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Texas Instruments (TI) is looking for new talent, and the maker of digital signal processing and analog technologies is casting a wide net. "We definitely don't want to ignore anybody," says Taiwan Brown, manager of student sourcing and selection.
Fostering diversity is a key part of the company's mission as it focuses on reinvigorating its workforce, Brown says. She notes that TI works with Inroads, the international organization that develops talented minority youth for business and industry positions. "This year, we brought in more students for internships and co-ops than we have in the past several years," she says. "One of the things that we're taking into consideration is the aging workforce, so we want to make sure that we get new people, new talent, new ideas."
New hires, as well as interns and co-ops, join a company that offers a range of diversity activities. The TI Diversity Network, for example, includes many affinity groups, which the company calls "initiatives." There are groups focused on the concerns of black employees, women, the gay and lesbian community, and lots of other cultural and geographic similarities. There is also an initiative for employees who either have disabilities or have dependents with disabilities.
The company also has formed diversity teams and named diversity directors to address specific issues within its various business units. Representatives of TI's diversity initiatives often serve on recruiting teams. Members of the black employee initiative mentor African American co-ops, attending several workshops with them over the summer and then staying in touch when they go back to school. TI interns and co-ops "definitely will see people that look like them" at TI, says Brown.
Currently about 80 percent of TI's new recruits are EEs, but the company also courts computer, computer science, physics, and chemical and mechanical engineering majors. Brown, who manages the university relations program and recruits co-ops and interns, says the company views its student program as its pipeline for future engineering employees.
"We have targeted various universities across the country to recruit students," she says. "We try to have students come to TI for multiple internships and co-ops, so they can get exposure to the company. They may come in as a sophomore and continue on, and acquire more knowledge that they can actually apply to the job."
TI partners with a range of universities, including North Carolina AT&T, historically black colleges and universities like Prairie View A&M and Southern University, and schools that serve Hispanics, like the University of Puerto Rico. The relationship varies with each institution depending on the school's needs, Brown says. For example, when faculty at the University of Puerto Rico realized that students would benefit from more professional development courses, TI responded with workshops for co-ops on time management and other professional skills in addition to engineering work.
Co-ops and interns who show leadership qualities are tapped for TI's "Campus Star" program, which has them making presentations to student organizations at their campuses to help TI's recruitment efforts. For the past two years TI has also offered a retreat in the fall for leaders of student organizations at some of the targeted schools. "We bring them to TI and do company overviews and tours of the facility so they get a real appreciation for the company, its technologies and values," Brown says.
TI also provides personnel to serve on campus advisory councils and help influence engineering curriculum. Additionally, it sponsors scholarships and fellowships and furnishes laboratory equipment.
Another component of TI's recruitment strategy is to help build up the faculties at its partnership schools. TI employees often serve as adjunct faculty at local universities and community colleges and help to recruit skilled technicians, some of whom go on to become engineers. Alternatively, faculty members may spend time at TI, then take what they learn back to their academic institutions. "We want to have a consistent and stable presence at universities, so our reputation will stay strong," Brown says.
Brown notes that analog engineers at entry level and up are hard to find. "Our analog business units invest a lot of dollars in making sure that some of our key targeted universities have the curriculum that we need," she says. "We really work very closely with them to make sure that we're aligned."
TI assists employees who go back to school for continuing education. The company also stresses the importance of work/life balance. TI is a performance-based company, so flexible scheduling is available "as long as you're getting results," says Brown.
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www.ti.com
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Headquarters: |
Dallas, TX |
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Employees: |
35,000 worldwide, 20,000 in the Americas |
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Revenues: |
$12.6 billion in 2004 |
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Business: |
Digital signal processing and analog technologies |
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