How Organizations Are Building Scalable Alumni Networks

When frontline roles go unfilled at organizations delivering essential services, talent acquisition teams are forced to rethink how they hire, rehire, and retain. 

Such was the case at one global childcare provider that depends on having exceptionally qualified teachers and caregivers in its classrooms. When their centers reopened after the pandemic, they not only had to hire fast — they also needed the best educators their communities had to offer.

The company’s Director of Candidate Experience and Early Talent shared how partnering with Phenom helped the organization appeal to alumni employees. The strategy? Ensure “boomerang” candidates (alumni employees) felt like they were coming home — not starting over.

The effort changed how their team thinks about long-term talent relationships. “Some of our best people are alumni,” she explained. “We just needed to make it easier for them to come back.”

Why did post-pandemic hiring push this company to rethink alumni engagement?

As centers reopened between 2021 and 2022, hiring demands rose sharply. Their teams were navigating uncharted waters, refilling roles from temporary closures, and keeping pace with ongoing, network-wide turnover.

Their challenge wasn’t the candidates’ lack of interest. They just couldn’t hire fast enough. Every delay meant classrooms stayed closed longer, leaving families and communities without an essential resource.

Alumni employees were a natural solution. Former employees already understood the work, the expectations, and the mission. Many had left the organization as top performers. “They already know us,” the leader explained. “They know what we’re asking them to do, and they know the impact of the role.”

Before launching a formal network, the company's alumni re-engagement strategy varied by location. "It was a little bit of everything everywhere,” she recalled. “There wasn’t a consistent approach across the organization.”

Alumni had to go through the same hiring steps as brand-new candidates. Even former top performers had to complete full interviews and repeat evaluations, despite their past managers already knowing their work. The process added time, but not much new information. “We wanted to take the barriers out of the process wherever we could,” she added.

How did they rethink alumni engagement?

The team decided alumni should have a distinct experience, one that acknowledged their history with the organization while maintaining hiring standards.

Using Phenom, they created a dedicated corporate alumni network, where former employees could use a branded portal to receive relevant updates and view open roles, events, and referrals — all without replicating its full external career site.

“You don’t need a hundred pages,” the leader explained. “You need what’s most relevant to someone who already knows your organization.”

Alongside the alumni site, the company introduced fast-track hiring workflows for returning employees. Instead of moving through the same steps as brand-new candidates, eligible alumni could progress more quickly through applications, eligibility checks, and final hiring stages, reducing delays in getting experienced educators back into classrooms.

The team also built an always-on engagement strategy to maintain relationships beyond individual hiring cycles. Monthly re-engagement campaigns, regular company updates, and targeted event invitations helped keep alumni connected to the organization and ready to return when the timing was right.

How can organizations operationalize alumni hiring at scale?

Turning alumni hiring into a scalable strategy requires more than intent. It needs structure, governance, and automation to operate consistently across locations.

The company uploaded more than 51,000 eligible former employees into their Phenom Talent CRM and launched targeted campaigns inviting them to join a dedicated alumni network. Dynamic lists, alumni-only content, and automated outreach helped the team maintain ongoing engagement without manual effort. Integration with their Workday Applicant Tracking System (ATS) ensured only verified alumni could access the experience.

“When a termination is processed, that triggers an automated email,” the leader explained. “For the most part, it’s very seamless.”

The hiring process itself also changed. Rather than routing alumni through the same steps as first-time candidates, teams rethought where time added value. “If someone received a thumbs-up from their former manager and the hiring manager agreed, we were able to remove the interview step,” she shared.

That shift allowed alumni to move directly into background checks and final hiring stages, accelerating returns to classrooms. “You lose that interview time,” she added, “and that makes a real difference.”

Related: Why You Need Corporate Alumni Software

What results did Phenom Alumni Network deliver?

The initial campaign performance exceeded expectations:

• 17% alumni rehire rate

• 56% email open rate, compared to an 8–10% industry benchmark

• 2x click-through rate on alumni campaigns

• 44% application completion rate among alumni who applied

• +51,000 alumni engaged

• 20% conversion rate from outreach to alumni network signups

The long-term impact was even more telling. “We thought alumni hiring would spike and then drop,” the leader said. “Instead, it’s stayed steady at around 16 to 17 percent of our total hires.” That consistency created stability during a volatile hiring period.

How did alumni engagement extend beyond rehiring?

From the start, the alumni network was designed as an always-on relationship rather than a one-time rehiring tactic. The company uses regular communication to stay connected with former employees, even when they aren’t actively looking to return.

The team runs quarterly newsletters, monthly bounce-back campaigns for recent leavers, and targeted outreach tied to specific locations or hiring needs. Alumni can also refer candidates directly from job pages, extending the network’s value beyond their own return.

“It’s about staying top of mind,” she explained. “Sometimes it hits at exactly the right moment.”

Storytelling plays a role as well. Alumni testimonials feature returning employees sharing why they chose to come back and what the experience felt like. “When I came back, it was seamless,” one teacher shared. “It felt like being back with family again.”

The strategy continues to evolve alongside the organization’s employer brand. “We’re refreshing our EVP,” she noted. “Everything in the alumni network will reflect that.”

Looking ahead, the team is exploring additional ways to apply AI to reduce repetitive work and free recruiters to focus on higher-value interactions. “How else can we automate and simplify?” she asked. “That’s where we’re headed.”

What should HR leaders consider when building an alumni network?

The leader emphasized clarity and focus. “Keep it simple,” she advised. “This doesn’t need to be a full replica of your career site.”

Equally important is alignment. “This is how we’re doing it going forward,” she said. “That consistency matters, for hiring managers, recruiters, and alumni.”

Learn more about  why you need a corporate Alumni Network