13 tips for government agencies hiring students, recent grads for early career marketing jobs

We’ve been writing a lot recently about how government agencies can best hire talent from colleges, universities, and other sources of early career candidates. Today, we’re looking at the hiring of those who are early in their careers in the field of marketing. We gathered insights from 13 directors, CEOs, and other hiring experts. Their recommendations included clarifying diversity and fostering inclusion to leveraging digital platforms for marketing.

• Clarify Diversity and Foster Inclusion
• Implement Targeted Outreach Programs
• Create Leadership Exposure Programs
• Utilize Social Media Recruitment
• Highlight Professional Development Opportunities
• Partner With Universities for Internships
• Enhance Workforce Training Programs
• Showcase Career Growth and Inclusive Hiring
• Produce Diverse Employee Recruitment Videos
• Collaborate With Nonprofits for Diverse Talent
• Develop a Compelling Employer Brand
• Define Clear Career Paths
• Leverage Digital Platforms for Marketing

Clarify Diversity and Foster Inclusion

To attract diverse, early-career candidates, first clarify what you mean by “diversity.” Diversity extends beyond “visual diversity” aspects (a term I borrow from my colleague Gabrielle Davis), like race/ethnicity and perceived gender. Ensure that the environment where new candidates will work is inclusive. Just as you would prepare for any significant change, create a supportive space before integrating new team members. This may involve leadership training for the existing majority to align organizational values and address unconscious biases that necessitate diversity efforts.

Allanah Hines, Chief Culture, Engagement, and Impact Officer, Weaver Street Market

Implement Targeted Outreach Programs

I’d recommend implementing targeted outreach programs in partnership with universities and professional organizations focused on under-represented groups. By offering internships, mentorship opportunities, and clear pathways for career advancement, the agency can build a strong, diverse talent pipeline.

Bram Louwers, Director, BrainManager

Create Leadership Exposure Programs

I always experiment with new ideas and strategies to come up with innovative solutions. Based on my experience, I highly recommend creating programs that expose early-career employees to leadership roles and responsibilities. These programs can include shadowing senior leaders, participating in strategic meetings, and working on high-visibility projects, helping candidates see a clear path to advancement.

I effectively implement these programs to attract young talent and create a diverse, inclusive work environment. I often collaborate with diversity and inclusion teams to identify potential candidates from underrepresented groups and actively promote the program to them. This results in high retention rates and a diverse pool of talented individuals who bring unique perspectives and ideas to the agency. The success rate of hiring is often high when these candidates have already been exposed to the agency’s culture and values through their participation in the program.

I have noticed that candidates feel valued and motivated to contribute their unique perspectives to the organization with leadership opportunities. This also allows them to gain valuable skills and experience, making them more competitive for future promotions and job opportunities.

Daniel Cook, HR / Marketing Executive, Mullen and Mullen

Utilize Social Media Recruitment

Build a strong social media presence to recruit early-career candidates. Younger candidates are more likely to be active on social media. They will likely search for any company they are interested in on these platforms before they apply.

It is a good way to reach fresh graduates or early-career candidates. Reply to comments, post regularly, and interact with your audience to build a strong connection with them.

You can also share behind-the-scenes content and employee testimonials. This will show candidates what it’s like working for you. They will also see that your company is an inclusive place. Showcase the diversity of your employees to attract potential candidates.

David Magnani, Managing Partner, M&A Executive Search

Highlight Professional Development Opportunities

One effective strategy is to emphasize professional development opportunities in recruitment efforts. Highlighting pathways for skill enhancement and career advancement within administrative roles can be a significant draw for diverse, early-career candidates. From my experience, showcasing real success stories of individuals who have progressed within the agency not only attracts applicants but also communicates a commitment to employee growth and diversity, which is crucial for engagement and retention.

Josh Ladick, President, GSA Focus

Partner with Universities for Internships

One effective strategy for a government agency to attract diverse, early-career candidates for administrative roles is to partner with universities and colleges, especially those with strong minority representation. The agency can offer mentorship, career development workshops, and clear pathways to permanent employment by creating robust internship programs and entry-level job opportunities. These programs should be designed to provide hands-on experience, networking opportunities, and professional growth. This approach equips young professionals with valuable skills and knowledge and helps the agency build a diverse and dynamic workforce, fostering innovation and inclusivity in the public sector.

Vanessa Nalus, Relationship Manager, Practice Aptitude Tests

Enhance Workforce Training Programs

My advice to large governmental agencies looking to attract early-career professionals to administrative roles is to significantly enhance workforce training. The quality of current administrative training programs varies widely, and unfortunately, many of these programs do not lead to quality employment opportunities. Additionally, the availability of on-the-job training provided by public employers has been declining.

