Building a talent pipeline means creating ongoing relationships with potential candidates before you have vacancies to fill. The most successful employers, especially those recruiting students and graduates, treat talent attraction as a year-round activity rather than a recruitment campaign. Research from CIPD highlights the importance of proactive, structured recruitment processes that broaden access to talent and improve hiring outcomes.

Creating a strong talent pipeline can also contribute to improved communication (before and after recruitment), reduced ambiguity and cost at recruitment stage (only receiving the right applications from the right candidates) and securing future talent who understands and aligns with company values and direction.

Where a candidate is unsuccessful at any point of the pipeline, feedback, wherever possible, can help them learn and inform future applications made.

Here is our 5-step talent pipeline model:

1. Raise awareness

Once an organisation has decided on whether they wish to engage directly with a university, there are lots of ways the reach students and graduates. Candidates cannot apply for opportunities they don't know exist or find organisations they have never heard of.

Focus on:

• Careers fairs
• Presentations, workshops, events and other engagement opportunities
• LinkedIn content
• Student society partnerships via susocieties@bath.ac.uk

The objective is to make students aware of your organisation and career paths long before applications open.

2. Build engagement

Move from awareness to meaningful interaction. Early engagement means opportunities for students to ask questions and challenge information they may have garnered elsewhere. It empowers candidates to build their own narratives and explore their individual options and values.

Examples:

• Insight days and visits
• Virtual employer events – often can be more cost effective and time savvy for employers and candidates.
• "Meet the team" webinars and recordings
• Industry challenges or hackathons

These activities help students imagine themselves working for your organisation.

3. Create talent communities

Don't lose contact with interested candidates. Universities cannot provide contact details directly, but you can create your own by encouraging sign up and interaction.

Develop:

• Mailing lists
• Talent networks
• Graduate recruitment newsletters -LinkedIn groups
• Early registration schemes

Collect permission-based contact details and provide regular value through career advice, company updates, and opportunities.

4. Offer progressive opportunities

Create a ladder into the organisation.

For example:

Careers event → Online community or resources → Summer internship → Placement year → Graduate role → Future leadership programme

Each step strengthens the relationship and reduces future recruitment risk.

5. Nurture relationships

The strongest talent pipelines are based on consistent communication.

Stay connected through:

• Quarterly updates
• Invitations to employer events
• Employee success stories
• Industry insights
• New vacancy alerts

Candidates who feel connected to an employer are far more likely to apply when roles become available.

Building a university talent pipeline

For UK employers recruiting HE students and graduates, consider targeting engagement at each stage of the student journey.

First Year

Focus on:

• Brand awareness

Second Year

Focus on:

• Insight programmes
• Summer internships

Placement Year

• Whilst not all undergraduate students will take these, a Placement Year (or 6 months) is a great way to identify if a candidate could fit an organisation.

Final Year

Focus on:

• Graduate roles
• Assessment centre preparation. This can often be delivered in collaboration with a university employability team, sharing resource and strengthening brand.
• Application support
• Networking opportunities. Do you have an online community to join and ask questions?

Graduates and Alumni

Focus on:

• Experienced graduate vacancies, differentiating roles from undergraduate opportunities
• Professional development opportunities

Partner strategically with universities

The strongest pipelines are built through long-term partnerships rather than one-off events.

Opportunities include:

• Careers fairs
• Employer-led workshops
• Curriculum projects
• Industry panels
• Placement programmes
• Skills academies
• Alumni engagement

For example, an employer that runs workshops, hosts placements, attends careers fairs, and recruits graduates will typically see stronger applicant quality than an employer that only posts vacancies.

Measure your pipeline

We know recruiters are often asked to provide proof of a return on investment (ROI) for the activities they undertake. Track metrics such as:

Common mistakes

Avoid

• Only recruiting when vacancies arise
• Relying solely on job boards
• Treating careers fairs as standalone activities
• Losing contact with candidates after events
• Overlooking talent from non-traditional backgrounds
• Focusing exclusively on final-year students
• Not providing feedback

The most effective approach

A useful formula is: Awareness + Engagement + Meaningful Experiences + Ongoing Communication = Strong Talent Pipeline

For an employer recruiting UK HE students and graduates, the best pipelines are built through a combination of employer branding, university partnerships, internships and placements, talent communities, and regular engagement throughout the student lifecycle rather than just at the point of vacancy. Where a student is unsuccessful at any stage of an employer recruitment pipeline, please provide them feedback wherever possible. This means candidates are able to learn from and build on their employability experiences, and helps solidify their positive opinion of the employer as a supportive recruiter.

Providing a clear, transparent pipeline and associated roles helps create an environment of honesty and openness, and provides a platform for any conversations or feedback required – good or bad!

Further research

• Inclusive recruitment: Guide for employers | CIPD
• Make job descriptions inclusive | GOV.UK
• Find out more about employing University of Bath students