Building an Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruiting

The Medtronic campus recruiting team embraced their 2nd year of virtual recruiting, leveraging new technology, first-of-their-kind diversity partnerships with Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and expanded communication channels to broaden their student reach and stand out from competitors. The team’s virtual outreach strategy included traditional career fairs, info sessions, and student panels. In addition, they developed several school agnostic events for underrepresented student groups, including a 4-part diversity series focused on women, Hispanic and Latino, and Black engineers, and recruiter-led interview prep sessions. Medtronic created a robust social media campaign using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to help students learn more about their company, culture, career opportunities, and application process. And finally, the team tapped into their former interns to act as brand ambassadors at their schools and on social media and help guide prospective interns through the offer and onboarding process.

Crafting a Standout Candidate Experience

The Medtronic early career experience team is committed to creating a consumer-grade experience for students from application to orientation and beyond. They help students prepare for interviews though application and interview process information sessions, Q&As with recruiters, interview prep toolkits, and frequent updates to students throughout the interview process. When students receive an offer, they are matched with an Intern Ambassador who can share their Medtronic intern experience and help answer questions. Once students accept their Medtronic offer, they receive monthly communications from the early career team and their manager, including company updates (“Medtronic News You Can Use”), team and project updates, and onboarding details. Lastly, to ensure their efforts are successful, the team has a robust post-process survey to collect data on the candidate experience to make lasting improvements to the hiring process.

Moving the Needle on Diversity & Inclusion

Inclusion, diversity, and equity are critical in driving Medtronic’s competitiveness and bringing more creativity, better decision-making, and enhanced innovation. In 2021, they hired their most diverse group of interns in the company’s history— 62% were women and 62% were ethnically diverse. Medtronic has several long-standing early ID programs for women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities. In 2020 and 2021, Medtronic created first-of-their-kind partnerships with TMCF and SHPE to hire students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) into their internship program. The Medtronic Foundation also provides academic scholarships and mentorship programs through these partnerships. In addition, Medtronic recruits early talent from most nationally recognized diversity organizations. They are proud to provide interns and new grads from underrepresented backgrounds specialized support when they join the company through mentorship, employee resource groups, and development programs.