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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
ALKU was selected as a 2023 Campus Forward Award Winner for their unwavering commitment to seeking out and hiring early career talent, their emphasis on diversity & inclusion, and investments in nurturing and retaining the next generation of talent. Please see below for the highlights of their approach to early career recruitment.
Demonstrated Investment in Early Career Hiring
ALKU believes sincerity and connection are the most significant ways to find the best talent. Its application and hiring process is personal, beginning with screening phone calls from internal recruiters to most applicants, relationship-driven updates and feedback, and phone calls to close the loop no matter the candidacy decisions. Candidates interviewing for internship positions will meet with between one and three managers, and candidates for entry-level positions will meet with six to eight managers. ALKU’s process moves quickly, and candidates can expect urgent follow-up. ALKU has always hired with a heavy emphasis on candidates’ character traits. Focusing on who the candidate is, what motivates them, and what they are looking for allows the company to put the right person in the right seat.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
The College Relationship Development Team at ALKU returned to campus this fall semester. The team jumped right back into on-campus recruitment, staying busy hosting dual-school sales competitions, and attending career fairs, guest-speaking engagements, and networking events, while also sitting in on panels and getting creative to offer a variety of professional development topics to present on. The College Relationship Specialists also kept up with the virtual demand to connect with students seeking employment. They successfully hosted job shadows, collaborations between the company’s ERGs and student organizations, resume reviews, mock interviews, and beyond. Totaling over 340 events with more than 40 college campuses, ALKU received almost 1,000 applications to its entry-level job openings and, as a result, hired just under 100 students (to date).
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
ALKU is committed to honoring, understanding, and growing the ALKrew to foster a culture where it seeks to understand and celebrate each person who walks through its doors. The space ALKU strives to uphold is one of acceptance, where it celebrates its differences, advocates for one another, and embraces individuality. ALKU is committed to creating a safe space so that it is not only the best business it can be, but the best human beings. The company strives to make a positive impact at work to make the world a better place. ALKU works together daily for complete and total equity. On day one, new hires and interns are informed of ALKU’s DE&I Council and ERGs. All ERGs have been created and run by employees. New hires, as well as interns, are encouraged to join these groups. Additionally, ALKU has mandatory DE&I training to educate employees.
Impactful Internship Program
Throughout the year, ALKU welcomes interns into all seven of its office locations and virtually. ALKU’s Internship Program allows students to dive into their full-time careers while still in college. Students are given the ability to make money, develop professionally, and work alongside motivated, supportive peers. This training is implemented with the hope that interns will ultimately become full-time employees. Each intern is paired with a mentor — a seasoned and proven full-time employee. Their mentor works as a point of reference, guidance, and support throughout the intern’s time at ALKU. For mentors, this offers them the chance to participate firsthand in ALKU’s mentoring initiative, working to develop invaluable professional skills and gain insight into leadership roles.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
Within ALKU’s DE&I Council is its Attraction & Recruitment subcommittee, which is responsible for brainstorming, spearheading, and executing initiatives meant to increase diversity in the talent pipeline. ALKU has reached out to over 100 diversity-focused student organizations and over 40 avenues within HBCUs, in addition to sponsoring a diversity scholarship with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. When it comes to retention, ALKU is always pursuing feedback from its population to retain its valued employees. Throughout the past year, regular surveying has allowed employees to express how they are feeling.