Category: Talent Technology

Cutting Time-to-Fill in Half with a Technology-Driven RPO Solution

Posted on by nfuqua
Cutting Time-to-Fill in Half with a Technology-Driven RPO Solution

Tech-Powered RPO

Cutting Time-to-Fill in Half with a Technology-Driven RPO Solution

A large, multi-brand media company in Australia engaged with PeopleScout to develop a tech-powered recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) solution designed to deliver seamless recruitment experiences and provide them with a competitive advantage.

50 % drop in time-to-fill
4 agency brands
EVP development and implementation
EVP development and implementation

Scope and Scale

For the client, candidate care is key, so the model was designed to ensure engaging communication strategies along with consistent employer value proposition (EVP) messaging. All of this had to be underpinned by technology, allowing the recruiters to access sourcing tools, to easily and efficiently move candidates through the process and to manage multiple requisitions at one time. Ultimately, the goals was to find better quality candidates, faster, across the four agencies that made up the media group.

Situation

By implementing a centralized talent acquisition model, aligned to the different brands in the group, the senior leadership team now has access to reporting that gives them a clear picture of where their requirements are, any bottlenecks or challenges and this, in turn, helps with business planning. Prior to the introduction of an RPO, time-to-fill averaged between 42 and 60 days which placed a significant amount of additional pressure on teams and business units with the potential to generate a domino effect of increased vacancies.

Solution

  • Full, end-to-end talent acquisition services
  • Strategic sourcing across every brand and business unit
  • Executive search for senior roles
  • EVP development and implementation
  • Hiring manager training
  • Third-party supplier management
  • Executive reporting
  • Talent community development
  • Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) design and implementation
  • Contract generation for graduates and all solution hires

The deployment of PeopleScout’s complete sourcing and talent management solution in conjunction with our RPO team made an immediate impact on the time-to-fill metric. With advanced sourcing capabilities, powerful automation, a streamlined onboarding solution, detailed reporting insights and CRM capabilities, the solution generated productivity gains that allowed for an improved candidate experience, the optimization of marketing strategies and more effective talent pooling.

Results

Time-to-fill dropped from 60 days to an average of 27 days.

Integrating an experienced recruitment team with media and digital marketing expertise allowed for a smooth transition for the RPO team and the client and established a conversion benchmark above 82% of roles briefed versus placements.

PeopleScout is also focused on process improvement and to target goals around improved staff retention and candidate quality through the introduction of cognitive and behavioural testing, video interviews, a reference checking technology platform and a suite of new technology tools, including artificial intelligence.

Client Feedback

“Since partnering with PeopleScout we’ve seen consistent improvement in the marketing of our brand to potential employees, increased productivity through process improvement and the introduction of new tools and technology as well as a reduction in vacant roles. We regularly receive feedback from candidates that their experience of the job interview process is the best they’ve ever experienced period.”

“Media agencies operate in a fast-paced, high-volume environment where resourcing needs constantly fluctuate and reactivity is key. In this context, PeopleScout’s scalable approach is a huge advantage as it allows us to quickly recruit staff when we win new clients and focus on longer-term strategic work when volume is lower. The PeopleScout team has quickly developed an intimate understanding of our industry and business challenges and are seamlessly embedded in each of our agencies, allowing them to sell our EVP to candidates.”

At a Glance

  • COMPANY: Large Australian multi-brand media company
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Talent Advisory, Affinix
Let’s Connect

Virtual Volume Hiring for Front-Line Workers

Posted on by nfuqua
Virtual Volume Hiring for Front-Line Workers

Virtual Volume Hiring for Front-Line Workers

PeopleScout delivered high-volume contact center hires in just two months for this telecommunications provider with a virtual candidate experience.

16 different volume vacancy types
60 % managing over 60% of all external hiring
300 offers made in just 4 weeks

PeopleScout has been working with a large telecommunications company for more than seven years. The company supplies telephone, television and internet services to customers throughout the UK.

PeopleScout provides RPO services for volume hiring to the client’s front-line workers. In the highly competitive telecommunications industry, the client needs to ensure the company attracts the very best talent, particularly across their sales and technician functions. PeopleScout manages up to 16 different volume vacancy types or about 60% to 70% of all external hiring. This fast-paced market requires an agile partner who can respond to quickly changing requirements.

