The Initiative: Why this Winner Stands Out

Cboe Internship Program Campaign

“In March 2024, I unexpectedly took over our university recruiting efforts for the internship program. I began by meeting with internal stakeholders to understand what was working and what wasn't. One significant challenge quickly became clear: many university students didn't know much about our company or that we had a well-established and successful internship program.  That realization led me to launch our "Cboe Internship Program Campaign," an initiative designed to raise awareness, increase student engagement, and showcase why Cboe should be a top choice for early talent. I had three main goals: increase visibility and engagement among university students, provide transparency into our recruiting process, and highlight the breadth of internship opportunities we offer, from finance and marketing to software engineering.  With a small budget and a team of one (just me), I focused first on revamping our student careers page. Previously, the page offered only high-level details that lacked excitement and context. I reimagined it to tell a compelling story: outlining a detailed timeline of our internship process (from job postings to interviews and offers), sharing benefits and perks, and addressing common questions students may have. But I didn't stop there. I partnered with our in-house Studios team to capture photos and videos of our interns throughout their ten-week experience — from Q&As to happy hours, networking events, and final presentations. I also coordinated interviews with interns who wanted to share their personal stories.  With support from our Marketing, UX/UI, and Design teams, we brought that vision to life. The result was an immersive, informative, and visually engaging student page that truly reflected the value of our program and the impact it can have on a student's career journey. I coordinated our company's participation in a national internship ranking initiative to amplify our visibility further. I organized our Summer 2024 interns to complete a survey sharing their experiences with the program voluntarily. Thanks to their feedback, Cboe was recognized in three categories as one of the top internship programs, a recognition we proudly include in our recruitment efforts: "our award-winning internship program."   Understanding that career fairs can blur together for students, I introduced a new registration process at our booths using QR codes. This allowed us to collect resumes digitally and continue engagement after the event. I then launched targeted campaigns through our CRM, Phenom, to follow up with each student. These campaigns included thank-you messages, reminders about who we are, links to our updated student page, photos of our booth staff (so students could remember who they spoke with - this was a hit), and direct links to apply for open roles. Every step of the way, I emphasized clear communication and accessibility. I worked closely with hiring managers to ensure job descriptions were thoughtfully written and included details about the team and the type of candidate they were seeking. After an offer was extended, we celebrated student success with a branded LinkedIn image they could proudly share, giving them a moment to feel accomplished while boosting our visibility among their networks.  Talent attraction and engagement are vital to any recruiting strategy, especially in early career hiring, where students are still discovering their paths. I am incredibly proud of this initiative — not just for what it has done for our organization but for how it has helped students recognize opportunities they may have otherwise overlooked or felt unqualified for. We create innovative products as a fintech company, but this campaign also allowed us to create meaningful moments for future talent. That's what this work is all about. Please check out our student page if you have a chance: https://careers.cboe.com/us/en/student”