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In this episode:
0:22 – What regular recruitment is & who it is for
2:20 – The employer’s perspective
3:08 – 12Twenty & timelines
4:18 – The candidate pool
5:24 – Companies & industries
7:05 – Referrals
8:04 – Quiet searches
8:53 – Be aware of spam emails & invitations
9:31 – Privacy for your 12Twenty data
10:16 – Job postings
11:27 – Myth-busting recruitment numbers
12:18 – Recruiting strategy
15:02 – Summary
16:37 – Career coaching support
18:13 – Resources & tools
19:29 – CM events
19:57 – MBA events
20:58 – HBA & MSc events
Transcript
[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]
Kate: Welcome to the Career Management Podcast, where we bring you stories and strategies from students, special guests and the Career Management team. Make yourself comfortable and let's get started.
On today's episode, we're talking about Regular Recruitment, what it is and how it differs from Cohort Recruitment. I'm joined by Amanda Lakey. Welcome, Amanda.
Amanda: Hi, everybody. Hi, Kate. Thanks so much for having me.
K: All right. So we're going to look at how to actually navigate Regular Recruitment. So let's start with what it is and how it's different from Cohort Recruitment.
A: Absolutely, I think it's a great starting point. And honestly I'll just caveat by saying talking about Regular Recruitment is really my favorite part of the year because it's really where most of the action actually happens when it comes to recruiting. So while you're on campus at Ivey, you're going to experience two very distinct periods of recruitment, Cohort and Regular. Cohort happens sort of right when you first come to campus, it's going to be early mover industries, a very curated list of companies, sort of you know, think like your finance, your big consulting, your big tech, your big CPG. And those are companies that are hiring year over year for the same internship and new graduate roles for our students when they graduate. It's pretty standardized. They know what to expect. So it's going to be fairly familiar. It's very cyclical. It happens every year. Regular Recruiting is probably more familiar territory for anyone who has ever been actively involved in job searching. It's lower touch and more immediate. So oftentimes companies are relying less on big events and more on networking, referrals, quiet searches, that sort of thing, and not necessarily direct job postings. Um, from a timing perspective, it starts in November, and honestly, it never really ends. It just goes on and on.
K: Yeah. And so when we think about Cohort Recruiting, that's the more structured, show-up-to-events kind of approach. And Regular is more kind of find-your-own-way and keep an eye.
A: Yeah, I mean definitely it's a huge mindset shift when we think about how employers and students are thinking about it. So, you know, it's less structured in terms of the big activities and events, information sessions, job fairs that you're going to see through Cohort Recruiting, and more being proactive and really building your network and building those strong relationships.
K: When coaches are meeting with students, we often advise students to think of things from the perspective of the employer. So how does Regular Recruiting actually work from the employer side of things?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I would say the key thing to understand, as I said, is it's very reactive by nature. So unlike Cohort Recruiting where companies are planning 12 to 18 months in advance because they're hiring consistently the same roles over and over again, um, what you're seeing with Regular is that these companies are filling vacancies as they come up. It might be that they're coming later in the year because, you know, a new project has come on. They've had some turnover on their team. Um, and so they're looking to fill those needs in very different ways, unlike when we would know well in advance with Cohort Recruiting that we're hiring sort of the same intern and graduate roles year over year.
K: And if I were to think about, again, a coaching conversation where we're talking with students about looking to past job postings to figure out when people might hire again; if you're seeing a company that there isn't necessarily a particular pattern or consistency, it's probably that they're doing Regular Recruiting.
A: You got it. Absolutely. They might not know. And the thing to keep in mind, too, is that it really happens all year round because roles are being filled as needs become available. So there's really not that predictable timeline like you've mentioned. Um, roles will vary. So oftentimes with Cohort Recruiting companies are hiring, you know, 10 new grads for a Leadership Development Program that they hire for every year. But with Regular Recruiting they're often looking to fill one vacancy. So that definitely changes up how you're approaching that.
