In an article by Kelley M. Butler called "Put Me In Coach," a HR policy from the Houston, Texas-based National Oilwell Varco is discussed: "NFL-style recruiting." Officially titled the NextGen program, twice each year Lindsy Williamson, NOV's manager for college-minded hiring, puts between 25 and 30 recruits through a company "training camp." Over the following 12 months, each recruit will have completed four three-month training rotations -- in which they are referred to as "teams" -- within NOV, which has more than 550 locations worldwide. In effect since 2004, these recruits are eventually drafted by company divisions the way a college football player would be drafted by one of the National Football League teams, as the drafting parties carry "draft books" of skills and other attributes on the available personnel.

Prior to the training and subsequent draft, there is a lot of preparation from Williamson and crew. First comes recruiting at nearly a dozen colleges around the Midwest and Southwest, most of which universities with large attendance numbers. Eventually the hundreds of resumes received are whittled down further via on-campus interviews, and later in-person interviews in Houston. In the midst of these training rotations, dinners and happy hours on the company's dime are to be expected as NOV representatives wish to get acquainted with these recruits. As stated in a particular instance by Butler, some NOV divisions may choose not to draft any of these recruits, while another may take a half-dozen in a particular year. However, a 75% to 80% placement rate of recruits in NOV is the status quo.

According to Williamson, word of mouth is beginning to spread about this unique arrangement, with college grads now applying from schools that NOY did not visit. It will be interesting to see if more companies will be noting this approach and seeing how they can adapt it for their HR department.