussions.

This workshop explores how to effectively align employer expectations with student profiles to build trust and credibility.

Participants will gain insights into employer expectations and the data that resonates with them, followed by a collaborative roundtable to brainstorm strategies for showcasing students’ unique strengths and qualities in meaningful ways.

Many career services teams and WIL offices have an overall mission or strategic plan — but few have a clear, focused mission for their employer relations work. Without it, efforts can become fragmented, reactive, or disconnected from organizational goals and employer needs.

This interactive workshop will help you define or refine a mission specific to your employer relations function. Through guided reflection and structured prompts, you’ll clarify the purpose of your work with employers and identify the outcomes you aim to influence. Whether you’re starting from scratch or revisiting an existing statement, you’ll leave with a draft mission and a stronger foundation for planning, alignment, and impact.

Join us each month as we explore topics that matter most to our members.

These roundtable conversations are your opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and discuss strategies.

Feel free to send your topic suggestions to julie@brainstorm.ca.

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded to ensure a space for open and candid discussions.

Once a student submits their application, what really happens next? This panel brings together campus recruiters who will pull back the curtain on their selection processes—from the application deadline through to the final offer.

Employer relations professionals will gain valuable insights into:

• How hiring teams evaluate student applications
• Who’s involved in the decision-making process
• The role of applicant tracking systems (ATS), AI screening tools, and assessments
• Timelines, touchpoints, and communication expectations

Whether you’re supporting students in navigating recruitment or looking to strengthen your partnerships with employers, this session offers a behind-the-scenes look at how employers are making talent decisions today.

Gain timely insight into the evolving campus recruitment landscape—and how to better support and advise your employer partners—with an early look at key findings from the 2026 report, including:

• The factors shaping employers’ hiring forecasts

• Top goals driving campus and early talent recruitment programs

• Diversity groups employers are actively seeking to recruit

• Retention rates of new graduate hires after one, two, and three years

• The most significant recruitment challenges, ranked by impact

Based on a national survey of Canadian employers conducted between November 2025 and January 2026, the 2026 Canadian Campus Recruitment Outlook Report offers a comprehensive view of current hiring realities and what employers anticipate in the year ahead.

Join us each month as we explore topics that matter most to our members.

These roundtable conversations are your opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and discuss strategies.

Feel free to send your topic suggestions to julie@brainstorm.ca.

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded to ensure a space for open and candid discussions.

Gain firsthand insights from employers as they reflect on the latest student recruitment season.

You’ll hear diverse perspectives from employers as they share what worked, what didn’t, and key lessons learned. Questions discussed will include:

• How hot (or not) is the current hiring market?
• How did students’ participation and preparation compare to previous years?
• What are the biggest challenges in student hiring right now?
• What could your partners on campus do to support you?
• What are your expectations looking forward?

Panelists to be announced.

Join other employer relations professionals for a conversation about the current campus recruitment scene for business students.

We’ll discuss topics such as:

• strengthening partnerships with employers
• creating more opportunities
• understanding the needs of business students

Join other employer relations professionals for a conversation about the current campus recruitment scene for engineering students.

We’ll discuss topics such as:

• strengthening partnerships with employers
• creating more opportunities
• understanding the needs of engineering students

Join us each month as we explore topics that matter most to our members.

These roundtable conversations are your opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and discuss strategies.

Feel free to send your topic suggestions to julie@brainstorm.ca.

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded to ensure a space for open and candid discussions.

What’s really happening in student hiring across different industries?

In these Hiring Focus Panels, employers from the U.S. and Canada share how their student recruitment strategies are changing, what engagement looks like today, and what they’re watching for next—offering timely insight for employer relations professionals.

Join us for two full days of workshops, panel discussions, data-driven insights and practical strategies designed to strengthen your employer partnerships.

Connect with a community of like-minded post-secondary professionals to share best practices and create more opportunities for your students.

Join us for two full days of workshops, panel discussions, data-driven insights and practical strategies designed to strengthen your employer partnerships.

Connect with a community of like-minded post-secondary professionals to share best practices and create more opportunities for your students.

What’s really happening in student hiring across different industries?

In these Hiring Focus Panels, employers from the U.S. and Canada share how their student recruitment strategies are changing, what engagement looks like today, and what they’re watching for next—offering timely insight for employer relations professionals.

What’s really happening in student hiring across different industries?

In these Hiring Focus Panels, employers from the U.S. and Canada share how their student recruitment strategies are changing, what engagement looks like today, and what they’re watching for next—offering timely insight for employer relations professionals.

What’s Your Score?

