I’m always proud to hear of former colleagues finding success in roles outside of EY – and even more so when someone leaves for a role and then returns to us. Like Antonio Lage, who left EY audit practice only to rejoin a few years later and eventually become Latin America’s Deputy Strategy and Transactions Managing Partner and Strategy and Transactions Managing Partner at EY Brazil. Each year, a strong proportion of EY leavers come back to us because we stay in touch and continue to share learnings, better services, connections and experiences — even long after they’ve departed from the organization. In our last fiscal year, more than 16% of our experienced global hires were EY alumni. In the first half of this year, we’re at 15%.
It’s an EY mentality where departure isn’t viewed as a loss, but a chance to start the next phase of a life-long relationship. That’s because EY alumni are placed at the center of an always-connected global network of skilled professionals that gets stronger as it grows.
Recognizing the potential of alumni and investing in them isn’t just about showing kindness to former employees, it’s about building a powerful, mutually beneficial relationship. Today, more than ever, organizations need to realize the value of having a robust alumni network. Here are a few of the reasons why our former EY professionals choose to stay connected as part of the broader EY family.
An always-on advisory board
For alumni, the benefits can include gaining introductions to a new industry, finding a mentor, getting advice as they take on a more senior role or just having someone at the other end of the phone to bounce ideas off.
For EY, our alumni act as advisors and coaches to our people, unlock new opportunities and bring alternative ways of thinking to our service lines and practice areas. They play the critical role of acting as brand ambassadors in the marketplace, often as our most influential EY advocates. There’s no better validator than someone who has worked at our firm sharing the merits of working with us. And the same goes for our testimonials for the work of former employees.
In many ways, our alumni are our most honest audience. Since they know and trust us, they tend to feel comfortable telling us if something works or it doesn’t. For that reason, we regularly look to them to understand if we’re on the right path – particularly as transformation continues to unfold at a rapid pace.
A proven talent pool that’s deep and wide
In today’s world, career mobility has become the norm. In fact, some estimates say the average person now changes jobs as frequently as every two years and nine months. We don’t expect people to stay forever, but we do want them to stay connected – after they've no matter how long they’ve been with us.
When EY professionals leave for a new opportunity, they’re gaining different, in-demand skills and capabilities that often end up coming back to us. This is critical, as our alumni represent a proficient pool of already-vetted talent. Not only is the re-hiring process more streamlined, but these returning candidates are a powerful endorsement that we’re delivering on our promise of supporting exceptional career experiences. As in, their first EY experience was a positive one and they’re looking to further it at a higher level.
Our dynamic careers are constantly evolving to meet clients’ needs. That means the EY organization our alumni left behind is not necessarily the one they’re coming back to. And, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), we can present them with career opportunities that are directly aligned to their skills and experiences.
A culture of life-long learning
Oftentimes when alumni transition to a new industry or move into an entrepreneurial role, they don’t continue to receive the formal training EY provides. Just like the rest of us, our alumni need to upskill with tech and AI capabilities to future-proof their careers – and that’s another reason they want to stay connected.
We tend to have a finger on the pulse of trends and technical knowledge that we can package up for them and provide via webcasts, local events and published reports and thought leadership. We provide customized news and research by sector or other individual preferences – and they can opt out of anything they don’t want to see.
Our bi-annual Global Alumni Survey gathers detailed and valuable insights that help to shape areas like our global talent strategy. We’ve learned what they consider to be the most valuable aspects of the EY experience, including on-the-job learning opportunities, career paths and development, and the overall culture along with the people who embody it.
