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For the third year in a row, the ����ֱ�� Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, has won an , an online recruiting platform for college students and recent alumni. Given to just 180 out of the more than 900,000 companies that use the platform, the award recognizes employers of choice for Generation Z job seekers.

Handshake works with more than 1,500 colleges and institutions, has more than 15 million student users and works with employers to achieve its mission to “help every student find the right job, no matter where they’re from or who they know.” Handshake commended APL for having managers who care, being mission-driven and fostering structured mentorship opportunities.

These attributes align with APL’s core values, noted Meredith Barclay, who leads talent acquisition for the Laboratory. “It’s exciting to see that our early-career talent is receptive to our core values and appreciates them,” she said. “The culture at the Lab is a key component in recruiting and is something we intentionally discuss in all our student engagements.”

The Early Talent Award is based on platform activity rather than nominations. APL’s Talent Services Department uses Handshake to source and build relationships with students and early-career alumni from educational institutions, including four-year colleges, community colleges and minority-serving institutions. Over the last year, the Laboratory has conducted 200 recruiting campaigns that have reached more than 279,000 candidates, resulting in 31,930 applications.

APL has leveraged the platform not only to expand its early-talent pipeline but also to deepen its engagement with the nation’s diverse STEM talent pool. Fifty-nine percent of applications through Handshake are from students from demographics underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. And, through targeted campaigns, the Laboratory has recruited 822 applicants from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and 4,163 from Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

“The ability to do research and work on many innovative projects during your early career is really appealing,” said Joe Ames, APL’s college recruiting manager. “Students coming out of college want to be able to explore and not be put into a ‘box’ with mundane tasking. At APL, they get the ability to innovate and work on impactful tasks every day.”