Aramark has received an Early Talent Award from Handshake, the top job platform for early career job seekers. This year, Aramark was selected out of nearly 1 million employers using Handshake to engage students and drive positive career outcomes, and this award celebrates the best employers for those beginning their professional careers. 

An important partner with Aramark since 2020, Handshake seeks to democratize access to job opportunities for students. Its community includes over 15 million students and young alumni from more than 1,500 educational institutions, including four-year colleges, community colleges, boot camps, and more than 300 minority-serving institutions. 

Handshake selects award winners annually not based on the size of a company’s Early Careers program, but based on who uses their tools to intentionally connect, engage, and hire early talent. The awards focus on companies who meet performance objectives proven to deliver better outcomes for early career jobseekers, reaffirming our commitment to helping students thrive. This year, Aramark outperformed its competitors in key categories like how well we engaged students, our brand presence, event participation, and building key relationships. In other words, we get early talent!  

Aramark’s Talent Acquisition Team especially takes pride in its ongoing efforts to recruit early talent and provide a diverse, equitable, and inclusive place to start a career.  

“Leaders must create an inclusive workplace that accepts and encourages their teams to be exactly who they are so they’re comfortable bring their best and whole selves to the table,” Leah Gleason, Vice President, Talent Acquisition – Centralized Support & Innovation, explains. “For early talent, I’m passionate about providing that diverse experience. Students often entre the workforce knowing what they want their careers to look like. However, it’s those diverse experiences and opportunities that can show them new paths and provide an opportunity to grow.” 

Not only does Aramark employ thousands of students throughout the country, but we’ve also developed two unique programs for current students and recent graduates. 

Our Step Up to Leadership (S2L) paid summer internship program allows current underclassmen to pursue what matters through exposure to impactful work that provides them with valuable insights, mentorship, and experience for building a career. For college and university students who have recently graduated, our Accelerate to Leadership (A2L) program provides early talent with the resources and experience necessary to launch an accelerated career path with Aramark. 

“The A2L Program has created a space where I am actively learning every single day,” A2L Class of 2024 graduate Asya shares. “This can range from learning on the job to learning in different leadership and professional development courses.” 

Ready to pursue what matters and jump-start your career at one of the best places for those starting their careers? We’re looking for top students and graduates to join our S2L and A2L programs.

Curious about Aramark’s partnership with Handshake? Read here!