Micro-Placements for Employers
Micro-placements that work for employers and students
Enhance your talent acquisition strategy by engaging students through a micro-placement. The Explore Micro-Placement program allows employers to give students much-needed work-integrated learning and career exploration opportunities, but with added flexibility.
Your company can foster short-term skills and career development by offering industry projects to generate positive student relationships, enhance talent acquisition strategies, gain temporary help, or to give back.
Overview
- An industry project is defined as a short-term project that is to be completed in 30 to 40 hours, between one to eight weeks
- It can be set up for onsite or remote work, or a combination of both
- Industry projects can be paid or unpaid but cannot be combined with an existing co-op role or source of funding
Upcoming info sessions
Frequently asked questions
Industry projects requires clear outline and objectives presented to the student while being able to provide support throughout, such as scheduling regular check-ins and being available for questions. Mentorship can also be provided by offering insight into company and/or industry information as well as through career conversations.
Anytime you have a need and would like a student’s assistance. Micro-placements can be created any time of the year, but it will be up to you and them to determine the exact timeline of starting and ending.
No, you can set up a wide variety of micro-placement industry projects with the option to place multiple students per opportunity.
We make it easier by reviewing the applications for you! In your posting, you can request students from specific programs or welcome students from all disciplines. This will help us in placing students.
In your first meeting with the student, you can conduct an informal interview with them. If you don’t feel they are a good fit, just let us know and we can restart the process.
Micro-placements are short-term industry projects whereas internship, co-op, and practicum opportunities are longer in length and usually paid.
Yes! Finer details of the placements can be discussed with the students to see what arrangement works for both sides.
It is entirely up to you. If your placement is unpaid, you may choose to show your appreciation by offering perks or bonuses such as office freebies, attendance to workshop/events, use of services or products, reference letter, etc. However, this is entirely optional.
Yes! If you feel that the student(s) provided great work, you can certainly keep in touch and reach out when future opportunities arise. However, this is not a requirement.
What can you do with a micro-placement?
Research
Do you have research needs? Students from a wide variety of disciplines can help perform research, administer surveys or collect data.
Incorporate this into your recruitment
Micro-placements are an excellent way to pre-screen potential hires. Consider creating a short-term project or series of tasks that can help introduce students to their future colleagues and their work.
Hire an international student
International students can provide valuable insight to your company. They can lend their unique perspective to your equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, translating documents, or support in new markets.
Communications and marketing
Get help creating communications plans, designing materials, performing social media or web audits, collecting analytics and more.
Special projects support
Does your company have projects that have time-heavy activities? Place multiple students for specific task support to alleviate the work and help things run more efficiently.
Data analysis
Get support with documentation, setting up teams/processes/systems, organizing or collecting assets and more.
Job shadowing
Give students a glimpse into a variety of positions within your company. What does a day in the job look like? What can I expect to work on? What skills should I develop now to be successful?
User testing
Need beta testers or test users? Need participants to review or provide feedback? Create a series of micro-placements to give students experience with these practices.
Business development
Have students support the development of your business development plans. They can help you evaluate partners technology, identify value propositions, develop contact lists, or create presentations.
...and so much more!
The possibilities are endless with an Explore Careers micro-placement. If you want to discuss more options for how you can create a micro-placement, email Julie Kemp at recruit@ucalgary.ca.