Recognized for Excellence
eBay received Campus Forward Awards across every category—Excellence in Early Career Recruitment Strategy, Innovation in Action, and Excellence in Candidate Experience—a rare distinction achieved by only a handful of companies.
From this already elite group, just five organizations were selected for the Visionary Award, recognizing leaders who go beyond excellence to redefine what’s possible in early career hiring. eBay stood out for its ability to unite strategy, technology, and candidate experience into a cohesive, forward-looking model, setting the pace for what the next era of talent acquisition will become.
Excellence in Early Career Recruitment Strategy
The Emerging Talent team at eBay partners closely with engineering, product, and business leaders to connect with the next generation of talent in meaningful ways. Together, they engage students through school agnostic outreach, virtual info sessions, community based events, and targeted in person experiences designed to meet candidates where they are. Standardized processes and centralized operations enable consistent hiring across AMER, EMEA, and APAC regions while remaining responsive to local needs. Through their early ID program, Pathways, business teams help identify high potential first generation software engineering talent and actively participate in coaching, practice interviews, and skills development. This partnership also comes to life through eBay’s annual machine learning challenge, where engineering leaders assess real world skills and award internships to winning teams. In 2025, this approach supported rapid global hiring, including 43 interns and recent college graduates in India within eight weeks, while continuing to expand rotation programs and build associate level pipelines aligned to future business needs.
Innovation in Action
eBay’s Emerging Talent program uses technology as a force multiplier to scale recruiting and onboarding while preserving human judgment at every step. AI enabled tools streamline high-volume application review and operational workflows, allowing recruiters to focus on thoughtful evaluation, with all hiring decisions remaining recruiter driven. Internally, eBay is building a centralized AI driven database that serves as a single source of truth for hiring manager, recruiter, and early-career talent questions as they relate to recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. The team also utilizes AI to modernize and standardize job descriptions globally, and to refresh employer branding assets and training. This strategic use of technology improves consistency, transparency, and efficiency without compromising human oversight, candidate trust, or fairness.
Excellence in Candidate Experience
The team at eBay delivers a consistent, transparent, and human centered candidate experience globally. Candidates receive clear communication, interview preparation materials, and realistic timelines that set expectations early, contributing to fewer interview cancellations or reschedules. Recruiters remain accessible throughout the process, ensuring candidates feel supported regardless of academic background or location. After offers are extended, candidates receive a dedicated eBook that outlines what to expect ahead of their start date and provides an authentic view of eBay’s internship and early career programs. Once offers are accepted, interns and recent grads are added to a personalized, choose your own adventure, onboarding and communication platform that supports varying levels of readiness while enabling incoming cohorts to connect and build relationships before day one. This ensures interns and recent grads arrive informed, confident, and prepared.
