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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Paramount 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 mission of Paramount’s Campus & Early Career Recruiting Team is to serve as a dedicated and strategic pipeline for early career and future leadership talent. The team is passionately focused on identifying, developing, and retaining top talent. Its programs support various ways to explore potential careers through immersive experiences that encourage top talent to bring their passions, insights, and their full selves to work. Through internships, post-grad programs, and early career roles, Paramount sets up its emerging talent for a successful future at Paramount, in hopes that they will serve as future leaders of the company. Their fresh perspectives, innovative mindsets, and their process improvement lens work to elevate Paramount’s success to the next level.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
Students typically view Paramount as a company focused solely on marketing and creative opportunities, so the goal is to provide additional insight into other core functional areas (technology, finance, sales, etc.). Paramount relies heavily on its Instagram and Twitter, while introducing Tik Tok this year to provide prospective candidates an inside view of a day-in-the-life of summer interns (recorded by the intern class themselves). The company shifted to both in-person and virtual events in an effort to reach schools and students it previously may not have had access to, and holds strategic partnerships such as Content For Change Academy and a HBCU outreach initiatives that spans across Paramount. By leveraging high-profile, eye-catching Paramount IP such as SpongeBob, Schitts Creek, and Survivor in its marketing and outreach efforts, Paramount immediately draws the attention of prospective students to learn more about the opportunities available at Paramount.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Paramount has established partnerships with diversity pipeline partners such as the T. Howard Foundation, Emma Bowen Foundation, and Posse Foundation, etc. It has a demonstrated history of providing target summits focused on exposing talent from underrepresented communities to the breadth of careers at HBCUs and HSIs, such as its Multicultural Media Summit. In 2021, Paramount launched the HBCU All-Star basketball championship, which includes a scholarship and internships component for students. Once hiring is complete for the summer class, Paramount partners with the Office of Global Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility to enhance the hires’ feeling of belonging, particularly in the virtual environment. It hosts an Executive Speaker series, highlighting employees with diverse backgrounds to speak about their career journeys, as well as offer advice to hires as they navigate their own careers.
Impactful Internship Program
Paramount’s paid internship program immerses interns into the world of media. The programming is structured around five pillars. For the Professional Development pillar, interns are provided a curriculum of both hard and soft skills to challenge, develop, and advance them. Within the Business Learning pillar, Interns receive in-depth learning opportunities to familiarize them with the company’s business strategy, history and mission, in addition to learning about the evolving media landscape. Interns will meet with CEO & President Bob Bakish for an exclusive intern session, which is held specifically for interns every year. For the Mentorship pillar, every intern is assigned a mentor to guide them through the summer program experience, help expand their network, and assist in their overall development. Networking and social events center around community-building and developing a nurturing support system. The Wellness pillar provides interns with access to mental, financial, and physical wellness events/resources.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
The communication and support from the Campus & Early Career Recruiting team does not end once the internship concludes. The team is structured so the same recruiters who manage internship roles also manage early career recruiting within that function, offering students consistent and ongoing support through the entire recruitment cycle. Through its unique rotational programs, Paramount offers hires the opportunity to explore different brands, teams, and projects within their respective functions. This flexibility allows for early career hires to explore various career trajectories. The diverse and transferrable skillsets they will learn in each rotation will aid in their success once they conclude the program. Throughout the program, the team offers unique programming, allowing all rotation programs to regularly come together to continue their engagement and development outside of their day-to-day work. These programs have been a demonstrated success, as many rotation employees have been retained and promoted.