I recently applied for a new job. I got the posting for it in my e-mail.

Every single person I know who has attended a university has received an e-mail address from the school. At the university I attended, these addresses were given to the departments in which the students studied. Thus, employers could provide notices of jobs to be sent out to the students via e-mail. As a journalism student, I frequently received (and still receive) job postings for newspapers, public relations firms, advertising jobs, and the like.

Talk about easy access to an excellent candidate pool.

First, the e-mail is going to people who are (at least in theory) interested in the field they are studying. A posting for an architecture job can be sent to a number of students studying architecture.

Second, the e-mail is going to be read by people who are interested in the position. Take it from a guy who has opened maybe a half dozen of the hundreds of these e-mails he’s received: I’m pretty darn interested in the ones I open. If I’m getting in touch with you, it means something really hit home.

Third, the e-mail makes the reader feel wanted. This is a targeted want-ad that arrived in the hands of someone who knows he was targeted. That the posting was even given to the university tells students “This employer wants a student.” The student then says, “HEY! I’m a student. They want me.” It feels good to be wanted. Especially by someone who wants to pay you.

Last, the e-mail is likely going into a group of people who will be looking for jobs. University students are not known for having high-paying jobs (or any jobs at all, for that matter). When it comes time to leave campus and enter the real world, having a list of places to go delivered directly to you can be a comforting way to start.

So, drop by your local university. E-mail some far away universities. Get on these lists and watch qualified young employees start applying as you communicate with them this way.