K: Jobs may be posted on 12Twenty, and so you can look at past job posting information to see during the Regular Recruitment period (that November period onward) which sort of jobs we typically see. But sometimes jobs aren't even posted at all, and employers are leveraging other methods to be able to get connected with students. And so that can look like quiet searches, that can look like referrals. And I know we'll talk more about that. So students have a really good handle on it. And who are students competing with in the process when they think about who else is applying for these Regular Recruitment roles? What does competition look like?
A: Yeah, that is a fantastic question. So with Cohort Recruiting, it's very unique to university and business school recruitment. You're going to be competing when you're doing Cohort Recruiting with other universities and other new grads and interns that are looking for those roles that are consistently advertised and recruited for year over year. When we move into Regular Recruiting, you're still competing with other business schools and other students, but it's also opened up to everybody who's seeking a job. So especially if you're in the full time job market, you're thinking experienced hires, people who maybe have graduated a year or two ago and are looking to transition into something different, and so it becomes a much broader candidate pool for employers to be able to pick from.
K: Anyone on the internet could be applying to that.
A: Absolutely. Absolutely. Which on the bright side, a bot could be applying to that job and not do a very good job. So if you put in even minimal effort, you're better than the bots out there.
K: When it comes to Regular Recruitment, what companies are we talking about here? Is it specific sets, specific industries? What's the lay of the land?
A: No, it's a great question. The beauty of Regular Recruiting is that it's really universal. So during Cohort Recruiting, you're going to see a very select number of employers and industries. So again largely finance, consulting, some CPG, maybe a little bit of tech. Those will come back in other areas for Regular Recruiting, but then it opens the floodgates and you're going to see healthcare, government, real estate, really if you can name an industry, it's participating in Regular Recruiting. And then as for the companies themselves, they really span the full spectrum. So they could be large multi-nationals. They could be small or medium enterprise, maybe something a little bit more boutique or niche. Again, you name it, they come through Regular Recruiting.
K: A question we get a lot in coaching is if a specific company recruited during cohort, will that company come back around for Regular Recruiting? What's the answer to that?
A: Great question. I will say the answer is almost always no. So again, when we think about those companies that are participating in Cohort Recruiting, they are knowing well in advance what they're hiring for. They hire for the same roles year over year. So you think your big banks, your big 4, your MBAs, your big CPG companies. And so because they know well in advance what they're hiring for, they know when they're coming. Whereas Regular Recruiting again, they're kind of recruiting as needs become available. So it's a very different process.
K: So you might see some consulting and finance firms show up in Regular Recruiting; finance and consulting isn't strictly for cohort, but some firms will be. Let's get really practical for a moment. When a job opening comes up for a company, you mentioned things like quiet searches, referrals. I'm also mindful not everyone knows what those mean. What does a company actually do to fill that role?
A: Yeah, absolutely. It's a great question. So there's three main activities that a company will use during Regular Recruitment. So first up is referrals. And so this is the first place that a company is going to look; a job opens up and they're going to go to their network. They're going to say "hey Kate, do you know anybody who would be a great fit for this role?" And a referral will be made and then an interview could happen.
K: Or I'm also thinking if the recruiter themselves has had a great conversation with a student, that might be the time where your name comes to mind.
A: That's right. Like maybe you had a coffee chat a couple months ago with a recruiter while you were doing your research and getting some information, and then the role becomes open and they're like, "I'm going to call Kate and we're going to talk about it." So even if there isn't a role when you do that coffee chat, that coffee chat can still add value.
K: You got it. How about for quiet searches?
A: Yes. So a quiet search is, think, no referral, but thinking about leveraging the resources that they already have to find applicants. So resume, whatever that might look like; it could be that they contact our Career Management department and they request a resume book. So part of the process is when you complete a resume for the portal, we will then pull that resume book. It could be that they're looking at their own applicant tracking system. So again if you have been a student who has set up a profile on a company of interest, they have a job, they're going to go back and they're going to search for that criteria. It could be that they're looking on LinkedIn and they're looking for criteria that matches the type of candidate. So a quiet search is really something that's happening behind the scenes rather than being that outward facing "here's a job posting. I'm going to apply for it."
