2021 RippleMatch Campus Forward Honoree

Palo Alto Networks created a standout experience for their interns this summer, notable for its emphasis on inclusion and innovative approach to remote work. In addition, the team continues to prioritize candidate experience in their recruiting efforts and prides themselves on their targeted events and clear and quick communication for all candidates that enter their process.

Read on for some of the highlights of Palo Alto Networks' innovative approach to college recruiting and why they were named a 2021 Campus Forward Honoree in RippleMatch's Campus Forward Awards.

Summer Internship Program

When things had to go virtual, Palo Alto Networks’ UR team reacted quickly and reimagined an internship program that was both collegial and distant. Every intern was paired with a buddy from their team to act as a coach, motivator, and advisor, while a professional development speaker series allowed interns to hear directly from professionals about tips for charting their career paths. When it came to fun, the UR team got creative in planning a number of virtual events, from Bingo and 20 Questions to Zoom background competitions and much more.

Virtual Recruitment

While Palo Alto Networks continued with the traditional route by attending virtual school career fairs, they also shifted gears to have their strategy focus on more targeted events. With these targeted events they hosted themselves, Palo Alto Networks had the ability to reach specific audiences for roles or have a broader outreach to continue to grow their brand to reach students that they normally might not get the chance to interact with. In doing so, they were able to grow a pipeline of diverse, qualified students from different universities and colleges throughout the US.

Candidate Experience

This recruiting season Palo Alto Networks decided to expand their post-event follow-up process. 24 hours after each event, whether that was a career fair, conference, info session, or tech talk, they sent out a general thank you for attending to all students. A few weeks later, they made sure to follow up with all students they met with from an event to invite them to apply for a role or to join one of their CRM communities for future openings more aligned with their skill sets. Palo Alto Networks ensured that students heard from them regardless of their outcome in the process, keeping candidate experience top of mind.

Diversity and Inclusion

Palo Alto Networks prioritizes growing a workforce with a diverse range of backgrounds, talent, experiences, and ideas, starting at the entry level. The University Relations team at Palo Alto Networks actively reaches out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other diversity-focused institutions. Once students join the company, the team highlights Palo Alto Networks’ Employee Network Groups during orientation to encourage interns and new grads to get involved with groups they are allied with or interested in.