Clemson’s “Picture Yourself Here” Campaign Connects Job Candidates With the Campus and the Community
Clemson University’s Talent Acquisition Team is the recipient of
CUPA-HR’s 2020 HR Innovation Award.
Sponsored by
If you’re a job candidate finalist at Clemson University, you can expect to be treated like a superstar! That’s the goal of the university’s “Picture Yourself Here” campaign, which delivers personalized yet consistent experiences for prospective employees — regardless of position, location or hiring department — to help them know what it feels like to be part of the Clemson Family. With pandemic restrictions limiting in-person visits over the past several months, the program has become even more vital to building that sense of connection.
“Picture Yourself Here”
As Clemson has continued to grow and attract candidates regionally, nationally and worldwide, nuanced recruitment and interview processes across departments had created inconsistencies among candidate experiences. Wanting to ensure a cohesive, deliberate, strategic approach to recruiting and hiring, and aiming to centralize recruitment messaging across the university, Clemson’s talent acquisition team, in partnership with the university’s creative services team, conceptualized the “Picture Yourself Here” (PYH) campaign.
Through a robust and interactive careers website and unique engagement of job finalists, the recruitment campaign has enabled Clemson to connect on a whole new level with potential talent.
Says Josh Brown, director of talent acquisition at Clemson, “With ‘Picture Yourself Here,’ we strive to communicate the culture of Clemson to potential employees and accentuate the reasons why being here is unlike anywhere else. The goal is for our candidates to have an unparalleled and unforgettable experience, regardless of the employment outcome.”
Web Presence
Clemson’s careers website lets potential employees tour campus virtually, provides information on working and living in Clemson, highlights employee benefits and perks, and provides information on the university’s spousal/partner program. “The website is meant to be user-friendly, engaging and welcoming — a way to help prospective employees ‘see’ themselves at Clemson,” says Brown.
Engagement
In addition to its web presence, the PYH campaign allows for continued engagement of candidate finalists by providing them with personalized materials about Clemson and the surrounding community. The campaign offers three tiered packages. First-tier material features a PYH-branded folder that includes information about living and working in Clemson. The second tier’s branded box contains a “Tiger Rag” (a Clemson-branded towel used to show support during the university’s sporting events) along with a booklet showcasing the benefits of living and working in Clemson. The box for the third tier includes the benefits booklet, a Tiger Rag, a personalized interview itinerary, and Clemson-branded virtual reality viewers, which enable candidates to picture themselves on campus through a series of virtual tours of some of Clemson’s most memorable spaces and moments.
“We are not simply offering our candidates interview invitations — we are offering experiences.” – Josh Brown, Director of Talent Acquisition at Clemson
Return on Investment
Less than two years in, the ROI of the “Picture Yourself Here” campaign is already evident. Staff offer acceptance rates have increased, and the overall offer acceptance rate is currently at 98 percent. In terms of actual dollars brought in, the campaign has generated revenue of more than $33,000 by offering local companies (real estate, mortgage lending, moving services, etc.) advertising space on PYH materials — revenue which is put back into the human resources budget.
About the HR Innovation Award:
CUPA-HR’s HR Innovation Award recognizes innovate thinking in higher education human resources. Thanks to support from PageUp, the award comes with a $5,000 contribution to the recipient’s institutional endowment or a scholarship fund. Learn more.