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The Pillars of an Award-Winning Program
Verizon Communications 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 candidates are motivated and curious. These future leaders bring emerging skills, fresh perspectives, and innovation to an organization — this is why Verizon is committed to investing in early career talent. Through Verizon’s Campus programs, the company builds strong partnerships with universities, supports talent and business initiatives on campus, grows its brand as an employer of choice, and cultivates a strong pipeline of early career talent with the skills needed to deliver the business strategy. Verizon provides growth and development opportunities for campus hires, even as they start their journey on the V Team.
Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruitment
Verizon’s Campus Recruitment team is dedicated to sourcing and recruiting an early career talent pipeline using an array of strategic approaches. Recruiters begin the conversation through an intentional early engagement strategy prior to the peak of recruiting season. Verizon’s Campus Recruitment team also connects with early career talent through on-campus and virtual networking events showcasing all that Verizon has to offer — from perks and career development to corporate social responsibility efforts — and by offering a hybrid working model with a mix of on-site and remote work. The team also provides an “I’ve accepted” digital package that is sent to new hires, including assets for social media, and has created a university relations strategy for creating partnerships with universities. The team offers in-person experience days at Verizon hub locations, including executive speakers, tours, giveaways, and webinars, and provides mindfulness sessions to help candidates stay calm during recruitment season.
Overarching Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
From diversity and inclusion to equity and sustainability, Verizon is committed to creating meaningful change and believes that diversity makes it stronger. That’s why Verizon can celebrate 60% employee diversity in its workforce. This passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) extends through the company’s efforts to recruit and retain diverse talent in a number of ways, including an Executive Engagement and Brand Ambassador Program for HBCUs and HSIs, DEI-focused webinars for new hires, 10 ERGs that provide mentorship and guidance, relationships with national partners — such as Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys), Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), Grace Hopper, and more — and job wrapping to hundreds of local and national diversity job sites.
Impactful Internship Program
Verizon interns get real-world experience working on high-impact projects from day one. In addition to their daily assignments, Verizon interns are instantly immersed in its welcoming culture firsthand, through weekly functional events, development sessions, webinars, and fireside chats with leaders, giving them the opportunity to interact face-to-face with innovative, strategic thinkers across the company. The 10-week program culminates in an intern finale, a wrap-up event at the Basking Ridge operations headquarters location with executive speakers, volunteering opportunities, office tours, networking, giveaways, and more engaging activities. Verizon’s internship program is based on five key principles: project and manager engagement; professional and leadership development; networking sessions; business and functional acumen; and engagement activities. These principles come together to help shape the future for these emerging leaders of tomorrow.
Growth and Development of the Next Generation of Talent
Verizon is and always has been committed to its employees. Through investing in learning and development, new hires are provided the tools to not only expand their knowledge within their current function, but are offered reskilling options to help them move cross-functionally across the organization. New employees are provided with a strong roadmap during on-boarding, day one, week one, and continuously throughout their first few months. Each plan is catered to that employee and is easily accessible on their intranet dashboard, and of course, all benefits jumpstart on day one. With the launch of Verizon’s very own career-mapping system, Talent GPS, employees have the power to own and drive their careers at Verizon. Additionally, through a partnership with Generation USA, Verizon is also offering free reskilling programs to train non-employee workers for high-demand jobs in the new digital economy, from online courses to mentorship to job placement.