Employer Success Stories
See how hiring teams at companies like Microsoft, Trane Technologies, and Smith+Nephew used paid project work to solve a specific early-career hiring problem.
EARLY TALENT IDENTIFICATION & EMPLOYER BRANDING
Thunderhead Engineering: A Niche Software Firm Got in Front of Students Who'd Never Heard of It
A small software company in Manhattan, Kansas couldn't compete with big-name employers' nationwide hiring programs. Paid projects put it in front of students across the country, and one became a full-time hire in a role Thunderhead created for him.
CANDIDATE ENGAGEMENT & RENEGE REDUCTION
Trane Technologies: How Project Work Turned a Zero-Hire Campus Into Accepted Offers
Years of branding at the University of South Carolina hadn't produced a single hire. After hosting a few paid projects, Trane made multiple hires the next year, and those students told their peers about the company.
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SKILLS-BASED HIRING & ASSESSMENT
FleetCor: A Two-Week Working Interview Cut One VP's Hiring Process in Half
Ashlie Summer wanted more to go on than resumes for a data analyst role. She chose five applicants based on their short-answer responses and gave them the same real project. Within two weeks, she knew who to bring into interviews.
SKILLS-BASED HIRING & ASSESSMENT
M. Holland: How a Plastics Distributor Hires Without Temp-to-Perm or Search Firm Fees
With Baby Boomers retiring, M. Holland needed junior talent who could grow with the company. One two-week credit project stretched to three months and ended in a full-time hire.
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SKILLS-BASED HIRING & ASSESSMENT
Microsoft: What One Team Learned About a Candidate From a Single Project
A Microsoft team brought on a student for help with a project, not to fill a role. By the end, they had seen her work ethic and skills up close and had an inside track on hiring her.
EARLY-CAREER RECRUITING STRATEGY
Smith+Nephew: A School-Agnostic Recruiting Test Produced Five Hires at 70% Lower Cost
Alison Keefe wanted to recruit beyond the campuses Smith+Nephew usually visited. A sales-pitch project let her test the idea with 12 candidates, and the results made the case: five full-time hires and a cost-per-hire more than 70% lower.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING & INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
Xylem: Turning a 15-Project Pilot Into a Company-Wide Feeder Program
Xylem's early-career recruiting centered on four focus schools. Parker Dewey designed and ran a project-based program where candidates do real work for Xylem teams. The pilot drew 480+ applicants from nearly 300 schools and now feeds Xylem's summer internships and rotational programs.
ON-DEMAND PROJECT TALENT
Ellipsis Construction: A Solo Founder Handed Off 250+ Hours of Work Before Her First Hire
Yvette Roman launched her commercial construction firm on her own and wasn't ready to hire full-time. Paid projects covered invoicing, marketing, and software setup at about $300 each.
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ON-DEMAND PROJECT TALENT
HubSpot: Getting the Work That Always Gets Brushed Aside Done Without Adding Headcount
Chris Riley's developer advocates had operational work that kept slipping. He weighed a new hire, an agency, and a traditional intern, but ultimately posted paid projects instead which he found easier to get approved, set up, and run.
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ON-DEMAND PROJECT TALENT
Farmers National Bank: Getting Competitive Research Done Without Sharing Confidential Data
Market research kept sinking to the bottom of the HR team's list, and confidentiality made Brittany Kerchersky hesitant to hand work outside the bank. A market-share project that needed no sensitive data came back with detailed spreadsheets on the bank's footprint.
ON-DEMAND PROJECT TALENT
TMS International: Why a Steel Company's Commercial Team Brought the Same Student Back Three Times
Neal Dasgupta's team needed help recruiting for entry- to mid-level roles. The student he brought on showed them a different way to reach younger candidates, and the team kept bringing him back for new projects.