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MBA Career Management Center

 

Case Study: Eli Lilly

Lilly, an innovation-driven pharmaceutical corporation based in Indianapolis, shares its recruiting success at the GSB.

How long have you recruited at Stanford and for what areas?

For the past three years, we have recruited both international and domestic students for full-time and internship positions in marketing and finance.

Why did you decide to recruit at Stanford?

Simply, Stanford produces graduates that represent top talent, and we want the best and the brightest. Stanford produces leaders in all industries, so it makes sense for us to be here.

The opportunity to hire a Stanford graduate erased initial geographic concerns, especially since geography could be a factor at any campus. We developed a strategic approach that was targeted, personalized, and customized. We concentrated on quality, not quantity, and focused on identifying exceptional talent.

How did you get started recruiting at Stanford?

We developed a deeper understanding of the University and the type of student attracted to Stanford, and then we determined how we could differentiate Lilly. After preparing a recruiting plan tailored to Stanford GSB, we focused on our most important objective -branding Lilly in a creative way. Prior to implementing our plan, we reviewed it with the CMC director to gain insight and direction on messages that would resonate best with the students. We also discussed specific activities that appropriately aligned with our company and how to creatively capture the attention of students. As a result, we developed a strong partnership with the CMC and attribute much of our success to their assistance.

What did you do to build your presence on campus?

We fostered relationships with key administrators, faculty members, and student organizations, which have proven to be a very important avenue for building our presence on campus. We participate in the usual MTC presentation to connect with students, but we also sponsor activities to create opportunities to expand our presence.

For example, we work with the Health Care Biotechnology Club and Women in Management to identify speaking engagements for our senior management, participate in the International Career Fair to sponsor "Lattes with Lilly," sponsor Challenge for Charity, and contribute to the Partnership for Diversity. Once we identify interested students, we focus on better understanding their specific interests and career aspirations to determine how to best match their talents to job opportunities at Lilly.

What else have you done to become a top recruiter?

Contributing to the development of Stanford through the Corporate Investor Program is essential, because it's not just about recruiting. It's about building a strong partnership with the Stanford GSB. Lilly is deeply committed to giving back to the community, which means contributing to the School in numerous ways.

How is your recruiting team structured?

Three years ago, we developed a more structured and focused recruiting strategy that implemented a corporate account framework focused on select universities. A senior management member serves as the executive sponsor for each school. An account leader from our Human Resources' recruiting and staffing department manages the university relationship, from developing and implementing strategies to fostering key university relationships.

Usually directors from line management, point captains, are responsible for building recruiting teams and driving the various recruiting activities and initiatives. The executive sponsor, account leader, point captains, and team members work closely together to implement the recruiting plans tailored to that university and discipline. As a candidate moves through the recruiting process, our human resource colleagues at corporate headquarters continue the candidate courtship.

What is your recruiting approach to Stanford?

Our team members get to know everything they can about a candidate to develop a strong relationship. In many instances, the team member becomes a mentor. The result—the candidates have a better understanding of Lilly before entering as a summer intern or new employee and have a group of people they know well.

We also build continuity by retaining the same members on our recruiting team year to year. This consistency enables us to develop deeper relationships with key administrators and faculty and allows us to better understand how to attract exceptional talent from the Stanford GSB. We even maintain contact with those candidates who don't join Lilly; they can still be an ambassador or potential future employee.

What else would you suggest to companies recruiting at Stanford?

Get involved. Determine what makes sense for your company. As mentioned earlier, we sponsor Challenge for Charity, a university-wide philanthropic endeavor, because students are involved and it aligns with our Lilly values.

We also support the Partnership for Diversity Program, which provides outstanding Stanford GSB Bonini Scholars the opportunity to defer their enrollment one year. The scholars build their business acumen through a 9- to 12-month internship at the sponsoring company, and the company supports the scholar's two-year tuition for business school.

Finally, have fun. We have greatly enjoyed our recruiting experience at Stanford and are thrilled to have found exceptional talent.