K: This brings to mind for me two things that show up in coaching conversations. One, students receiving those cold outreaches from employers sometimes think it's spam, right? Because they didn't make an application. They might not know the person. Why would someone just reach out to me? It's a great question to ask. And if you get one of those outreaches, one, check with Ivey's IT office. They have some best practices and some things to look for to determine if something is spam or not. You can also come and chat with a career coach. Uh, again, it very well might be spam, or it could be a true offer coming from one of those quiet searches. The other piece I wanted to address is that we sometimes get questions about privacy when it comes to quiet searches. If you know people found my resume, what other data are they getting? Do not worry, we manage confidentiality and privacy. In 12Twenty. We make our steps clear to folks as they go throughout the private assignments and process. But if you're curious about that privacy and confidentiality piece, check out our other podcast episode on reporting jobs and information in 12Twenty. Kelsey walks us through how we maintain privacy and confidentiality, while also still making quiet searches a possibility for you if you want to be part of that process. But that's enough about coaching conversations. Um, we've talked about referrals. We've talked about quiet searches. What's the last one?
A: So job posting. So I want to caveat that oftentimes this is a last resort during Regular Recruiting. And there's a rationale behind it. So when a job posting goes live on an employer website they are inundated with applications. And as we talked about, Regular Recruiting is different. They're often looking to fill one vacancy and probably pretty quickly. And so you know job postings can happen. We see them on our job board. But it's usually that they're doing that quiet search or the referral in advance.
K: I will also just quickly pause to say: if you see a posting in the winter semester land on the Ivey job board, that means that it's a quiet search happening, and that company is specifically targeting Ivey students, which is a really important thing. We work really closely with employers to make sure that they're aware of how fantastic the talent is at Ivey. And those relationships are really solid. And so they know that they have a track record of success hiring Ivey students. And so to post a job on an Ivey board, it might not appear anywhere else if it's coming to Ivey. That means that they're really keen on Ivey candidates, and so it should be really taken seriously. One common misconception is that the fall term is when most jobs are posted or recruited for; in actuality, we went back to the 2025-2026 data, and we found that actually the majority of postings were in the winter term. There's still lots of job postings across the board, but in reality, most people from all of our cohorts are landing jobs between that last kind of term for themselves. So there's no "quiet time of year" for recruiting, honestly. There's opportunities across the board.
A: I'm going to throw some more stats at you because you made me think of something. So when we think about the difference between Cohort and Regular, I'm going to tell you that about 30% of students will secure an offer during Cohort Recruiting.
K: Okay. That means 70 to 75% are securing offers during Regular.
A: Yes. So that correlates, when you think about those activities that are happening, quiet searches, referrals, job postings, it's because there's still a lot of activity. And that's why, again, we're dedicating a whole episode to this conversation.
K: And what does all of this actually mean for how students should be spending their time?
A: Yeah, I think again, this is really important. So you have a wealth of resources at your disposal where you can take a look and get a handle on which companies partner with Ivey when they're recruiting and what types of roles that they're looking for. And what my recommendation to students is, is that you're spending your energy where companies are spending theirs. So if you're...
K: Say more, it's catchy. I like the sound of it, say more.
A: Yeah. So when you think about it, if referrals are how most roles are getting filled with the companies or the industries that you're interested in. Think about building relationships. It's never too early to start. If you're seeing that jobs in a particular industry that you're really interested in are not landing on job boards, then you know that referrals and quiet searches is the way to go. So keep your Ivey resume up to date. Update your LinkedIn profile. A lot can change when you're in program.
