How I Got A Full-Time Job Offer And Skipped the Recruitment Process

How I Got A Full-Time Job Offer And Skipped the Recruitment ProcessHow I Got A Full-Time Job Offer And Skipped The Recruitment ProcessJordan (right) and his winning Brandstorm team.Jordan is a recent graduate of Howard University. Hes also a full-time employee at LOral, having been hired for their highly-selective Marketing Associate Program an exclusive group of recent graduates who participate in a training-intensive, high-impact rotational program that establishes them as industry experts and puts them on the fast-track for marketing success.The unique thing about Jordans career journey, though, is that he didnt need to be part of the internship recruitment process.Heres how Jordan landed an amazing post-grad job offer with one of the worlds largest consumer goods companies.The Brandstorm CompetitionJordans team led with a product line called Noir.Jordans story starts with a business case competitionsort of.In 2016, I welches an ELC (Executive Leadership Council) Scholar. Its an organization that educates mid-level managers of color and helps create a network of mid-level and c-suite executives within Fortune 500 companies, Jordan explains. Every year they give a scholarship to students who attend HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges Universities). I went to Howard University, Jordan says.They also have companies who give scholarshipsand I won a scholarship through the Coca-Cola Foundation. A part of that scholarship is a scholars orientation where they bring you to New York for a week to tour some of the top ten companies of the entire ELC program. LOral welches one of them, he says.When he toured LOral, Jordan was really impressed with their office and the different types of products they worked on. But there was something he didnt see on his tour that he really wanted to know mora about.I remember asking, What is LOral doing for men and mens grooming? And then someone on the LOral team told me, Im glad you asked that. We actually have Brandstorm coming u p. Brandstorm is a case competition and this years theme is Disrupting Mens Grooming. And so I was like, Maybe we can take advantage of thisAfter that, Jordan and some of his friends from Howard came up with a product, a business plan, and a pitch presentation. Their product, Noir, was a set of black soap and cocoa butter products tailored to the multicultural community, specifically at college-aged men. (Part of their proposal was to do a soft launch at HBCUs to get feedback from a diverse group.)We submitted our idea and we were chosen to compete in the USA Finals here in New York. And we were competing against seven other teams for a chance to compete in the International Finals, and we ended up winning the USA Finals. We went to France in the summer of 2017 to pitch our idea against 45 teams from around the world to the executives of LOral, he says.Even though Jordan and his team received great feedback in Paris, they didnt end up winning the top spot.We didnt win top 3, but we didnt have hard feelings We loved the teams we competed against, and it was a great, healthy competition, Jordan adds. It was also a week in Paris in the middle of summer. Whats better than that? (As anyone who has ever been to Paris knows, the answer is absolutely nothing.)But his results were mucksmuschenstill strong enoughand his presentation good enoughto merit a different kind of prize.How Jordan Got The Job OfferJordan presenting his teams winning product at Brandstorms USA finals.Just being in Paris at the competition put the teams on the radar for employment at LOral, no matter where you were coming from, Jordan explains. We learned a lot about how the company worked. We talked about the innovation, some of the artificial intelligence LOral was trying to incorporate into their products. From there we learned about the Marketing Associate Program.After a few conversational interviews about Jordans interests and career aspirations, LOral extended Jordan an offer to join the pr ogram after he graduated the following springan offer he enthusiastically accepted. With the Brandstorm competition behind him and plenty of new ideas for the company buzzing in his head after seeing a worlds worth of innovative pitches, Jordan had plenty to talk about.It really did help that I was in the competition. When I had my two rounds of interviews, I was really able to speak to that, Jordan says.From Competitor To Future LeaderJordan and his biggest fan (a.k.a his dad) in Paris.Even though Jordan was a perfect fit for LOral (and vice versa), it wasnt something he ever really imagined for himself.I cant say this is where I ever imagined myself, but when you break it down in terms of businessI have a business degree from Howardthis is an international company that operates in more than 150 countries, Jordan says. There are engineering and STEM jobs at LOral, too. Thats something thats really important. Everyone has a place here, and thats something that not everyone realizes. A lot of people just think makeup and hair when they think of LOral, but there really is a lot more going on.As Jordan tells it, the intersection of tapping into a multicultural market, international business, and entrepreneurship aligned perfectly with his interests.What theyre preparing us for is to be leaders within the organization, and thats something I can definitely see, Jordan says.Jordans story isnt an uncommon one for LOral. Every year, they host their Brandstorm competition to hear from the newest generation of rising college talent and to let entrepreneurs show them whats next.By the way, this years Brandstorm competition is looking for new competitors right now through January 2019. So, gather your team, start brainstorming, and prepare to give the pitch of a lifetime. It might just land you your dream job.Want to see more fun facts, videos, and amazing job and internship opportunities? Learn more about LOral on WayUp now