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Finding and Nurturing Tomorrow's Innovators Drives Appian's Campus Recruiting and Advisory Board Programs

Staff, Appian
September 20, 2013

Summer has officially come to an end, and there are plenty of signs that fall has arrived. Back to school for the kids, shorter days, and my personal favorite, the start of a new football season. But for Appian, perhaps the biggest sign of the changing seasons is the extra bit of excitement around the office for the start of campus recruiting.

Over the next few weeks, members of Appian's recruiting team will get to know the Class of 2014 in a series of campus recruitment activities at many of the nation's top STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and Liberal Arts institutions. Our team, led by Appian Chief Technology Officer Michael Beckley, has already participated in career fairs at the University of Virginia, Duke University, and William and Mary, and will also visit schools such as the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Dartmouth College.

Appian takes great pride in its college recruiting efforts because we prize aptitude over experience when searching for the next crop of software industry innovators. "When your mission is to transform an industry, your team can't be hindered by a reliance on the status quo," Beckley says. "We think as deeply about people and culture as we do about the technology tools to institutionalize new business models."

In addition to a tremendous recruiting program, we're helping to facilitate the growth of tomorrow's tech leaders through our participation in a series of higher education and high school advisory boards. Through this effort, Appian provides guidance and counsel to students charged with developing the technologies of tomorrow.

According to Beckley, these programs are a "win-win" for Appian and more importantly, for the students involved. "We feel a responsibility to aid the education of these students, and to help them understand how their passion for technology can create meaningful and prosperous careers for them, and a better world for all of us," he says. "At the same time, it is a chance for these students to be exposed to Appian, and if they like what they see, it increases the chances that they will want to apply their talents within our organization post-graduation."

Appian sits on advisory boards and sponsors a variety of programs at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

As someone not too far removed from the post-grad job hunt, I was blown away to learn of these efforts. Looking for your first job out of college is an unfamiliar, stressful, and to be honest, scary time for upperclassmen. There's no class that can prepare you for it, and a struggling economy does not make things any easier.

It must be very reassuringfor students toknow there is a company that is heavily invested in recruiting talent with a strong passion fortechnology innovation. Bystressing aptitude over experience, soon-to-be college graduates and aspiring high school students gain confidence that they can land a job in the often intimidating information technology industry.

At each campus event, the Appian recruiting team strives to make sure they find the best talent to lead our company into the future. More importantly, Appian wants theseindividuals to know that from day one at Appian, they will be immersed in an atmosphere where "the best idea wins" and everyone has the right to amaze their peers.

To learn more about the exciting recruiting efforts planned this fall, be sure to visit our University Recruiting page. We're coming to a campus near you!

Mike Ingrisano

Media Relations Manager

Mike Ingrisano