CALUM ROBSON finds out how student societies work with agencies to raise funds for general merriment (oh, and for help with finding jobs)
Visit the events or news pages on the website of any regional accountancy student society and the chances are you'll see evidence of close collaboration between each society and a number of local and national recruitment agencies. Career planning seminars, talks on interview technique, cv workshops and industry-specific presentations with guest speakers are just some of the more formal occasions student members can attend where recruitment consultants run the show. Add to that the sponsorship of social events such as pub quizzes, drinks evenings, sports tournaments and theme nights, and it becomes obvious that agencies have an interest in networking with trainees and part-qualifieds - who are, after all, the managers, directors and partners of the future.
Tara Heath, regional director at consultancy Nigel Lynn, explains why recruitment agencies are so keen to dip into their pockets to support student activities: 'Sponsoring events enables us to start to build long-term relationships with potential future candidates for when they look for a new job in the future. We sponsor several local societies of various professional bodies around the country. Achieving a degree of visibility means that hopefully they'll think of us first when they need help with finding a new job.'
Party on
It might be assumed that agencies would prefer to support more formal, career-orientated events that give them the opportunity to promote their credentials and encourage registrations - but that's by no means always the case. Susan Bailey, chair of Bristol and District Chartered Accountants Student Society (BADCASS), says, 'Career events don't tend to be as well-attended as socials - but agencies are generally quite happy to help us run more informal activities anyway, as they meet more people.'
BADCASS has already successfully secured sponsorship from Nigel Lynn, Hays, Toner Graham and Robert Half for a salsa night, pub quiz, annual ball and wine tasting - all within the first quarter of 2007. 'We try to be accommodating,' says Bailey. 'Our members always come up with suggestions but agencies may approach us with their own ideas - we recently had one company call us wanting to stage an It's a Knockout event, which we thought was fantastic.'
Giving students the chance to let their hair down without it costing them as individuals provides a natural backdrop for recruitment consultants to schmooze. Paula Park, chair of the Northern Chartered Accountants Student Society (NCASS), says, 'As yet we haven't run any careers-type events - but we feel the main benefit for agencies is the opportunity to meet people at socials.'
Tara Heath agrees: 'I've seen good and bad events run by student societies over the years - but the best ones for us are sports or drinks evenings. They're more fun for everyone involved and provide a way for us to give something back. We're happy to run sessions on interviews and cvs, and of course that's helpful to those students who are looking for jobs. We always welcome societies guiding us as to what they want to put on - they know what will attract the best attendance as they're in touch with their members on a regular basis.'
Balancing budgets
Student societies receive minimal funding from their parent body - but those funds often just cover administrative costs, and sometimes barely even that. Which means that staging events requires careful financial planning: 'We try to break even,' says Bailey. 'The object isn't to make a profit but to create a situation where our members don't have to pay, other than for special occasions, like the annual ball, which is more expensive. But for our other events, we'll just charge a small entry fee - about a fiver - to secure commitment to attend.'
Paula Park says, 'We would usually want to cover our costs and break even on big events. If we believe we can get extra cash, then we'll do this purely with the intention of subsidising further activities.'
Securing sponsorship is more straightforward if associated costs are minimised - but that's not always easy. Liz Helps, southern region chair of CIPFA's North Eastern Students Society,' says: 'For short events, I can usual beg, steal or borrow a room in an office one evening and we can convince speakers to present for free. But it seems to be a vicious circle - without sponsorship, we can't afford a nice venue and can look unprofessional, or we have to charge people to come, both of which with discourage attendance, meaning the events stay small and we can't attract sponsors. But with sponsorship, the quality of the event can be enhanced, attendances can grow and both parties can benefit.'
Get to know your sponsors
It's important to remember that, while recruitment agencies are highly competitive with each other when vying for the attention of part-qualified accountants, they have their own marketing budgets to stick to - and a vast choice of potential ways to invest those resources.
The cost of sponsoring a five-a-side football competition followed by celebratory drinks might amount to more than the price of a decent-sized recruitment advert in the local paper or on a jobs website. And the advert won't require consultants to surrender their personal time after work or give them hangovers in the office the next morning.
This means striking up a good rapport with potential sponsors is crucial. 'The key is to build relationships and get to know the relevant people at agencies,' says Park. 'But don't be afraid to ask for money or help. The benefit to agencies of gaining access to your students at an event can't be underestimated.'
Names and numbers
Data protection legislation prevents student societies from trading their membership lists with agencies in return for hard cash. 'We have our own code of practice at BADCASS and we're quite careful about giving out member details,' says Susan Bailey. 'But at each event, there are often cards, supplied by the agency sponsor, that students voluntarily fill in with their contact information in order to enter prize draws. If there's a chance of winning a weekend trip to Europe or an iPod, people are more likely to give their details. But we always stress to sponsors that these are purely voluntary and that attendees can't be forced into it.'
Tara Heath says, 'If our brand name is associated with a well-run event that everyone enjoys, then that's enough for students to feel they can approach us directly, so we wouldn't actually ask for mailing lists. The bottom line is that we both want to get something out of the arrangement - and we have to have something to offer as well. Relationships are built around two-way communications and we want to maintain a good reputation.'
And should the committee decide it's time to shelve hell-raising for a night and focus on more sobering issues, recruitment agencies are still happy to provide speakers on a host of subjects related to jobseeking and career management.
'Students are often so focused on passing their exams and doing their job that they don't think ahead to when they'll want to move,' says Tara Heath. 'And even those who have a career plan need us to help in a consultative capacity on choices such as which sectors might best suit them and what career paths are available in different companies. So, although social events may be more memorable, it's just as valid for us to work together with regional societies to help their members with those issues.'
Seeking Sponsorship - PASS's Top Tips For Negotiating With Agencies
Never forget your sponsors have a choice - there are likely to be rival student societies from other professional bodies in the area, all competing with you for the same sponsorship marketing budget |