I believe that government agencies should work together with worker organizations to create joint administrative-management programs. This collaboration should ensure that employers help cover the costs of workforce training programs. These programs need to target rapidly growing occupations and industries, lead to high-quality, local jobs that offer family-supporting wages and benefits, and provide equitable access to job opportunities for people of color and women.

Government agency policymakers can support these goals by promoting registered apprenticeships, increasing the representation of worker representatives on state and local workforce boards to ensure these bodies are truly tripartite, and directing funds and programmatic support towards administrative-management partnerships. Such an approach can make administrative positions more appealing to young job seekers by offering valuable skills and stable employment opportunities.

Precious Abacan, Marketing Director, Softlist

Showcase Career Growth and Inclusive Hiring

To get diverse people in their early careers to apply for administrative jobs, the government should focus on showing clear career growth possibilities and using hiring practices that are open to everyone. Early-career professionals who value growth and development may be very interested in companies that offer clear career paths and mentoring programs. The agency can successfully find and retain talented people from a variety of backgrounds by showing new hires how they can move up in the company and connect with mentors.

A lot more people can apply for jobs if job descriptions are changed to use inclusive wording and unnecessary barriers are removed. To ensure the job ads appeal to more people, they should not use gender-specific language and should only list the most important requirements. Branding and recruitment tools that emphasize the company’s dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion can help attract more people from underrepresented groups. A wider range of people may be more interested in working for the company if it showcases its diverse workforce and supports flexible work arrangements.

Arvind Rongala, CEO, Edstellar

Produce Diverse Employee Recruitment Videos

A successful approach a government agency could use to draw in a diverse pool of early-career candidates for administrative positions is to produce innovative recruitment videos. These videos should feature diverse employees sharing their personal experiences and the impact of their work within the agency. 

By showcasing real stories and relatable role models, the videos can effectively highlight the agency’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Sharing these videos on social media and the agency’s website can help reach a broad and varied audience. This strategy attracts a wider range of candidates and also helps potential applicants see themselves in those roles.

Brandy Hastings, SEO Strategist, SmartSites

Collaborate With Nonprofits for Diverse Talent

To attract a diverse range of early-career candidates for administrative positions, I recommend partnering with nonprofits and community organizations. These groups specialize in career development and job placement for underrepresented populations. By leveraging their networks and expertise, the government agency can reach a wider and more diverse pool of candidates. This partnership can lead to a more inclusive recruitment process and ensure that qualified individuals from various backgrounds are considered.

Kyran Schmidt, Co-Founder, Outverse

Develop a Compelling Employer Brand

To attract diverse, early-career candidates for administrative roles, a government agency should focus on building a compelling employer brand. This involves showcasing the agency’s mission and impact on the community. Highlight opportunities for growth, development, and public service. 

Partner with universities and community colleges to offer internships and apprenticeships. Leverage social media to engage with young talent and share employee stories. Most importantly, ensure the agency’s recruitment process is fair, transparent, and inclusive to attract a diverse pool of candidates.

Raviraj Hegde, SVP of Growth & Sales, Donorbox

Define Clear Career Paths

Government agencies need to focus on defining clear career paths and rethinking how work is structured for administrative roles to attract early-career candidates.

To draw in young professionals, it’s wise for employers to consider automating or delegating routine tasks like data entry or generating status reports to gig work. This not only increases efficiency but also provides employees with more freedom and flexibility. At the same time, it’s crucial to personalize the more interactive, human aspects of work, allowing individuals the autonomy to shape their own career trajectories based on where they see value.

Clearly outlining career paths and potential lateral moves within an agency can greatly assist new or prospective hires in visualizing their future within the organization. For example, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s introduction of the Cyber Career Pathways tool is a fantastic initiative. This tool outlines 52 different work roles, each described in detail with the necessary skill levels required. Such resources can be invaluable for someone exploring potential career paths in any other field within the government.

Kyle Kozlowski, Co-Founder, Eco Temp HVAC

Leverage Digital Platforms for Marketing

One effective strategy for a government agency to attract diverse, early-career candidates for administrative roles is to leverage digital platforms and SEO-optimized content marketing. 

Create a dedicated careers page on the agency’s website that’s optimized for search engines. Use relevant keywords that early-career candidates might search for, such as “entry-level government jobs” or “diverse administrative roles.” 

Develop engaging, SEO-friendly content that highlights the agency’s commitment to diversity and the benefits of working in public service. This could include employee testimonials, day-in-the-life blog posts, and information about career growth opportunities.

Use these to create a content calendar for your careers page, regularly publishing articles, videos, or infographics that address common questions or concerns of early-career job seekers. Ensure this content is mobile-friendly and shareable on social media platforms to increase its reach.

Debbie Chew, Global SEO Manager, Dialpad