Building an Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruiting

BMO has successfully pivoted all aspects of the Student Experience programming and Recruitment campaigns to raise the bar with how the team connects with students in the new reality. This is reflected in the manner in which student engagement is executed in a virtual capacity, leveraging social media networks (BMO Campus LinkedIn group and @BMO_on_Campus Instagram). Initially, the BMO Campus Team launched the ‘BMO Days’ bus tour to virtually meet students from across North America. With 64 campuses reached and 1636 students in attendance, the feedback on this incredibly successful recruitment tour was outstanding. In 2021, BMO launched the ‘BMO Career Track’ virtual train tour, with 8 stops across North America to ensure that as many students as possible were engaged to share our student opportunities. These sessions increased awareness of BMO’s internship/co-op and new graduate opportunities for early talent while establishing BMO as an employer of choice. Each session consisted of an engaging About BMO kickoff, line of business breakout sessions with BMO recruiters and business representatives and end off with a fun Trivia Challenge for the chance to earn a Meet and Greet with a member of Team BMO.

Crafting a Standout Candidate Experience

The BMO Campus Recruitment and Early Talent team strives to ensure a positive candidate experience offering several touchpoints throughout the recruitment process. From Discover BMO recruitment tours, Authentic Me workshops on how to build your personal brand held for student organizations, and Recruiter Ask Me Anything sessions to ensure students feel adequately prepared as they begin the application and interview progression at BMO. The team takes the extra effort to have regular touchpoints with their candidates moving forward to the hiring manager interview and then through the offer and onboarding phases.

Moving the Needle on Diversity & Inclusion

BMO’s Campus Influencer Program is a critically important aspect of their diverse campus recruitment and employer branding strategy. Recognizing that the team can’t reach all campuses and that students prefer to hear from their peers about what it’s like to work at an organization, the team has developed this program to enhance their reach to diverse student demographics. BMO Influencers are equipped with the tools they need to connect with students, attend BMO recruiting events and host takeovers on Instagram. The goal is to have a diverse cohort of Influencers from varying academic and ethnic backgrounds to further help strengthen the commitment to BMO’s Diversity and Inclusion goals, with over 40% of student hires being of BIPOC individuals – a goal BMO is proud to have surpassed.