This document discusses strategies for attracting STEM talent based on findings from Universum's student surveys. It finds that engineering and IT students consider many employment options and place equal emphasis on practical and cultural job factors. While graduates in STEM fields are in high demand, over 30% end up in non-technical jobs. The document provides recommendations for employers struggling to attract STEM students, such as tailoring messaging to appeal to student preferences and using interns as brand ambassadors. It also analyzes which communication channels are most effective at different stages of the recruitment process.

1. Strategies to Attract
STEM Talent:
Findings from the Universum
Student Survey and
Communicating with Talent 2014
Kevin Troy
11 August 2014

2. Polling question: Whom do you struggle the most to attract to
your organization?
(check all that apply)
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 Scientists (chemists, biologists, physicists, etc.)
 Computer scientists or IT specialists
 Engineers in non-IT / software areas
 Designers or artists with technical skills (e.g. web designers,
architects)
 Mathematicians

3. 3universumglobal.com
1 Some context: the size of the problem
2 Engineering and IT students’ preferred employer
attributes
3 Communication channels
4 Indirect communication through brand ambassadors

4. Graduates with strong technical skills are in high demand…
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0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Engineering Biological and physical
sciences
Mathematics and computer
science
Percentage of New Bachelor’s Degree Recipients in the USA
Employed Full-Time a Year After Graduation
1989-90 graduates in June 1991 1999-2000 graduates in July 2001 2007-08 graduates in June 2009

5. …and more than 30% of them are working in non-technical fields
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0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Engineering Biological and physical
sciences
Mathematics and computer
science
Percentage of Full-Time Employed Recent Bachelor’s Degree
Recipients in a Job Closely Related to Their Field of Study
1989-90 graduates in June 1991 1999-2000 graduates in July 2001 2007-08 graduates in June 2009

6. Example from just one sub-field: Approximately 35k / year gap
between supply of and demand for math & comp sci grads
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66,000
• Math & Computer Science
bachelor’s degree recipients
in the USA in 2012
~56,000
• Entered workforce full-time
upon graduation (~85% of
total)
~40,000
• Employed in jobs closely
related to field of study
(~70% of full-time employed)
1.5 million
• Total job openings in math and comp
science occupations between 2008 &
2018 (projected)
• 798k new jobs + 707k replacements
~150,000
• Openings each year over that 10-
year period
~75,000
• Openings each year requiring a
bachelor’s degree (~50% of annual
openings)
SUPPLY DEMAND

7. Engineering and IT students, in particular, tend to consider a wide
number of employment options
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# of Employers Considered by Canadian
Undergraduates on Universum Student Survey 2014
(from list of 140 employers)
2014 2013 Delta
Business 21.0 18.8 2.2
Engineering/IT 19.4 15.4 4.0
Natural Sciences 11.1 9.9 1.2
Liberal Arts 11.8 10.1 1.7
Law 12.0 9.5 2.5
Health/Medicine 7.2 6.0 1.2
ALL UNDERGRADS 15.4 13.2 2.2

8. How should you create a strategic EVP?
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PREFERENCES
Why people choose
an IDEAL employer
ASSOCIATIONS
What your target group
associates with
Your firm
INTERNAL PERCEPTION
What your firm’s management perceives as
its internal employer brand
Key EVP Criteria:
• ATTRACTIVE
• CREDIBLE
• DISTINCT
• SUSTAINABLE
• TRUE
EVP

9. The Universum Employer Attributes Framework
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The contents and demands of the job, including the learning opportunities provided
by the job
• Challenging work
• Client interaction
• Control over my number of working hours
• Flexible working conditions
• High level of responsibility
• Opportunities for international travel/relocation
• Professional training and development
• Secure employment
• Team-oriented work
• Variety of assignments
The monetary compensation and other benefits, now and
in the future
• Clear path for advancement
• Competitive base salary
• Competitive benefits
• Good reference for future career
• High future earnings
• Leadership opportunities
• Overtime pay/compensation
• Performance-related bonus
• Rapid promotion
• Sponsorship of future education
The attributes of the employer as an organization
• Attractive/exciting products and services
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Environmental sustainability
• Ethical standards
• Fast-growing/entrepreneurial
• Financial strength
• Innovation
• Inspiring management
• Market success
• Prestige
EMPLOYER REPUTATION & IMAGE JOB CHARACTERISTICS
REMUNERATION & ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The social environment and attributes of the workplace
• A creative and dynamic work environment
• A friendly work environment
• Enabling me to integrate personal interests in my schedule
• Interaction with international clients and colleagues
• Leaders who will support my development
• Recognizing performance (meritocracy)
• Recruiting only the best talent
• Respect for diversity
• Respect for its people
• Support for gender equality
PEOPLE & CULTURE

