From the Community: Why this Nominee Stands Out

“As an Early Careers Partner, Vanessa Willemssen leads recruitment efforts for Navy Federal Credit Union’s largest cohort of early career offerings: the Year Round Internship Program. Above her standard recruitment duties, Vanessa works to enhance the scope and structure of the early career programs by sharing the importance of attracting and retaining early talent with partners across the enterprise.

Year Round interns at Navy Federal Credit Union work on meaningful projects in various business units covering data science, technology, engineering, business, strategy, and operations. Recognizing these are highly sought-after skills, Vanessa places special emphasis on identifying and proactively pipelining skills for future growth and business needs. She works closely with hiring leaders, bringing awareness to the importance and benefits of building a talent pipeline by retaining high-potential interns and converting them into full-time roles. She is passionate about providing positive experiences and ensuring an inclusive and competitive recruitment process beneficial to both candidates and interns.

Vanessa believes in establishing and nurturing genuine connections with candidates from the first interaction throughout the recruitment process. She proactively schedules regular check-ins with candidates and is readily available to answer any and all questions throughout their hiring and onboarding journeys.

To promote Navy Federal Credit Union’s early career programs and internship and job opportunities, Vanessa often hosts virtual informational sessions for students at universities nationwide, and her attendance at industry-specific events on local college campuses has been a driving force behind heightened awareness of those efforts. Internally, she partners with business leaders to showcase a day in the life of a Navy Federal Credit Union team member through the creation of the Virtual Speaker Series. Additionally, Vanessa hosts and leads the planning and facilitation of quarterly professional development sessions and monthly coffee chats for Year Round interns, allowing for one-on-one recruiter connection time.

Above all, Vanessa is a mentor and advocate for interns across the enterprise and an ambassador for Navy Federal Credit Union’s award-winning early career programs.”