Summer Internship Program

In light of COVID-19, the Zillow team decided to double down on their commitments to 2020 students. The early career team recognized how crucial it was for students in their junior years to have this internship experience, particularly in the tech world, so they hosted a virtual program. The whole team was dedicated to building a program that would give interns the same social experience and project work. Students from Zillows virtual internship, whether they were extended full time offers or not, had such a good experience that they referred their friends to apply to the program – a clear sign of success.

Virtual Recruitment

Zillow leveraged the new virtual world to reach schools beyond their typical physical reach. The Zillow team hosted school-agnostic virtual events and were able to connect with more campuses and student organizations than in years prior. The team also utilized students and their networks as a resource. Zillow built such a strong internship experience that many virtual interns were happy to introduce their peers to the Zillow team.

Candidate Experience

The university team at Zillow has always been very cognizant of candidate experience. At the onset of the pandemic, it was important for the team to maintain the same level of touchpoints with students as they have always done. Responding to applicants in a timely manner is a core value on this team – Zillow will never “ghost” a candidate. Zillow values students’ time, therefore their recruiters make sure to treat candidates with integrity and move the interview process forward quickly.

Diversity and Inclusion

This year Zillow was excited to cast a larger virtual net and reach school beyond their physical distance. This allowed their university team to target top HBCUs, and connect with more campuses and diverse student organizations. The Zillow team leveraged tools like RippleMatch, Handshake, and LinkedIn to source talent from across the nation. Zillow also attended conferences in 2020 like AfroTech, GHC, SHPE, and NSBE, recognizing that direct partnerships with colleges and organizations for diverse talent are one of the most effective ways to build diverse teams.