As is typical for this time of year, recruiting season is underway on many college campuses across the country. The next couple of months will be a flurry of activity as students attend information sessions presented by leading companies, followed by several rounds of interviews, all in anticipation of landing their first job. But as the slowing economy causes many companies to reevaluate their staffing needs, some are reducing their level of on-campus recruiting and eliminating positions usually filled by new graduates.

If this situation feels even a little familiar to you, you must check out the featured article in this week's Product Watch, which questions whether this trend of scaled down recruiting will have a negative impact on staffing in the future.

Enjoy, and if you have any comments on the article, please write in and tell us what you think.

Sincerely,

T. Natasha Turner
Editor, Product Watch

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You're probably saying, "What do you mean--does recruiting on campus pay? It requires resources (i.e., recruiters) and money we don't have!"

Two articles in a recent issue of The Wall Street Journal confirm that you aren't alone in your opinion because:

1. The near future for recruiting professionals is tenuous at best. The first WSJ headline reads: "Korn/Ferry Plans New Round of Job Cuts," and cites business downturns as a reason for sharp declines in the executive-search industry. Similar downsizing activities are rampant for both internal and external professionals who specialize in other staffing areas.
2. Companies are spending more time and resources dealing with short-term fixes for their bleeding balance sheets. The second WSJ headline reads: "Bleak Prospects for Jobs Greet MBAs This Fall." This article documents the decision of many companies to substantially reduce or eliminate college-recruiting activities. After all, recruiting--especially college recruiting--is time- and people-intensive, which translates into "expensive."

So, it's not surprising that as each day brings more gloomy financial performance news, increased layoffs, deeper budget cuts, etc., more companies are reevaluating the cost/benefit ratio of college recruiting. Many have concluded that it's an unnecessary expense.

Experts generally agree that dumping college recruiting is a bad idea.

Click HERE to continue reading this article.

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