Chair's Column: Introducing the Next Frontier in Student + Workforce Recruiting

When you watch a major sporting event at one of our state’s universities, you are likely watching student athletes who were recruited for years before they ever stepped foot on campus. With a new program that is being licensed by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, employers and higher education institutions in the region can do the same thing for prospective talent.

An Effective Student Recruitment Platform

Greater Des Moines (DSM) is the first region in the country to license a student recruitment platform called Tallo. The concept is simple: Any student can sign up for a profile. Higher education institutions and employers can browse prospective talent, using predictive analytics to help determine what students might be interested in a career at a specific company or the right education institution to put them on the path to that career. Employers can also set up profiles to market themselves to students.

To better understand how this works, check out this information on Tallo’s website.

According to Mary Bontrager, Executive Vice President of Talent Development at The Partnership, this will be a game-changer for talent recruitment and retention in DSM.

“It’s about organizations that can recruit students across the country, and it’s about helping students making good decisions,” Bontrager said. “When students use this program, they are essentially building their personal marketing campaign that showcases their potential, indicates interest and says ‘Keep an eye out for me.’”

More than 700,000 students from across the country are using this program.

As Bontrager points out, there are already thousands of students in DSM who have signed up for Tallo, without any local marketing.

Talent attraction and retention is one of the key areas our Investors ask us to focus on time and again. Tallo will help our region address that need with one voice.

The Partnership’s license covers the cost for all K-12 school districts in the region, allowing them to help get their students set up and using it as quickly as possible. The license also allows for a 20% discount for all organizations that want to use the software.

If you are interested in learning how your organization can get involved, contact Bontrager at mbontrager@DSMpartnership.com.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the economic and community development organization that serves Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa. Together with 24 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce, more than 6,500 Regional Business Members and more than 365 Investors, The Partnership drives economic growth with one voice, one mission and as one region. Through innovation, strategic planning and global collaboration, The Partnership grows opportunity, helps create jobs and promotes DSM as the best place to build a business, a career and a future. Learn more at DSMpartnership.com.