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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Centene 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
With Centene's increased workplace flexibility, where 95% of positions are remote, University Relations offered summer interns a preview of Centene's work experience by using a hybrid recruitment strategy. Interns from 27 states and 129 schools highlighted Centene's school and location agnostic approach, a shift from 2022 when over 50% worked in St. Louis, MO and Charlotte, NC. Centene’s intern recruitment strategy previously focused on general career fairs and a “post and pray” mentality. Now the strategy has shifted towards an intentional recruiting focus by building relationships with student groups, and HBCUs, resulting in 16 DEI student club events. Additionally, the UR team created sourcing playbooks grounded in skills-based recruitment to promote collaboration and consistency in sourcing techniques amongst the team and tied to business outcomes.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
A key pillar in the 2023 internship cohort was the intentional, strategic approach to creating partnerships and programming supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). Intentional DEI focus happens at the top of the funnel, through relationships with student groups, organizations, and HBCUs which resulted in the largest and most diverse cohort in Centene’s history. 56% of the class identified as a person of color and 47% identified as female. Additionally, 5 HBCUs were represented – Albany State University, Harris-Stowe State University, Howard University, Langston University and Xavier University of Louisiana. In Fall 2023, 29 total events were hosted with over half focused on diverse student populations including women in tech, black engineers, black and Latino actuaries, and people with disabilities.
Impactful Internship Program
Centene's 12-week internship program offers students immersive learning, meaningful work, and networking opportunities. The experience has resulted in an impressive Net Promoter Score of 71.2 with the Mentorship Program and Signature Projects being the top-rated features by interns. The summer program pairs interns with mentors outside their hiring leaders, providing support in areas such as company culture and professional development. Interns engage in a Signature Project, presenting outcomes to the executive team and colleagues toward the end of the summer program. Centene's University Relations enhances presentation skills through workshops, templates, and a virtual project gallery. In 2023, 'office hours' were introduced for personalized support. The program prioritizes mentorship, professional growth, and tangible project outcomes, which explains the 91% acceptance rate of returning interns.