During a memorable year full of firsts (pandemic, wearing a mask, working remotely, doing virtual school etc.), the Talent Brand Alliance had their own first, and it was a great one — the inaugural year for the Talent Brand Alliance Awards. The goal of the awards is to recognize practitioners who do amazing work determined by a group of noteworthy practitioners who themselves have impressive track records and experience. That’s right, peer-to-peer vetted awards. The competition was fierce!
Who were the judges?
Our 2020 TBA board had the honor of judging the contest. The board consisted of nine practitioners across industries including consumer packaged goods, financial services, technology, transportation, education, and medicine — both in-house corporate and agency professionals.
(from top, left to right) Aaron Kraljev, Zakiya Nashid, Derek Murphy-Johnson, Audra Knight, Lindsey Sanford, Noelle Holdsworth, Will Staney, Holland McCue, and Bryan Chaney
How were practitioners nominated and selected as winners?
Practitioners nominated other practitioners, free of charge. Nominees were chosen for their immense contributions to their companies in the evolving quest to attract and hire top talent. Nominees are people who inspire other professionals to think creatively and courageously in this space. Congratulations to all of our winners. You are paving the way with excellence! To hear directly from our winners, watch their acceptance speeches below.
Best Social Media Handle/Account of the Year – Dave Wilson, Blizzard Entertainment
Social media is typically the most visible aspect of our talent brands, and included handles on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Linkedin. Voice, tone, and most importantly organic engagement are key considerations - above follower count - for the Talent Brand Award nominees.
Show off your award proudly, Dave! Many companies have social media platforms, but it takes skill and finesse to highlight the differentiators in a memorable way. Dave does a world-class job of showing that people from all walks of life can belong at #Blizzlife. Oh, did I mention that Dave and his team generated more than 8,000 impressions on Twitter alone?! Watch his acceptance here.
Most Creative Campaign/Media of the Year — Lauren Hodgson, Pluralsight
Most Creative Campaign/Media; The goal is to tell engaging stories, but also to encourage and incite measurable actions from our audience. All media formats and channels were considered for this category.
If you work within talent acquisition in any capacity, you know that hiring top talent quickly is hard. Very hard. A creative campaign always helps, which is exactly what Lauren and the team at Pluralsight had. And their results showcase their campaign’s success. The company hired more than 30 professionals through their campaign and increased traffic to its career site by 50%. Keep blowing your goals out of the water!
Best Solo Talent Brander of the Year - Tony Prudente, Brother Inc.
Solo Talent Brander: a team of one, with marketing, communications, branding, and most importantly internal relationship skills to get things done. The nominees in this category move mountains every day.
Not only did Tony Prudente win Solo Talent Brander of the Year, we think he should win the unofficial Best Dressed award too. He often pairs a set of sequin shoes or a bright jacket with his dazzling personality. Watch his acceptance speech to better understand why it wasn’t just luck, charm, or eye-catching shoes that earned him the Best Solo Talent Brander award.
Talent Brand Team of the Year - Jennifer Candee, Mondelez International
Talent Brand Team: the organizations with collaborative teams are usually focused on larger hiring demands and more complex challenges. That takes coordination of employer value proposition campaigns, recruitment advertising deliverables, and reputation management leadership. The nominees in this category have two or more team members focused exclusively on their talent attraction program.
With so many different people “rowing the boat,” as they say, it can be hard to get everyone motivated to row together — especially during a pandemic. However, Mondelez International shined in this area. They worked as a cohesive team and successfully launched their global EVP. They set a high bar and have no plans of scaling back or slowing down their success.
When fellow practitioners come together, creative sparks fly. Last year our annual Talent Brand Alliance Summit went virtual for the first time, and the attendees were just as excited to connect digitally. This year, we are planning three virtual events, including one in October for our members across the UK and European countries. but we are looking forward to the magic and fun that comes from connecting in person for a few days of inspiring interactions. Were just a few months away!
Tickets are opening soon for the April 20 - 22 event. Be prepared for an interactive gathering full of actionable insights and ideas and infectious energy. This is not your average conference - we facilitate many opportunities for you to connect with peers to explore what other talent branders are doing in the space. We talk shop and discuss real, specific challenges we are facing. As you meet people, keep an eye on those who inspire you so you’re ready to submit your nominations for the 2021 Talent Brand Alliance Awards!
About our TBA Member, Jillian Terrill
Jillian Terrill is currently a Talent Brand Specialist responsible for overseeing human resource branding initiatives to promote Ellucian as an employer of choice. During her four-year tenure at Ellucian, she managed the global internship program which earned a #2 ranking for Tech and Engineering Internships in the 2019 Vault report. Jillian also serves as co-lead for the Prism (LGBTQIA+), Salute (veterans and supporters), and Harmony (Asian & Island Pacific) employee resource groups and leads the Ellucian partnership with Year Up.
Prior to joining Ellucian, Jillian earned her master’s in social work concentrating in gerontology at the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s in social work from Christopher Network University.