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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Ovative Group 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
Early career talent are Ovative’s future leaders, and developing diverse, early career talent is critical for Ovative’s continued growth and success. Through access to best-in-class onboarding bootcamps, professional training programs, technology, and experts, Ovative delivers an accelerated development path. More than 16% of current managers started their careers with Ovative as interns or analysts. Ovative’s Champions of Change program provides team members at every level with the opportunity to drive social change by offering their skills to social impact and nonprofit organizations as part of their role. In 2021, Ovative's campus analyst turnover rate was less than half of the industry average.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
In 2021, Ovative invested in a Talent Marketing function to accelerate traditional recruiting and sourcing efforts. Through this function, Ovative elevates its employer brand with digital marketing strategies and invests in talent partnerships with local and national organizations. These DEI-centric partnerships, like with The BrandLab, Out for Undergrad, and Black Tech Talent, enable Ovative employees to give back their time and expertise while building a pipeline of top talent for Ovative. In addition to attending virtual and in-person career fairs across the country, the Diversity and Acquisition team strategically partners with University Career Centers. Ovative also advises University business and marketing programs on the skills students need to be successful in marketing careers. This includes teaching guest lectures, incorporating Enterprise Marketing Return (Ovative's proprietary marketing metric) in curriculum, and funding multiple DEI student scholarships. By stepping into the classroom and building a presence on campus, Ovative enables early career growth before students' first day on the job.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Ovative’s Champions of Change program enables a culture committed to social impact and inclusivity through four pillars: Cultural Agility Education, Skills-Based Volunteerism, Equitable Operating Practices, and Charitable Giving. Integrating these pillars into daily work and living Ovative’s values (Genuine, Engaged, Accountable, Driven) are central to retaining underrepresented talent. Upon hire, diverse talent have immediate access and support through Ovative’s Diversity Resource Groups for those who identify as BIPOC, AAPI, Women, and/or LGBTQIA+. All interviewers must complete unconscious bias training to live Ovative's values through the recruiting process. In partnership with DEI-centric organizations, like The BrandLab, Out for Undergrad, and Black Tech Talent, Ovative employees can give back their time and expertise while helping build a pipeline of top talent for Ovative. During Ovative’s 7-year partnership with The BrandLab, it has hired interns and early career talent from underrepresented communities, co-led bias training for staff, and funded yearly student scholarships.
Impactful Internship Program
Upon hire, interns immediately receive professional training through Ovative’s best-in-class bootcamp. This professional development provides foundational marketing skills, introductory training on Ovative’s proprietary marketing metric called Enterprise Marketing Return (EMR), and creates space to connect with fellow interns. During their summer internship, interns plan and host a volunteer project. Most recently, they hosted a fundraiser and volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit that coordinates the packaging and distribution of food to people in developing nations. Interns are integrated into Ovative culture. They work alongside the company’s most experienced experts, participate in client calls, and attend all-day professional development trainings and staff-wide events. Through the Ovative internship program, interns get to truly experience what a career is like at Ovative. Interns are not forced to compete for positions to return full-time. Strong performers aligned to Ovative’s values all receive offers to return full-time.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
ELEVATE, Ovative’s best-in-class professional development and training program, offers a mix of formal and on-the-job learning opportunities for all team members. Ovative hosts quarterly staff-wide ELEVATE trainings to build critical leadership skills including Emotional Intelligence, Structured Thinking, and Data-Driven Decisioning. During their first 90 days, customized 30/60/90 onboarding plans provide early career talent clear expectations on their role, progress, and core skills to focus on building. Upon reaching six-week and six-month marks, Ovative’s Talent Services (HR) team meets with every individual to ensure career satisfaction and growth. Talent also receives a structured development plan rooted in role and level-specific competency frameworks. Managers review these frameworks at quarterly reviews throughout Talent's entire Ovative career. This ongoing dialog unlocks amazing coaching conversations, opportunities to move into new roles or projects, and ensures equitable promotion and compensation opportunities.