Assignment
When the California-based company Intel was founded in 1968, computers were room-sized machines, and most people thought that chips were made of chocolate. Today, Intel rings up $54 billion in annual sales from the production of chips that put computing power into all kinds of digital products for home, office, and factory use. The company also creates cloud computing systems for banks, businesses, and educational institutions. To stay ahead of demand for its chips and services, Intel adds 1,000 new positions annually to its worldwide workforce, currently at 43,000 employees. It uses a variety of high-tech and inperson recruiting methods to recruit candidates who have what it takes to succeed in Intel's fast-paced work environment. On campus, recruiters carry iPads with special software so that they can input key details for each student they meet, including name, grades, and courses taken, along with notes about specific job interests. This replaces the blizzard of paper résumés that Intel used to receive during the campus recruiting season. Because students' profiles appear in Intel's companywide system almost immediately, human resources personnel can match candidates with appropriate job opportunities and get in touch the day after a campus meeting, compared with a delay of a week or more under the old paper-based process.
Intel also invites students, recent graduates, and experienced workers to search its job database online or using a smartphone app. Visitors to its LinkedIn career pages can network informally with recruiters in the "student lounge," click to learn more about current job openings, and read testimonials from current employees. Intel's Facebook recruiting pages list job opportunities by country. The firm also spreads the word about job openings via Twitter messages, blog posts, and periodic recruiting podcasts. These social-media recruiting efforts add a personal touch and cast a wide net to reach a diverse pool of potential candidates. Intel has been testing virtual career fairs to extend its student contact. Instead of traveling to a campus and sitting at a recruiting table for an hour or two, Intel managers stay in the office and exchange online messages with students who "attend" remotely from their computers. During a two-hour virtual career fair, Intel recruiters may exchange messages with 400 students and receive more than 600 résumés. Also, Intel hosts webinars about how to write a résumé, what to expect on an interview, and other careerdevelopment topics, ending with a question-and-answer session for one-to-one communication. Because of Intel's global operations and the constant drive for innovation, the work is both challenging and exciting.
"Many days start at 6 a.m. and don't end until 10 p.m. to accommodate the different time zones," says one human resources manager. To reward employees for their hard work, Intel offers a comprehensive benefits package. In addition, employees who have been with Intel for at least seven years are eligible to take an eight-week paid sabbatical. This allows employees to pursue personal interests and then return to the company with renewed enthusiasm. Colleagues are cross-trained to handle an employee's duties during sabbatical periods, creating new opportunities to hone teamwork and personal skills. Intel regularly appears on Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, and it has also been recognized as an outstanding employer by Working Mother and other publications. Not surprisingly, employee turnover is very low, and the company receives 100 applications for every open position. No matter how technology changes, Intel will need to attract and retain talented employees to keep its competitive edge.
Questions
1. How do job candidates and Intel managers benefit when the company accepts résumés electronically instead of using printed résumés?
2. Why would Intel
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of relying on virtual career fairs for initial contact with students instead of personal meetings on campus?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.