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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Gilead Sciences, Inc. 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
The Early Talent and University Relations (ETUR) team at Gilead Sciences, Inc. understands that a standout candidate experience is essential for connecting with top talent. They go above and beyond to ensure that students have a good experience interacting with Gilead Sciences, Inc., from the initial application all the way to offers being extended. A few ways the team creates this positive experience is through dedicating recruiters to each business function, and building personal relationships with candidates to ensure they understand their full opportunity and answering any questions they have with confidence in a timely manner. Also, the team represents everything diversity and inclusion stands for.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
As the Early Talent Team was able to host an in-person cohort experience, the team at Gilead Sciences, Inc. was able to achieve higher engagement levels and still incorporate some flexible virtual experiences. The team crafted a diverse set of events for students at universities across the country, ranging from info sessions to workshops and networking mixers. Additionally, they planned strategic communities via Handshake and Yello for additional interactions. Beyond events, the team invested in their former interns to act as ambassadors and spread the word about Gilead Sciences, Inc. awesome internship opportunities and culture, as well as educating prospective candidates about deadlines and interview best practices. This method greatly enhances the pipeline capabilities for the success of the internship’s early talent program while meeting diversity goals.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
The ETUR team at Gilead Sciences, Inc. is so passionate about finding and connecting with a diverse range of students across the country. To recruit a diverse slate of candidates, the team has forged relationships with 10 HBCUs, 5 HSIs, and 12 public universities to built out a robust set of diversity-focused partnerships. The company's on-campus presence was focused on HBCUs and HSIs for fall 2022. Some partners that Gilead Sciences, Inc. collaborates with include Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), Consortium, Thrive Scholars, and Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. Additionally, Gilead Sciences, Inc. connects its early talent to its six ERGs.
Impactful Internship Program
At Gilead Sciences, Inc., interns are empowered with impactful projects that contribute to real business outcomes, in addition to an inclusive, welcoming experience. With capabilities of virtual and in-person programming, the intern program at Gilead Sciences, Inc. offers interns a real-world experience with one of the top companies in its industry. On top of projects and networking, interns have the chance to learn from company executives through the speaker series, as well as final presentations presented to business leaders. These components have made this program a standout experience, clearly contributing to a more than 90% return offer acceptance rate from its most recent cohort. Over the past year, the company has also received other best-in-class accolades and recognition.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
Gilead Sciences, Inc. goes above and beyond to set up their new full-time hires for long-term success at the company. Starting with a robust onboarding, entry-level hires are provided not only with on-the-job training, but the building blocks for professional success at the company. Within the first 6 months, new hires are given the option to participate in a dedicated employee resource group that promotes inclusion and creates natural mentor relationships. This helps to define the culture that the entry-level hires desire from the beginning of their careers.