The Employer Relations Ecosystem™
Effective and efficient employer outreach and engagement is far more complex than most realize. It comprises lead generation, business development, campus partnerships, student engagement, institutional buy-in, and many more components.
The Employer Relations Ecosystem™ is a model designed to help employer relations professionals gain a holistic view of their current strengths and challenges and set priorities as part of a comprehensive employer engagement strategy.
The ecosystem is described below as well as a free tool you can use – the Concise Employer Relations Scorecard™ – to evaluate your current situation and methodically identify the areas that need the most attention.
Planning
The internal work required to establish an employer outreach strategy, identify target employers, and engage them effectively.
Programs & Services
The activities in place to involve employers and facilitate connections and engagement with their target students.
Performance
The ongoing effort to improve and optimize capabilities, processes, tools, and technology to enhance outcomes.
Strategic Plan, Goals, Objectives & Actions
Does your employer outreach strategy align with departmental plans and clearly define your goals, objectives, and criteria for success?
Employer Targets & Tactics
Have you identified your target market and outreach strategies?
Promotional Tools & Content
Do you have the tools to effectively promote your services and students to employers?
Engagement & Involvement
Do your employer activities meet their unique needs and attract students?
Experience & Recognition
Are your in-person and online interactions with employers consultative, provide value and create positive experiences?
Knowledge & Collaboration
Are you positioned to understand and communicate your students’ unique skills, interests and qualities?
Team Knowledge & Development
Do you have a high performing, knowledgeable team that engages well with employers?
Technology, Systems & Processes
Is there anything getting in the way of you or your teams’ efficiency and productivity?
Benchmarks, Outcomes & Evaluation
Does your employer relations strategy measure up and improve over time?
The Employer Relations Ecosystem™ is comprised of nine key success drivers that are organized in three stages: Planning, Programs & Services, and Performance.
The three stages and nine success drivers are described below.
Planning
The internal work required to establish an employer outreach strategy, identify target employers, and engage them effectively.
Strategic Plan, Goals, Objectives & Actions
Does your employer outreach strategy align with departmental plans and clearly define your goals, objectives, and criteria for success?
Employer Targets & Tactics
Have you identified your target market and outreach strategies?
Promotional Tools & Content
Do you have the tools to effectively promote your services and students to employers?
Programs & Services
The activities in place to involve employers and facilitate connections and engagement with their target students.
Engagement & Involvement
Do your employer activities meet their unique needs and attract students?
Experience & Recognition
Are your in-person and online interactions with employers consultative, provide value and create positive experiences?
Knowledge & Collaboration
Are you positioned to understand and communicate your students’ unique skills, interests and qualities?
Performance
The ongoing effort to improve and optimize capabilities, processes, tools, and technology to enhance outcomes.
Team Knowledge & Development
Do you have a high performing, knowledgeable team that engages well with employers?
Technology, Systems & Processes
Is there anything getting in the way of you or your teams’ efficiency and productivity?
Benchmarks, Outcomes & Evaluation
Does your employer relations strategy measure up and improve over time?
What’s Your Score?
Now that you have seen an overview of the Employer Relations Ecosystem™, use the free Concise Employer Relations Scorecard™ to evaluate your current position and reveal key areas for improvement.
Note that this is a condensed version of the much more robust full edition of the Employer Relations Scorecard™ used in our micro-credential training program - the Employer Engagement Academy, our members-only Employer Relations Alliance, and strategic advisory services.
With the Concise Employer Relations Scorecard™, you will conduct a self-evaluation across 16 criteria (the full edition comprises 37 criteria).
(It’s free and takes just 10 minutes!)
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