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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Spectrum 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 talent career programs are critical to Spectrum’s overall talent strategy. Its award-winning Internship Program offers students hands-on exposure to the business. That means real projects that will challenge them and grow their skills, alongside mentors who want to see them succeed in their education and their career. Conversion goals are in place to retain the top talent, which ultimately contributes to hiring the future of the organization. Spectrum Scholars is an educational program for rising college juniors with financial need from underrepresented backgrounds. The program awards 20 college students $20,000 each, half during their junior year and half during their senior year. Scholarship recipients are also paired with a professional Charter mentor, given professional development training, and the opportunity for an internship.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
The UR team at Spectrum adopted a hybrid recruiting model. The team focused on creating a diverse set of virtual events balancing a school-agnostic and target-school approach. The virtual events included info sessions, industry panels, and workshops. The team also planned in-person events across campuses to deepen relations with students. The in-person events included sponsoring student organizations/clubs meetings, in-classroom presentations, resume workshops, mock interviews, industry panels, networking, and career fairs. The team also invested in diversity-focused partnerships (HBCUs, HSIs, UNCF, SHPE, SWE, Emma Bowen, T. Howard, WayUp) to increase diverse talent and partnered with DEI offices from NYU and UConn to invite diverse students to tour brand new corporate headquarters in Stamford, CT. The team hired a former intern to connect with students when they enter the pipeline, and this provides a day-in-the-life view of the Spectrum Intern program. A recruiter then preps students for interviews with managers.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Spectrum is committed to hiring and developing the best talent in the industry, reflecting the diversity of its customers and markets. With similar goals in mind, the Spectrum Intern Program recruits underrepresented populations in a number of ways: partnering with organizations like Emma Bowen Foundation, T. Howard, UNCF SHPE, NSBE, SWE, NABA, and ALPFA. The team has forged a new relationship with SVA and identified new target HBCU and HSI schools (Harris-Stowe, Johnson C. Smith, and Metropolitan State University in Denver). This year the team attended the SHPE National Conference. Beyond recruitment, Spectrum continues the access to D&I initiatives in the form of exposure to a diverse group of executives, mentorship, and access to 5 BRGs at Spectrum – Women, Disability, LGBTQ, Multicultural and Veterans – all aimed at advancing Spectrum’s culture of inclusion and driving business success.
Impactful Internship Program
Spectrum interns learn about the telecommunications industry and gain exposure to a real life business setting, all in an atmosphere that will broaden their professional understanding, encourage their sense of accomplishment, and fuel their career development. The 10-week internship is split 80/20. 80% of the time they work on meaningful projects and assignments on their team to utilize the theoretical knowledge from the classroom to practical use, and 20% of the program is focused on professional development and community building. Sessions include networking, communication styles, presentation skills, and personal branding. Interns hear from executives on a weekly basis and are able to see contextually where their work is making an impact. A cross-functional hackathon project rounds out the professional development, where intern groups use problem solving and critical thinking to pitch a solution to a problem Spectrum faces. These investments lead toan 82% intern return offer rate.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
Spectrum sets up its new full-time hires for long-term success at the company — starting with a keep-warm campaign when they first accept, keeping them engaged by keeping them abreast of company news, earnings reports, new product launches, and community impact news, etc. until they start. Entry-level hires are provided with on-the-job training, and the opportunity to learn different aspects of the business through different assignments and rotations. Those hired within a specific rotational program are given a dedicated mentor, professional development, executive presentations, as well as regular check-ins. They are also introduced to Spectrum’s five Business Resource Groups — Women, Disability, LGBTQ, Multicultural, and Veterans.