K: It sure can. You can maybe think coming in, "I'm absolutely going to work in CPG." And then by the time you hit November, you realize that's not for me. You could also be open to a different geolocation; maybe you were very, very sure you wanted to be in Toronto, but now you're open to Vancouver. All of those things make such a difference. Keeping your information up to date so that when people are requesting information from us, we can get it to them. And when it comes to interest, there's no timing for that, right? When those change, it's mostly a matter of experience or great conversations; you can't exactly time those learnings and those insights. Um, so knowing that there's no structured timeline there, what about for companies?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there is no structured timeline. You never know who's going to be hiring when. And so this is where the relationship game becomes really important. We talked about this through referral. If I had a coffee chat with a recruiter in October and they're hiring for a role in February, they're going to remember me from that chat. So again, thinking about it, relationships take a long time to build. Um, and so it's never too early to start. And it also points to the fact that you should also stay active in that recruitment. Um, you know, maybe you have one great conversation in October. You don't know what's happening, but sometimes taking time to send an update, either through LinkedIn, through email, but, you know, sending messages for a January update; "just finished my winter term. I'm excited to get back into it. Thanks again for a great conversation." That's one way to stay top of mind.
K: You got it. It may not feel like a mind blowing thing to do, but it keeps you top of inbox and lets people know that you're still interested and you don't know when they're going to be active. So keeping that interest, and before we wrap up, just a quick recap, because understanding the employer's mindset behind each process is what really shapes your approach. Um, let's go back to that employer mindset.
A: Yeah. So again just to reiterate, during Cohort Recruiting, it is employers who are planning well in advance. They know 12 to 18 months from now we're hiring the same roles year over year. You're going to see a lot of events again through the fall cohort period, info sessions, job fairs, uh, coffee chats, a lot of that happening. They're rolling out the red carpet. You're feeling like a unique and beautiful snowflake because they're coming to London and they're spending a lot of time attracting you to them. Regular is almost the complete opposite of that. It's again about being a little bit more intentional because companies are hiring as needs become available. They're looking at referrals, they're doing quiet searches. Job postings happen, but oftentimes it's the last resort. And so building those relationships is really what's going to get you tapped into that network and be top of mind when something becomes available.
K: And that approach is often very cost effective, I'm guessing there too. It costs a lot to hire people. So these processes are really important. So the takeaway is?
A: Yeah, the takeaway is your strategy needs to match their mindset. So we've sort of talked about that. Spend your calories where employers are spending their calories. If they are recruiting during regular, referrals is the way to go. Build those relationships and don't wait to be found. Make yourself easily findable.
K: Um, so Regular Recruiting is self-directed and relationship driven. And here is where the career coaches come in. Um, that Regular Recruiting can feel overwhelming because it's not necessarily a specific time frame. It can feel ongoing, less structured. And there's not always a calendar telling you what to do next, and that's where a coach can step in and help you create some structure for yourself. We can help you build a targeted list if you haven't already. Sharpen your story as well as be really intentional in your outreach strategy. I know we mentioned 1 or 2 tips throughout here. Meet with a coach one on one to decide what's going to work best for you, and also based on the work that you've already done for yourself. We can also help you prep for coffee chats and networking conversations. Whether it's just getting started, honing your skills, or revisiting an already well-established network. These are the highest leverage moments that you're going to have in Regular Recruiting, and also most students under prepare for them.
A: Yeah. Don't wait until you're feeling frustrated or running behind.
K: One, there often isn't a particular timeline, so don't let feeling behind stop you from starting. You are where you are. Come and chat with a coach. We can help build that motivation, build that structure, and the students who get the most out of coaching are often the ones who come earlier. That being said, there's no bad time to come and chat with us, but before this strategy is needed, we can help get ahead of it and build those meaningful relationships.
A: So on the practical side, where do students track all this great information?
K: Yeah. And again, we've touched on this quite a bit. The 12Twenty is still a great resource. It's going to give you a very comprehensive overview of when we typically see industries and companies recruiting. There's obviously a lot of resources in your learning community that you can leverage. Um, a good resource is a career coach. So make sure that you're connecting with them and sort of thinking about and talking through your strategy, setting up those job alerts, keeping your LinkedIn profile up to date, keeping your 12Twenty profile up to date. These are all proactive steps that students can be taking. One of the biggest mistakes I see students do on 12Twenty is they will set up job alerts, but it will just be one alert daily or weekly for any post that is posted. We post well over 2000 jobs every year. If you're getting an email every day or every week with over 2000 jobs, that's not helpful to you. So when you're setting up those 12Twenty job searches or job alerts, rather, be intentional. Name them. Be specific. The more specific, the better. And you can always go back to edit those email alerts or delete them and add new ones.
