.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=logo}
The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
CDK Global 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
CDK Global emphasizes the importance of curiosity, relentless innovation, and creating possibilities as community values. Early career talent not only embodies these values, but contributes to moving these needles within the company culture. Younger generations have been exposed to new technologies and new learning methodologies that allows for further product modernization. Additionally, early career talent is often hallmarked by an incredible passion to make their impact both professionally and personally, and they’re excited to grow, adapt, and learn. This sense of enthusiasm and eagerness is contagious, allowing CDK Global to better serve each other, its customers, and its communities.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
The Early Career Talent team at CDK Global emphasizes one important concept while sourcing and recruiting early career talent: authenticity. Everything the team does, from intentional school choices to booth presentation, is done in an unscripted, personal manner that allows for more meaningful connections. Because the team strives for genuine connection, a hybrid recruitment strategy is paramount; recruitment events are hosted both in-person and virtually in order to meet students where they’re at, and in-person events are engaging via social games and innovative tools. For example, one of the most recent tools is Popl, a digital business card option where students can scan a QR code and be brought to a variety of resources, such as team LinkedIn pages to company and program profiles, awards won and testimonials from previous interns, and more.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to CDK Global’s mission and values, and therefore are a driving force within the internship program. The CDK Early Career Talent team maintains strong relationships with a variety of institutions that allow it to network with students who are diverse in race, gender identity, and socioeconomic status. Last recruiting season, the team attended 20 virtual career fairs with an emphasis in HBCUs, HSIs, and ANAPISIs, as well as built new partnerships at all-women institutions. However, D&I doesn’t end with recruiting a great team of interns; it’s crucial to create an environment where every hire commits to further supporting representation. Therefore, CDK Global is proud to offer early career talent exposure to many opportunities, such as social corporate responsibility events that emphasize STEM education, engagement with CDK’s Minority Dealership Program and the businesses it serves, and a speaker series that demonstrates and offers leadership and mentorship.
Impactful Internship Program
At CDK Global, interns are treated holistically with opportunities to grow professionally, personally, and socially. CDK Interns add significant value to the business by engaging in real, live projects alongside full-time employees. Being engaged in projects that will ultimately be utilized by the company allows the intern team to test their skills and knowledge in a live environment. The company also offers a variety of programs that ensure its young professionals gain insights and skills for future success, such as a Talent Acquisition Workshop series focused on professional development and a formal mentorship program where all interns are guided by seasoned professionals. However, future success isn’t defined just by things learned; it’s also in the network built by a full experience, and CDK interns tap into an inherent network built by dedicated Discord channels, in-person and virtual social events, and more.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
Investing in the retention and success of entry-level hires is incredibly important at CDK Global, and begins much earlier than expected. The Internship Program has a conversion rate of over 80%; this high rate is achieved by a strong conversion strategy where interns are converted well before their graduation rate, kept in constant communication by the Early Career team and future team members, and retained via a keep warm strategy that is excitingly immersive. Once the candidates are hired, their talent is further retained by personalized career-mapping via management relationships and constant growth opportunities to further push their professional trajectory. These growth opportunities are complemented by skip-level meetings where early career hires are able to receive guidance and mentorship from higher-level executives, new hire communities, and learning tools such as company-sponsored LinkedIn Learning and Udemy accounts.