How it Works

Companies and organizations apply to be a member of the DEI Collective. Accepted members gain access to the January hiring week, which will feature 1-on-1 interviews with their top choice candidates. Members also gain access to 2 group calls with other partner companies, sharing best practices in DEI hiring, interviewing, and mentorship.

Benefits

  1. Gain access to diverse student populations in one streamlined hiring effort. (61% of member companies had an internship hire this summer because of this program).  
  2. Cut through the noise and be part of a select group of companies receiving the focus and attention of underrepresented students.
  3. A focus on tangible outcomes: our goal is that you will walk away with 1-5 intern hires.
  4. Build your talent pipeline and brand among our students early on, resulting in more conversations and better hires.
  5. Engage with a working group of companies who share ideas and best practices around D&I hiring.
  6. Receive training from DEI experts to position recruiting programs and hiring practices moving forward. 

Cost

In our 3rd iteration of this this program, we continue offering free membership to hiring partners who are selected for this program. That being said, each member is committed to fairly compensating their student interns and agrees to do so as part of their membership.

Membership Expectations and Guidelines

Employers participating in the DEI Collective 2023 must agree to the following:

  1. Members commit to a good-faith effort to hire at least 1 intern for Summer 2023, pending interview performance and hire eligibility.
  2. The internship must be paid and be a minimum of 5 weeks.
  3. Members must agree to follow our timeline and screening process. We ask that members carefully review the timeline, below, before committing, and reach out to us with any conflicts / concerns. Companies that cannot adhere to all elements of the timeline unfortunately are unable to participate at this time.
  4. Members agree to adhere to these internship best practices for a fulfilling experience on both ends.

Employer Outcomes

We ran our internship hiring initiative, the DEI Collective, from fall through spring of last year, resulting in 125 summer internship offers extended. 86% of employers answered yes to “were you happy with the quality of DEI Collective applicants?”

  • “The interns we hire are always of the top caliber and show great enthusiasm and interest in our work, so we are very appreciative of the partnership! The team at Hopkins over-communicates, which resonates with me beautifully, and makes it very clear what my responsibilities are as the partner with this program.”
  • “The connection DEI Collective established between the internship candidates and potential employers is very valuable to everyone involved. The effort is well-organized and run by passionate people.”
  • “The process was very organized. JHU staff are extremely friendly, responsive and deeply and genuinely care about DEI and you can feel that. The training was well put together, interactive and engaging. We have hired two students this summer from DEI and cannot wait for them to join us soon.”

Data Dashboard

Additional Timeline Information

  • DEI Training Session #1:
    • 1-hour long training session.
    • Recruiter & hiring manager must attend on one of these dates.
    • This session covers data and best practices on how to be inclusive in your hiring process with our students.
  • December 9:
    • Interview availability is for Wednesday January 18 – Wednesday January 25.
  • January 18-25:
    • First interviews must happen during this interview period, therefore technical interviews cannot come before these initial interviews.
    • To determine how many hours you’ll need to reserve, first identify your desired number of hires for the summer. We have found that for every 1 intern you’d like to bring on, you’ll need to interview 3-5 students, and will need to provide 2x that many interview slots. For example if you would like to hire 4-5 students, plan to provide 20-25 hours (40-50 slots).
  • DEI Training Session #2:
    • 1-hour long training session.
    • Recruiter & hiring manager must attend on one of these dates.
    • This session covers best practices and success stories in setting interns up for success and tips to increase conversion from intern to full-time hire.

How We Define a “DEI” Applicant or Hire

  • First-generation
  • Limited income
  • Racial minorities
    • Black
    • Hispanic
    • Indigenous peoples
    • Mixed-race
    • Pacific Islanders
  • International students
  • Students with disabilities
  • LGBTQIA+

Best Practices for Your Intern

Many companies we work with struggle to retain diverse talent. As you might have learned, ensuring diverse hiring practices is just the first step. In order to ensure the best experience for both parties, we recommend the below as a baseline. While it takes extra effort, the benefits can range from higher conversion of interns to full-time employees, greater positive recognition of your brand, a more robust pipeline, higher engagement, and improved employee retention.

  • Offer at least one networking opportunity for your student interns: a chance to connect virtually or in-person with their peers.
  • Introduce interns to a casual mentor as part of their onboarding (apart from their supervisor) who can be their point of contact at the company. We recommend short, frequent check-ins so the student can ask questions about company culture, get advice, and learn more about the company’s way of doing things.
  • Provide interns with a manager who can share guidance and direction, set expectations, and explain deliverables. It is expected that this manager provides feedback at the end of the internship about their performance and when they do so, focus on the behavior, not the person.