A: But that would make me annoyed. Getting over 2000 words. So indeed, your feedback is only as good as your email alert was.
K: I know you said Regular Recruiting is less event driven, but does Career Management plan anything or are students really on their own there?
A: Yeah. Great question. And the answer is we absolutely plan activities. And so because our corporate team works very closely with our employer partners, we know what type of recruiting they're going to be doing, whether that's cohort or regular. And so we will create events to meet them where they are at and make sure that we're getting students in front of employers at the right time based on what they're looking at.
K: Let's start with the MBA event.
A: Sure. So MBA, we do structured coffee chats in the winter semester. And so this is a really great initiative. And we've seen a lot of growth and opportunity in terms of the number of companies that we're bringing in. So here's basically how it works. The Fridays that you have are your designated professional development days. Those become MBA coffee chat days. We invite any employer who is looking to either hire right away or do networking because they know that they're going to be hiring, maybe throughout the summer or into the fall months. Um, the structure is really fluid, so it could be a virtual coffee chat. It could be that they come to Ivey campus. It could be that they invite you to Toronto because you're off, and they want you to come down and see the space and meet with a few people. So a lot of flexibility in that. And I would say it gets bigger and bigger every year because we offer it to so many employers and because we offer both a hiring and a networking track. So last year we had more than 40 companies who wanted to connect with MBAs for coffee chats.
K: Okay, now for the HBA and the MSc side. What's happening for them?
A: Absolutely. So for our HBAs and MSc, our flagship event is our Spring Job Fair, which we host in Toronto. And so this takes place after exams have wrapped in April. And the timing is really intentional because we know that there's still been some activity happening Regular Recruiting through the winter semester. Students take a pause to do projects and wrap up exams, and oftentimes they're just starting to get that momentum and think about, you know, what does the summer look like? What does the fall look like? I'm ready to jump back into recruiting. So we host the event in downtown Toronto. Last year we had more than 20 employers come out representing a whole bunch of different industries. And it's a really great opportunity for students to come and just do more networking and start to think about what their recruitment strategy is going to be once they've left campus.
K: And as we mentioned earlier, a lot of people think that most students land in the early months of the program. The reality is it's the timing of those coffee chats, those job fairs. That is when most people are landing their roles. So you're in good company. You're in good shape. Um, any last advice for students heading into Regular Recruiting?
A: Yeah. I mean, I hope if anyone listening to this has taken away the theme that Kate and I have been talking about is that Regular Recruiting, it's ongoing. It's happening a lot. Everybody's journey looks different. And so, you know, if you were working through Cohort Recruiting and you weren't successful, that doesn't mean that it's over. It's not... what do we say? It's a marathon, not a sprint.
K: Exactly.
A: Everybody's recruiting journey looks different. So my recommendation is start now. You never know where a conversation is going to take you, what relationship you're going to build, what skill you're going to develop, what information you're going to collect that's going to take you to the next piece. So start thinking about that. Be very visible. We've talked quite a bit about keeping your profiles up to date, keeping your interests up to date, and your outreach consistent. Kate's mentioned that quite a few times from a coaching perspective and just, be patient, again. It's going to take some time, but you'll get there. You'll definitely cross the finish line.
K: And for many of our students who are not interested in finance and consulting, the firms that tend to move the earliest, don't be panicked by Cohort Recruiting, right? I mean, some industries are involved with that, but if that's not for you, that is okay. You do not have to do that. If you want to use it as an opportunity to practice or explore, by all means, you do not have to do any recruiting that does not fit your career goals.
A: That's right.
K: And on that note, thank you so much for taking the time to walk us through this today, Amanda. I really appreciate it.
A: Yeah. Thank you so much Kate. Good luck everybody.
K: Thank you for listening. If you're ready for the next step, check out another episode. Book a one on one coaching session via 12Twenty, or get connected with a student career mentor through your LEARN community. No matter what's next, you've got this. Take good care.