Interview with…
Odesa Stapleton, Director of Talent Management, Verizon Communications

How do you define your employer brand in one or two words?

Some keywords that describe our brand: innovation, people-focused, tech-savvy, global, and dynamic

What differentiates you from your competitors?

The commitment to our employees passes on to customers, giving them a world class experience, both in the job market and in the consumer market. This is one of the reasons we find the number one people to work for Verizon. Potential employees feel if you get a job here, you are important to us and the growth and development of our business, which is in line with our desire to produce the best products.

What are you working on right now?

We are always working on attracting top college talent and developing our relationships in the colleges, with career placement offices and student bodies. We know the Verizon of the future depends on the future of today’s talent, and by working together with the enterprise to reach out to campus talent and manage our relationships on campus, we hope to capture that talent.

What new initiatives have you developed?

We try to address what we hear and what the students want. We are in the process of a making a Leadership Corner, which features our leaders that are most active in the company. The Leadership Corner gives more personal insight into who Verizon is, and is linked to our career site. We are creating an impression for students to feel that people at Verizon are innovative and engaging in unique opportunities.

We are also creating a full-scale social responsibility center where students can interact with company leaders, focusing on going green, helping the community, and helping kids become better educated.

How does the talent market perceive you as an employer?

 Research shows that the talent market evolves like we evolve as an organization. We have moved up in BusinessWeek’s “Best Places to Launch your Career” rankings and are top-ranked in Diversity Inc. for best diversity practices.