Building your brand is an important part of your relationship with Darden. Many of our companies participate in some or all of the following activities:
- Recruiting at on-Grounds events
- Conducting targeted events
- Connecting with student clubs
- Advertising your company and/or your events
- Supporting school-wide events
- Becoming a Corporate Sponsor
- Speaking opportunities at Darden
- Leveraging alumni and interns
On-Grounds Recruiting Events
Your presence on-Grounds creates an impact and is an important part of building your brand. See our suggested recruiting events, which includes briefings, networking nights, office hours and sponsorship of First Coffee.
Conducting Targeted Events
In addition to the typical events, many companies choose to conduct events targeted to specific student populations or clubs. Examples of some events include industry/functional workshops, résumé reviews, dinner at local restaurants for a targeted club such as MBA Women International (MBAWI) and “poker night” with the consulting club. These events may be hosted at Darden or at a local venue. Your employer relations manager (ERM) or any member of the Darden team can brainstorm ideas with you. We encourage you to work with your ERM to schedule your events (even those occurring off-Grounds) in order to avoid scheduling conflicts.
Connecting with Student Clubs
Darden students are actively engaged in student affinity and career-related clubs. Our directory of club officers provides you with contact information for direct access to club leaders. Most clubs organize industry or functional conferences and workshops for students. Companies engage with clubs in a variety of ways including:
- Participating in club conferences as speakers and panelists
- Financially supporting club events
- Offering career-related workshops
- Hosting students on treks or company visits
- Conducting/sponsoring case competition
Advertising Your Company and/or Your Events
There are two ways to effectively advertise your company at Darden.
- Darden students publish a bimonthly newspaper called the Cold Call Chronicle (CCC) that nearly all members of the community read. You can advertise your company, your recruiting needs and/or your events in the CCC and be sure of broad exposure. Contact Sonali Kripalani, of the Cold Call Chronicle, for details.
- The CDC can also distribute electronic flyers to all students or to a targeted group. Speak to your ERM for further information.
Supporting School-wide Events
A few select companies partner with Darden to sponsor high-impact school-wide events. Examples include orientation, picnics, admitted-students events and diversity events.
Becoming a Corporate Sponsor
Corporate Sponsorship provides companies an opportunity to support the educational mission of the school and allows these companies to:
- Increase corporate visibility at Darden
- Access Darden’s top talent
- Gain a competitive edge in recruiting
Contact Casey Floyd to learn more.
Speaking Opportunities at Darden
To address Darden students, faculty and staff directly, consider participating in one of Darden’s many speaking opportunities.
Leveraging Alumni and Interns
The most successful recruiting companies leverage their employees that are Darden alumni by sending them to Grounds for many of the events mentioned. Our alumni are passionate about supporting your efforts.
In addition, we strongly encourage companies to create a summer internship program and then use that summer intern to support your full-time, second-year recruiting efforts.