Summer Internship Program

The General Mills virtual internship program welcomed students from over 30 states and over 40 different schools across the country. Even with a condensed timeline, interns were exposed to real-time projects, participated in a Leadership Speaker Series, and even attended intern-only Q&As with General Mills’ CEO. Outside of professional development, interns participated in volunteer events, fitness sessions, and cross-functional coffee chats. 100% of interns that responded to General Mill's end of summer survey would recommend General Mills as a place to intern, and General Mills also accomplished a 95% intern-to-full-time conversion rate – the highest on record!

Virtual Recruitment

Clarity and communication drove the General Mills team as they adapted from flying all over the country to recruiting from their living rooms. Recruiters maintained university relationships, created a monthly newsletter, and utilized new technologies to increase student reach and engagement. The General Mills team led with empathy, as they recognized the difficulties and disconnect that can arise through virtual recruiting. Recruiters and hiring managers alike were encouraged to give grace and get creative to ensure all candidates had an equal opportunity. The team also utilized videos and articles to bring the General Mills’ culture to life in a virtual setting.

Candidate Experience

Personalization was a priority for the General Mills team, especially during such a time of uncertainty. The team maintained consistent communication, sent out monthly newsletters with updates, and gifted candidates care packages. The monthly newsletters proved to be a great way to keep candidates in the loop about General Mills’ business, culture, and fun things going on over social media. General Mills’ force for good was also highlighted – one example was a spotlight on the General Mills Foundation, which is providing an additional $4 million of philanthropic funding for nonprofit organizations working to alleviate food insecurity worldwide.

Diversity and Inclusion

General Mills leveraged a number of strategies, partnerships and platforms to recruit, retain, and support a diverse slate of candidates. It began with their campus recruiting efforts that involved their campus teams, diversity conferences, professional associations, and technology platforms, like RippleMatch, to bring a diverse funnel of candidates to the table. During the interview process, the team also worked to ensure diversity on their interview panels and that their commitment to inclusion was an integral part of the process. Finally, once a candidate starts at General Mills, the team gets them connected with Employee Networks to create a sense of community and help early career employees get acclimated.