Whirlpool

Leaders, pay attention! When Brian Wesley and his colleagues from Whirlpool look for future coworkers they keep their eyes open for bright, intelligent, and motivated individuals. They put a strong focus on candidates with leadership potential. Ability to bring in new ideas is also high on their agenda. “We want people who can clearly communicate their thoughts and ideas, and as
they progress in their career here, will be comfortable presenting to our leadership team,” Brian explains.

A fascination first triggered by that childhood PC returned in full force when Annan chose his course of study at Drexel University—a master’s in software engineering. An internship at Siemens Medical Solutions will complement his degree.

Q: Whirlpool is interested in future leaders. How can you tell if someone has those characteristics?

A: We evaluate their work/internship experience. In addition, many candidates already have leadership experience from their university – through either student government or their extracurricular activities. It is important that candidates serve as leaders within those organizations, not just as members. Those experiences are a definite plus.

Q: Could you tell us more about what you do at work?

A: I am the University Relations Leader for Whirlpool Corporation’s U.S. functions. I have accountability for the College & Diversity Recruitment and Internship Programs and their respective strategic sourcing and branding strategies. I also have cross functional leadership accountability for the organization’s Leadership Development Programs based in the U.S. Building and maintaining strong relationships with University faculty is always top priority for me.

Q: How does the first month usually look for a new employee at Whirlpool?

A: New hires participate in an orientation, which gives an overview of Whirlpool, its history, and culture. They also begin to work within their leadership development program based on their respective function. We want to make sure our on-boarding process has the appropriate structure, including continuous training and development to ensure our program participants have
the tools they need to be successful.

Q: What is your advice to students and young professionals who want to work for Whirlpool?

A: Try to learn about what we’re doing beyond simply reading the website. Check out business and trade publications that cover Whirlpool. We are a large global organization and the world leader in innovation for our products, yet a lot of people don’t know that. I see a candidate differentiate themselves when they ask me about a topic like our product development or other innovative initiatives we’re working on. That shows me their interest in the company. Do your homework!

Q: Can you give any examples of concrete diversity projects within your company?

A: From a recruiting perspective, we’re building a robust diversity recruiting strategy for not only campus talent, but also professional hires. We attend several diversity conferences (e.g., the National Black MBA Association, National Society of Hispanic MBA Association, Society of Women Engineers, etc.) to ensure we’re capturing top talent for leadership opportunities within our organization. We also have a Global Director of Diversity who works on organizational diversity strategies.

Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $18 billion, and more than 70 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. www.whirlpool.com