August 2006: In this issue...

Talent Scouting...

...and more creative, personalized approaches to recruiting can help you land today's and tomorrow's top marketing MBA's

By Ron Torch, CEO & Chief Marketing Officer - Torch Group Inc.

Delete the PowerPoint Presentations and Corporate Spiels

Campus career days and canned corporate presentations to recruit talented employees have lost their lure among today's MBA students. That's why companies such as Procter & Gamble andL'Orealare taking new customized approaches to recruiting talent. P&G is personalizing the recruitment experience, whileL'Orealholds a competition that challenges the marketing creativity of serious marketing students. But if these approaches are not for you, perhaps you might consider seeking future employees much like the way major league sports teams follow up-and-coming players. There's a web-based service that develops scouting reports on MBAgraduates to suit the needs of your company team.

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Ronald S. Torch
President & CEO
Torch Group, Inc.

The Personalized Approach

Today's MBA graduates are cynical, media savvy and they have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to canned corporate presentations about how wonderful it is to work at your company. According to the Wall Street Journal, attendance has been diminishing at traditional campus-recruiting events because students can now skip the corporate spiels and research companies on the Web.

The truth is MBA grads are flooded with too much information from recruiters. That's why P&G decided to develop a more personalized approach to recruiting. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the consumer products giant kept in touch with top MBA prospects by sending them friendly e-mail messages, calls and holiday cards that also reminded them how to apply for marketing internships online. The MBA marketing majors also visited P&G's headquarters where they shadowed a brand manager and got a taste of their corporate culture.

This customized method apparently worked as P&G hired three of its top intern choices, and is looking at rolling out the program to full-time hires, according to WSJ.

To find MBA marketing talent for your company, consider working with graduate schools in your area to reach students who are interested in pursuing careers in your industry. Keep in regular touch with candidates via e-mails and invite them to your workplace so that they can get a flavor of your culture. Offer top candidates an internship that can provide you with better insights about their capabilities and whether they'll be able to add value to your company.

American Marketing Idol

American Idol, the hottest program on television, searches for the next rising star. Similarly, although admittedly not as hot at American Idol, the well-known consumer cosmetics corporation,L'Oreal, sponsors a marketing competition to recruit entry-level marketing stars.

CMO magazine reports the worldwide competition requires college students to design a new product of an existingL'Orealbrand with an integrated marketing and communications plan. The winners travel toPariswhere they make their pitch before a panel of experts. The company recruited 141 new employees from its competition last year.

Jean-ClaudeLe Grand,L'Oreal's director of corporate strategic recruitment, tells CMO that the competition identifies the young marketers with a passionate mind-set. There is a difference, he says, between talking about marketing and immersing yourself in a product to sell it with passion.

While your company may not have the resources, or the need to sponsor a worldwide competition, you may want to think about sponsoring a local or regional competition for students majoring in marketing. Publicize the competition in student newspapers, graduate career centers and local web sites. Also, attractive prizes --- as well as making the competition fun --- will motivate more marketing MBA's to participate.

Campus Talent Scouts

MBA Scouting Report, www.mbascoutingreport.com, touts itself as an early identification tool for first-year MBAs who are a good match with your company's hiring criteria.

Here's how it works: Well before the beginning of the school year, you select the schools and disciplines, such as marketing research students at Kellogg, and a scout will spend one week on campus getting to know the first-year students and identify the ones that match your needs and criteria. The scouts talk to the student candidates, as well as the faculty and staff.

By mid-December, you receive a one-page report on the 5 to 10 best students. After you interview the students, you decide which ones to hire for internships. MBA Scouting Report says the cost of its service is generally the same as sending several employees to a corporate presentation.

Attracting new talent is certainly no easy task. Torch Group can help you accomplish your goals by providing new ideas and concepts that can help your company land the best marketing talent available. We have the resources, the experience, the proprietary databases and technology to help you recruit top talent now.

If you have questions or just need more information, give us a call at 440-519-1822 or email me atrontorch@torchgroup.com. We can help you. Give us a call today.

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We can help.

As acknowledged experts in the field of marketing and innovative talent solutions, we’re structured and poised to help you find that perfect CIO -- or complement your existing staff with highly-specialized marketing talent. Whichever way you go, Torch Group can be a valued partner to your company. We’re experienced in finding the talented full-time marketing professionals you need . . . or flexible marketing contractors and consultants if desired. Give me a call at 440.519.1822 or e-mail me at rontorch@torchgroup.com.

Ronald S. Torch
President & CEO
Torch Group, Inc.
. . . your source for marketing talent