10. Engineering & IT students place equal emphasis on “practical” and
“cultural” factors when looking at employers
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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Secure employment
A creative and dynamic work environment
Professional training and development
Innovation
A friendly work environment
Leaders who will support my development
Challenging work
Respect for its people
High future earnings
Variety of assignments
Most Important Employer Attributes for Engineering & IT Undergrads
Showing Weighted % Selecting Attribute as Important, Top 10 (of 40) Attributes
Canada USA

11. Is “a creative and dynamic work environment” code for “a place
where innovation happens?”
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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
%associatingw/creativeworkenviron.
% associating w/ reputation for innovation
Undergraduate Engineers’ Associations
Showing % who associated attribute with their ideal employer, USA 2014

12. So what is a “creative and dynamic work environment,” then?
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13. Students want personalized contact with employers, whether
face-to-face or digital
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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Career fairs
Employer presentations on campus
Targeted emails
Employer websites
Employer-sponsored events
Skills sessions organised by employers
Direct mailings
Social networks/communities
Job boards
University press & student organisation publications
Channels Most Preferred by STEM Students, USA 2014

14. Polling question:
At what point in the recruitment pipeline do you think you have
the biggest problem attracting well-qualified STEM students?
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o Students aren’t aware that there are opportunities at my
organization
o Students are aware, but aren’t applying to me as an employer of
choice
o Students are applying, but aren’t accepting offers

15. Different communication channels are suited to different steps in
the recruitment “funnel”…
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Most effective
communication channels
Awareness
Consideration
Desire
Application
Print Digital
In-personPrint
Digital In-person
In-person

16. …and for different types of information
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Print channels Digital channels In-person channels
71%
44%
30%
20%
11%
Facts and figures
about the employer
Employee
interviews/profiles
News articles about
the employer
Recruitment ads
Management
interviews/profiles
70%
48%
36%
22%
21%
Facts and figures
about the employer
Employee
interviews/profiles
Newsletters sent to
you by email
Employer videos
Editorial news
articles about the
employer
64%
38%
35%
28%
13%
Company Career
Day/On-Site
Campus Visit
Informal mingling
Workshops
Formal
presentations
Speed-interviewing

17. Your engineering interns are your most powerful brand
ambassadors
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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Current
students from
my school who
work(ed) for the
employer
Other people I
know who
work(ed) for the
employer
Career services
at my school
Professors at
my school
Alumni from my
school who
work(ed) for the
employer
My parents My friends My classmates Other
Top Influencers of STEM Students When Gathering Info on Potential Employers
Showing % of respondents who selected person as one of their top 3 influencers
USA, 2014
Current students more
important for engineering
& IT students
Professors more
important for science
students
Alumni less important,
and parents more
important, in Canada

18. Four strategies for attracting STEM talent
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1. Think carefully about what you can truly offer STEM talent,
and tailor your messages to the intersection of what is
credible and what appeals to them.
2. Your employer website is probably fine. Think about other
channels, and which will be most appropriate to your problem.
3. Prepare your interns and current employees for serving as
brand ambassadors.
4. Develop relationships with college professors who can
become partners in finding students.

19. Polling questions
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• Did you find today’s webinar helpful?
– Yes, very
– Somewhat
– No
• Would you be interested in hearing more from Universum about
how we can help?
– Yes
– Maybe
– No

20. Coming up in this webinar series
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Recruiting through Facebook - Increase Candidate Engagement 100x
• Jason Kipps, Managing Director, Canada
• http://bit.ly/1s8b8Lc
How to be Authentic and in Control with your Digital Employer Brand
• David Brudenell, Global VP of Product & Head of Digital
• http://bit.ly/1s8dCZQ
Managing for Diversity: 3 Key Takeaways
• Paul O’Shea, Head of Consulting, Americas
• http://bit.ly/1s8e4HL

21. CONTACT
Kevin Troy
Head of Research & Insights, Americas
Register for other webinars in this series!
http://bit.ly/1s8b8Lc
Kevin.Troy@universumglobal.com