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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
ALKU was selected as a 2024 Campus Forward Award Winner for their unwavering commitment to seeking out and hiring early career talent and investments in nurturing and retaining the next generation of diverse talent. Please see below for the highlights of their approach to early career recruitment.
Multi-Faceted and Thoughtful 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, attending career fairs, guest-speaking engagements, and networking events, 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).
Standout Candidate Experience
ALKU believes sincerity and connection are the most significant ways to find the best talent. Their 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 1 and 3 managers, and candidates for entry-level positions will meet with 6-8 managers. The ALKU 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 ALKU to put the right person in the right seat.
Impactful Internship Program
Throughout the year, ALKU welcomes interns into all seven of their 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.