melissa salva

At this small women's college in southwest Virginia, I was able to apply my recently earned Counseling degree to the coordination of transfer student recruitment and management of a nine-state recruiting territory (primarily in the Northeast).

* This position allowed me to provide enterprise-wide, strategic direction to the university recruiting function for the purpose of strengthening Aetna’s pipeline of diverse, early-in-career talent. I led a team of University Relations recruiters to enhance and improve the undergraduate hiring process and summer internship program. I also directly managed all aspects of our graduate student recruitment efforts, including developing strategy * conducting first-round campus interviews * recommending highly qualified candidates to hiring managers for consideration * delivering and negotiating offers * and coordinating all aspects of Aetna's formal Graduate Summer Associate Program.

In this role, I collaborated on a team charged with creating programs and resources that supported the continued growth and development of Aetna’s 32K+ employees, from senior leaders to individual contributors. I leveraged knowledge of adult learning theory, an understanding of Aetna company culture, and advanced organizational skills to both develop and execute high visibility learning interventions.

I had the opportunity to serve CIGNA's University Relations function in a variety of roles. This highly structured and well-funded department was where I learned the "ropes" of college recruiting, from developing and managing relationships with targeted universities, to conducting effective behavioral interviews, to anticipating and serving the needs of multiple internal and external customers.

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Sigma Pi