Whether you’re new to the Employer Relations Scorecard or have used it before, this webinar is invaluable. For newcomers, it’s a must-attend to understand the scorecard’s benefits. For experienced users, it’s an excellent opportunity to reassess your employer relations priorities and current status.

The Employer Relations Scorecard helps you:

• Discover your rating based on 9 key success factors
• Identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas needing focused attention
• Optimize your efforts for maximum impact
• Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your operations
• Accelerate success and enhance outcomes

Join us for this highly practical, insightful, and interactive webinar to shed a new light on the opportunities to accelerate your success in employer relations.

A sales mindset in employer relations is not about being pushy, short-sighted, or transactional – it’s the opposite. It’s about aligning your motivation with your mission to support your students, clearly communicating your value proposition, deeply understanding your employer clients’ needs and interests, and investing in long-term relationships.

As an ER professional, it’s your job to be a great listener, behave ethically and authentically, address your clients’ concerns directly, and provide solutions to their challenges – even if that means referring them elsewhere. It’s also your job to focus on numbers – leads, conversions and re-engagements, among others – and enjoy watching your numbers grow while accolades from your employer partners flow in.

Join us for this workshop as we discuss reframing employer relations from a sales mindset and explore how that can not only improve your results, but also your career fulfillment.

What’s on the minds of campus recruiters as they prepare for fall 2026? How have their strategies evolved, and what challenges are they anticipating?

Join this expert panel of employer recruiters as they share their expectations for the upcoming hiring season, key trends shaping their approach, and how campus partners can better support their recruitment goals. Gain valuable insights into what’s working, what’s changing, and how to strengthen campus-employer partnerships.

In today’s competitive landscape, fostering meaningful connections between students and employers requires moving beyond standard information sessions and career fairs. This workshop delves into bespoke employer engagement strategies that have proven successful in enhancing student-employer interactions. Participants will explore a range of tailored activities, such as:​

– Case competitions
– Industry-specific career nights
– Employer-hosted workshops
– Networking dinners and coffee chats
– Live projects and hackathons

This session will showcase real-world examples and provide insights into how to design unique engagement opportunities that benefit both students and employers.

Strong employer partnerships don’t happen overnight—they require strategy, persistence, and adaptability. In this panel discussion, experienced employer relations professionals will share real-world case studies of how they’ve built and sustained successful long-term relationships with hiring organizations.

Through a challenge-solution-outcome framework, panelists will provide insights into:

• Overcoming common obstacles in employer engagement
• Strategies that led to stronger, more committed partnerships
• Measurable outcomes and lessons learned along the way

This session offers a unique opportunity to hear practical examples of what works (and what doesn’t) to walk away with actionable ideas to strengthen your own employer relationships.

Successful employer engagement doesn’t happen in isolation. Strong partnerships with faculty, student organizations, alumni services, and other campus units can amplify employer relations efforts, create more opportunities for students, and align with institutional goals.

This session explores how employer relations professionals can identify strategic partners, establish clear roles and expectations, and navigate challenges such as competing priorities, data sharing, and campus bureaucracy. Panelists will share real-world examples of win-win collaborations that drive student success while strengthening employer engagement.

Join other employer relations professionals for a conversation about the current campus recruitment scene for business students.

We’ll discuss topics such as:

• strengthening partnerships with employers
• creating more opportunities
• understanding the needs of business students

Join other employer relations professionals for a conversation about the current campus recruitment scene for engineering students.

We’ll discuss topics such as:

• strengthening partnerships with employers
• creating more opportunities
• understanding the needs of engineering students

Gain firsthand insights from employers as they reflect on the latest student recruitment season.

You’ll hear diverse perspectives from employers as they share what worked, what didn’t, and key lessons learned. Questions discussed will include:

• How hot (or not) is the current hiring market?
• How did students’ participation and preparation compare to previous years?
• What are the biggest challenges in student hiring right now?
• What could your partners on campus do to support you?
• What are your expectations looking forward?

Employer relations is more than job postings and info sessions—it’s a strategic function that bridges campus and industry, drives student success, and helps employers meet their talent goals. When employers struggle to hire students effectively, they scale back. When they succeed, they invest more. That’s where employer relations comes in.

This session will challenge you to think bigger about your role and the function of employer relations on campus. We’ll explore how to increase your impact, better support employers, and ultimately grow opportunities for students. Whether you’re a team of one or part of a broader career services office, you’ll leave with ideas and inspiration to make your work more powerful and visible.

Walk away with:
• A deeper understanding of how employer relations supports both student and employer success
• Practical strategies to help employers get better hiring results
• Ideas to grow your influence and position employer relations as a strategic asset