TL;DR: Autodesk partnered with PowerToFly to solve a common tech hiring challenge: lots of inbound applications, not enough qualified or diverse candidates. Through dedicated hiring events, employer branding content, and access to an engaged talent pipeline, Autodesk made 30 hires, saw 85% retention at five years, and boosted candidate willingness to consider employment by 55%.
Hiring for mid-senior tech roles is tough right now. There’s no shortage of applicants, but finding the right people, especially those who bring both deep technical skills and diverse perspectives, is a different story.
That’s exactly the challenge Autodesk was facing. As customer demand grew, the company needed to fill full-stack, front-end, and machine learning engineer positions across the US and Canada, fast. And they wanted to do it in a way that expanded their applicant pools beyond the usual suspects.
Here’s how Autodesk worked with PowerToFly to make that happen.
The challenge: high application volume, low qualified pipeline
Autodesk wasn’t struggling to attract attention. Applications were pouring in. The problem was that most weren’t the right fit, especially for specialized roles like principal software engineers, senior UX designers, and machine learning engineers. These are senior-level positions that require deep expertise, and filling them quickly was becoming a bottleneck.
On top of that, the company wanted to reach candidates who identify as women, Black, and Latinx; groups that are historically underrepresented in tech, and could potentially bring fresh ideas and perspectives to a company looking for innovation. Standard job boards were delivering volume, but not the diversity or quality Autodesk was looking for. The talent was out there, but traditional recruiting channels weren’t reaching them.
Autodesk needed a partner who could connect them directly with qualified, diverse talent — not just more applicants, but the right ones.
The approach: dedicated events that showcase real technologists
Autodesk partnered with PowerToFly to take a different approach to talent acquisition. One built on genuine connection, not just job distribution.
Through dedicated hiring events with source and screen support, Autodesk was able to showcase the technologists behind some of the world’s most innovative projects: the greenest buildings, the cleanest cars, the smartest factories. These weren’t generic recruiting webinars. They were curated experiences where Autodesk engineers shared first-hand perspectives on the tech projects they’re working on, while inviting attendees to explore career opportunities and discover a workplace where everyone can thrive.
That approach shifted the dynamic. Rather than Autodesk chasing candidates, qualified professionals were coming to them, already engaged and already interested. PowerToFly’s pipeline gave Autodesk direct access to active job seekers while also converting passive candidates into the selection process.
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What the partnership looked like
The collaboration spanned several PowerToFly products, including the PowerPro platform for ongoing visibility, summit and virtual job fair access for broad reach, dedicated events with source and screen support for targeted hiring, and employer branding content to tell Autodesk’s story to an engaged audience of over 20,900 average annual logo views.
This multi-channel approach meant Autodesk wasn’t just posting jobs — they were building a relationship with a community of qualified professionals who already valued diversity and belonging in their careers.
The result: quality hires that stick around
30 hires
across diverse technical roles
55% increase
in willingness to apply
85% of hires
still employed at Autodesk after 5 years
The partnership delivered results that go well beyond headcount:
- 30 hires across roles including principal software engineers, senior UX designers, mobile developers, and senior technical program managers.
- An average of 5 hires within 6 weeks of each event, demonstrating real acceleration in time-to-hire.
- 85% of hires still employed at Autodesk after 5 years, a retention rate that speaks to the quality of match, not just speed of placement.
- A 55% increase in willingness to consider Autodesk as an employer after attending an event.
- Up to 20% of hires promoted within 1–2 years, showing these weren’t just good hires, they were high-potential ones.
“I’ve been at my current company for 6 years and I’m beginning to network for my next engagement. Autodesk just shot to the top of my list!” — Event attendee
Why it worked: connection over distribution
The numbers tell a clear story, but the approach is what made the difference. Instead of blasting job listings to a broad audience, Autodesk used PowerToFly to create moments where real engineers and designers could share what it’s actually like to work there. That authenticity is what turned passive candidates into active applicants, and active applicants into long-term employees.
The retention numbers back this up. When candidates get a transparent look at a company’s culture and the work they’d be doing before they even apply, the result is a stronger mutual fit. That’s why 85% of hires from this partnership are still with Autodesk five years later, and why so many have been promoted.
For companies hiring in competitive tech markets, the takeaway is straightforward: when you give candidates a genuine look inside your culture and your work, the right people show up. And they stay.
Ready to build a stronger hiring pipeline?
Learn how PowerToFly’s dedicated events and employer branding solutions can help you reach qualified, diverse candidates.
