Across the nation, higher education professionals are gearing up for conference season— where industry leaders share knowledge, gain tools to strengthen their strategy and practice, and expand their professional networks. However, savvy campus leaders also know that this is an opportune time for another goal: engaging talented professionals looking for their next career step.

Many of our clients have fantastic positions open with hopes of securing stellar candidates before summer, and while conference engagement is not a substitute for an active, strategic recruitment process, it can complement the efforts of K&A and your campus in attracting a strong candidate pool. These benefits include the opportunity to:

  • Informally introduce yourself and your leadership style to potential candidates who align with your vision.
  • Identify highly talented and innovative professionals from across the nation through their presentations, roundtable discussions, and spontaneous conversations.
  • Access a large, often untapped, pool of potential candidates who may not have been familiar with your institution or role yet—bringing a diversity of experiences, fresh perspectives, and creativity to your campus.

Of course, conferences and other large events can also bring their own set of challenges; it can sometimes feel overwhelming to navigate as you seek to connect with potential candidates and share insight about your institution and open roles. To help you be successful, we’re sharing a few tips to help you feel more confident in promoting your open roles during conference season:

  1. Attend sessions that align with the priorities, opportunities, and trends relevant to your open role. Session leaders will likely be professionals who have expertise, passion, and most importantly, demonstrated experience with key issues that you need to address on your campus—all things most interviewers look for when evaluating a candidate. Additionally, the participants who attend these sessions are often connected to the topic and hold similar or adjacent roles, so there is likely someone in the audience ready for a transition with an appropriate skillset. Since many sessions include Q&A, you may have the opportunity to learn more about participants and the work they have done throughout the session. If a presenter or session leader seems like they match the qualifications for your role, don’t hesitate to approach them after the session to introduce yourself!
  1. Engage in authentic and meaningful conversations. Approach each conversation with good intentions and with a genuine desire to get to know the prospective candidate. Express a sincere interest in their research, current projects, and candidacy. Share details about the role and yourself, and ensure the conversation is a dialogue, not just a sales pitch. Higher education professionals are intuitive, their careers are often deeply personal, and everyone wants to feel that they are valued. Be “professionally authentic” and respect boundaries—if someone is uninterested or happy where they are currently, that’s ok, it is still an opportunity to grow your network.
  1. Follow the three H’s: be honest, hopeful, and helpful. When discussing opportunities with potential candidates, it can be helpful to follow these guiding principles:
    • Honest: Be transparent about the opportunity, including strengths, challenges, and priorities. This instills trust in you and helps potential candidates accurately assess their fit for the role.
    • Hopeful: Every university or college has its challenges, but providing a realistic, yet optimistic outlook allows a candidate to feel they can be successful. Highlight existing support structures, resources, and what you love about the university.
    • Helpful: If this is someone you want to apply, make the process easy, whileremaining within the boundaries of a fair process to all candidates. Offer to send them the job link, connect them with K&A (you can also nominate them), or connect them with someone helpful at the institution who can provide further insights about the role and your institution.
  1. Follow up: If you promised to follow up with a prospective applicant, do just that. Conference sessions can often be fast-paced and tightly scheduled, leaving little time for deeper conversations directly afterward. Consider scheduling time to meet them for coffee later that day or sending a follow-up email. Holding up your commitment to follow up demonstrates to top talent that you are a reliable and trustworthy leader. Even if this opportunity isn’t the right one for that professional, there may be other opportunities better suited for that individual!

At K&A, we’re committed to helping you attract and develop top talent—and tailoring the process to make it easier for you to find the right person. Explore some of our key services and let us know how we can support your hiring goals!

-LeAnna Rice

LeAnna Rice, Vice President for Executive Search Services and Senior Consultant

Keeling & Associates, LLC is a comprehensive higher education executive search and consulting firm specializing in executive search, interim placements, executive coaching, strategic consultation, and assessment and accreditation services.