DICK'S Sporting Goods is a Campus Forward Award Winner

Today, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. is a leading omni-channel sporting goods retailer offering an extensive assortment of authentic, high-quality sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company operates over 730 DICK'S Sporting Goods locations across the United States, serving and inspiring athletes and outdoor enthusiasts to achieve their personal best through a blend of dedicated associates, in-store services and unique specialty shop-in-shops dedicated to Team Sports, Athletic Apparel, Golf, Lodge/Outdoor, Fitness and Footwear. DICK’S also owns and operates Golf Galaxy and Public Lands specialty stores, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile app for scheduling, communications, and live scorekeeping. DICK'S offers its products through a content-rich eCommerce platform that is integrated with its store network and provides customers with the convenience and expertise of a 24-hour storefront.

Visit DICK'S Sporting Goods' Career page here.

Building an Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruiting

Another year of virtual recruiting was not going to stop the innovative spirits of the DICK'S Sporting Goods campus team. The team not only met the students where they were, in-person at their own campus career fairs, but they crafted a diverse set of virtual events available to all students across the country. These events ranged from virtual office tours to interactive professional development sessions. Beyond events, the DICK'S team engaged with students through social media campaigns and video testimonials from previous internship classes. Finally, the DICK'S Sporting Goods team created the inaugural campus captain program where former interns would share their experiences and the awesome internship opportunities with fellow classmates.

Crafting a Standout Candidate Experience

The University Relations team at DICK'S Sporting Goods set the tone for an exemplary candidate experience – from initial application to post offer deliverables. The team promises and promotes an inclusive recruiting experience through personalized and consistent communication, honest and timely feedback, and diverse recruitment event offerings to ensure all candidates feel welcomed. But it doesn't stop at recruitment for this team – the team created #DSGNationalSigningDay where post-offer swag is sent to all new hires to help show their spirit for the winning team they're joining – the DICK'S team! This team holds themselves accountable by constantly asking for feedback from both candidates and business partners. It is all about relentless improvement with the DICK'S Sporting Goods campus team.

Moving the Needle on Diversity & Inclusion

The University Relations team at DICK'S Sporting Goods understands that is not only important but imperative that they build an inclusive and diverse team who bring a variety of thoughts and perspectives to champion a winning culture for the business partners, themselves and the communities they serve. To successfully recruit a diverse slate of candidates, the team has fostered new relationships with HBCUs and diversity-focused partnerships with national organizations. One of their most exciting partnerships is with the Make a Play Foundation. In addition to recruitment, the DICK'S team is proud to offer specialized support for their interns and new hires including but not limited to mentorship, teammate resource groups and personal/professional development opportunities.

Investing in Impactful Internship Programs

During their 11-week summer internship experience, DICK'S Sporting Goods interns will take a meaningful work assignments and make tangible contributions to the organization's success. This structured and well-organized program provides on-the-job training, classroom instruction, cross-functional departmental exposure and an end-of-program project presentation. On top of projects and professional development, interns have extensive exposure to the senior leadership team at DICK'S Sporting Goods through an intern only Executive Speakers Series which includes a private meet & great with CEO, Lauren Hobart. The opportunities to live the brand are endless both in-office with on-site fitness facilities and in the Pittsburgh community through various volunteer events. These components are just some of the few that contribute to the DICK'S Sporting Goods internship program's standout experience, clearly contributing to an 85% acceptance rate in a wildly competitive labor market.

Supporting the Growth and Development of Entry-Level Talent

DICK'S Sporting Goods is an industry leader when it comes to setting up their new full-time hires for long-term success at the company. After a robust orientation, new hires are immersed in the business, performing the specific roles of a full-time teammate. New hires receive extensive on-the-job training of all systems and processes, robust integrated professional development opportunities to support continued career growth, and endless support from both peers and leadership teammates. Individuals who are a part of DICK'S Sporting Goods' rotational development programs are provided with even more support through both business and mentor relationships. These teammates are given the unique opportunity for cross-departmental exposure before solidifying their long-term career focus.

Congratulations to the team at DICK'S Sporting Goods for being selected as one of the winners of RippleMatch's 2022 Campus Forward Awards!

RippleMatch's Campus Forward Awards recognizes the top early career teams and programs in the nation. Through a detailed application process, early career teams shared their approach to recruitment, candidate experience, D&I, and internship & entry-level programming. The programs picked for this award represent the best of the best, selected from applications submitted by campus recruiting teams across industries.

See all Award Winners for the category of Mid-Size Early Career Programs below