Face-to-face engagement strategies are still viewed as a vital means of attracting graduate talent in the social media age, according to the latest research from Alexander Mann Solutions.

The research highlights how organisations continue to value 'real world' contact and conducted interviews with global brands. Alexander Mann found that despite the acknowledged power of social media platforms none of the companies involved in the research had fully abandoned a physical presence on campuses.

Some of the ways in which these companies show their face-to-face engagement with graduates include helping university students move into their accommodation.

“The online revolution has enabled employers to reach out to a much wider audience than ever before and to build sustained levels of engagement with candidates which could only have been dreamed of in the past,” Sandrine Miller, Head of Emerging Talent Consulting at Alexander Mann Solutions, said. “However, our research has found that the human touch – actually getting in front of individuals face-to-face rather than through a screen – remains vital.” Miller added that technology can help make connections that augment that human touch, when used skilfully.