SMEs: A job market for students to discover
February 25th, 2013Small and medium-sized enterprises (known as SMEs) are the most important segment of the Canadian economy, contributing over 40 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product. They create more jobs than large corporations and the public service, and the jobs they create are often more flexible, engaging and inspiring than positions available within such institutions. SMEs would be the natural target of imaginative job applicants from all backgrounds, except for one overriding issue—they don’t recruit on-campus.
For those who are unaware, colleges and universities invite employers to visit their campuses to hire their students. Most of these visits happen in the fall, during what is known as “recruiting season.” Campuses are overtaken by literally hundreds of employers seeking to hire new grads and to find interns/co-op participants. These employers come from all major economic sectors, and they are based in cities and towns across the country. Yet even within this diversity, the great majority share a common feature: they are relatively huge companies, at least from a Canadian perspective. The primary reason for this relates to how campus recruiting is conducted: companies that have committed to campus recruiting campaigns invest weeks of staff time and thousands of dollars to get their message out to students. Recruiters start visiting campuses around Labour Day, and don’t finish signing off on job offers until Remembrance Day. The average cost per hire in 2012 was over $10,000. Clearly, the process can be very expensive in terms of time and money—both of which are in shorter supply among SMEs.
Most of these big employers are looking to hire post-secondary grads from a limited number of programs, for a short list of positions. This leaves the majority of university and college graduates left out of these efforts, and looking for the employers who are interested in what they have to offer. These students should be available for recruitment by the great number of SMEs—but the challenge is finding each other. We’ve established that small businesses are not able to devote the resources to recruiting that Fortune 500 companies do, so they are not likely to spend much time on campus. Students must therefore take the initiative, but they are also pressed for time.
What is to be done? First, students should ensure that they are aware of and open to the opportunities provided by SMEs. That means looking beyond the traditional campus recruiting models to make connections—which you can do even before starting your post-secondary studies. Chances are that you have family and friends who work in small businesses—talk to them. Find out what their career looks like, and how they got there. Ask them if there are any opportunities to get your foot in the door. These friends and family members will know more people—talk to them, too. When you have these conversations, be open to different types of opportunities. SMEs tend to operate from project to project, and often hire staff on a project basis. Your first opportunity with an SME is most likely to be short-term and very project-oriented. If you demonstrate your value to the company, however, this project may well lead to the next one, and eventually to more stable and long-term employment. It takes a bit of nerve and a lot of patience to start your career this way, but the outcome is truly rewarding.
What else can you do? Learn more by reading this issue of Career Options High School Edition, and since you’re already doing that, you’re on your way.
Cheers!
Paul D. Smith is the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers and Editor-in-Chief of Career Options High School Edition. Email Paul at [email protected].
For more information, please visit: cacee.com, careeroptionsmagazine.com