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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Land O'Lakes, 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
Farmers make up less than 1% of the population, yet they are tasked with feeding 100% of us. Land O’Lakes is dedicated to identifying and coaching young leaders to help change the agricultural landscape to be more efficient, technology-forward, and innovative. The company developed dedicated campus teams to remain in constant contact with key universities, and has designed intentional strategies for school and organization engagement based on business needs and future planning. Land O’Lakes partners with campus clubs through hosting networking events, professional development sessions, and mentorship programs. The company is excited to share the purpose with emerging talent — whether students are looking for a role in agronomy, supply chain, finance, sustainability or anything else, their work supports farmers.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
The College Recruiting team does creative but intentional work to bring college and early talent into the enterprise. The team has established relationships with key organizations such as AFA, MANRRS, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the Consortium for Graduate Study to target students passionate about agriculture and students with diverse backgrounds. In 2022, a new partnership was created with the 1890 Foundation and HBCU Deans to learn more about opportunities in corporate agriculture. The team also launched a New Hire Engagement Program that bridges the gap between students’ offer acceptance and their first day through monthly communication, events, gift boxes, and ways to connect students and build community early on. The team attends several in-person and virtual career fairs, and hosts student groups at the corporate office for information sessions. Through such efforts, the team has a 100% conversion rate of interns to full-time hires in most programs.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Each summer, the team hosts a DEI session at intern orientation and an ERG social for new talent to network with leaders, as well as plan the intern presentation week around the annual DEI Summit. When attending diversity conferences, company representatives are largely alumni of those organizations to recruit new students and to retain alumni in the company. The team hosted leaders of the MANRRS organization at the corporate office in April 2022 for strategic meetings and partner planning. In 2023, the College team will launch the first scholarship dedicated to students within the MANRRS organization. The team also partnered with local companies at The Consortium conference to host a “Working in the Twin Cities” event designed to recruit students to the region. DEI is held to the highest standard as a dedicated pillar in the company-wide Employer Value Proposition and as part of the ESG goals.
Impactful Internship Program
All events in the intern program fall into three pillars: community service, business acumen, and social networking. Each summer, the College team hosts an Executive Speaker Series, where graduate interns get 1:1 time to network with executive leaders. It is not uncommon for the CEO, Beth Ford, to drop in on undergraduate intern presentations, as she recognizes how the projects directly impact the company. Events are intended to build networks within the surrounding community and build affinity to the region. Such events include a financial planning session, a Twin Cities-wide intern event planned alongside other Fortune 500 companies based in the state, and even flying plant-based interns from across the country to the corporate office for a week of team-building. Most talent programs see a conversion rate of 100%.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
Land O’Lakes has several rotational and leadership-based, full-time roles designed to mentor, expose, and teach early talent the business acumen they need for future roles. Each talent program has a dedicated talent strategy team comprised of industry professionals, talent strategists, and HR partners to discuss and improve programming. Each year, the team hosts a Leaning into Leadership series for new full-time hires and provides a mentorship program with program alum and more senior leaders. The Young Professionals Network ERG is also a dedicated partner to the College team, serving as mentors and providing a place for talent to quickly build community by hosting professional development, social, and community service events year-round.