Situation

The client had recently decided to reduce the number of sub-contractors and outsourcers for front-line jobs. PeopleScout had been briefed to replace these workers with permanent employees.

As the UK started restrictions for COVID-19, some of the company’s outsourced overseas contact centers were threatened with the risk of closure due to lockdown in those countries. To maintain excellent service, the client created more than 550 new contact center jobs in the UK, to help keep customers connected during this critical time.

The task was to find 550 new starters within two months of the project launch, using a completely redesigned process while taking into account social distancing measures. Candidates would not be able to attend assessment centers and interviews onsite, contact center managers would not have the capacity to interview while maintaining stringent service levels and right to work/onboarding checks could not go ahead using a visual review of original documentation as normal.

Additionally, the client introduced a number of protocols to ensure its people remained as safe as possible while continuing to help answer customer calls and queries. This included providing remote working capabilities where possible and flexible working patterns.

Solution

An agile working group was formed and met twice daily to track project implementation and delivery progress. A new virtual hiring process was designed and implemented in less than two weeks. PeopleScout fast-tracked application and assessment by using video interviews, dramatically reducing processing time and allowing candidates to be selected within days and start within weeks.

To generate candidates, PeopleScout built a new page on the client’s careers site and created an enhanced attraction plan to drive applicants there. This included diverting existing candidates (whose roles had been cancelled) into the new process and creating two microsites to improve quality of applications and speed-up hiring – a hints-and-tips site and a site illustrating the overall application process.

Hiring capacity was ramped up, using PeopleScout’s global delivery centers to score nearly 5,000 video interviews and to support the onboarding of successful candidates without delay.

Results

  • Delivered 5,550 new applications
  • Conducted more than 1,800 online video interviews
  • Completed 400 final stage qualification calls
  • Made nearly 300 offers within four weeks
  • Created a hiring manager audit step with 95% of qualified candidates approved for hire

Process Improvement

Throughout this agile process, PeopleScout continually used data to understand where interventions could be made to improve the recruitment journey. We created two microsites to help prepare candidates for each step of the process.

The sites were created, signed-off and live within the first three weeks of go-live. They enabled candidates to find out more about key steps in the process such as getting access to an onboarding site which outlines what they need to do prior to starting, as well as what happens on day one.

“Due to the COVID-19 situation, we needed a new hiring process in an extremely short period of time. In less than two weeks, PeopleScout had candidates moving swiftly through the process. PeopleScout’s agility ensured candidates could start within one month of applying.

As the situation continued, we found that we needed additional onboarding support. PeopleScout created microsites to educate and move people through the process which, at the same time, reduced email traffic to our teams.

Most importantly, PeopleScout has helped us build a new level of trust with our hiring managers, enabling us to work in a far more efficient and safe way. The success of this project means that we now have a new way of recruiting to build on in the future.”

Head of Resourcing, Telecommunications Company

At a Glance

  • COMPANY: Large telecommunications company
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Recruitment Process Outsourcing
  • ANNUAL HIRES: 550 virtual call center professionals in two months
Let’s Connect

A Comprehensive Recruiting Solution Saves 35% in Recruitment Costs

Posted on by nfuqua
A Comprehensive Recruiting Solution Saves 35% in Recruitment Costs

A Comprehensive Recruiting Solution Saves 35% in Recruitment Costs

A leading regional food company across the Asia-Pacific region partnered with PeopleScout to implement an RPO solution to reduce agency spend and improve recruitment outcomes.

35 % Reduced agency spend by over 35%
500 k Save an excess of half a million dollars in recruitment costs
Implemented a new streamlined recruitment process underpinned by analytics
Implemented a new streamlined recruitment process underpinned by analytics

Scope and Scale

The client operates in a highly competitive market where the need for evolving technical specialization can expand quickly as a result of high demands and product innovation. PeopleScout has developed an unrivaled experience and knowledge of the organization and the talent acquisition skills needed within consumer goods and consumer goods manufacturing companies. To meet its workforce demands, the client engaged PeopleScout to implement a full-cycle RPO program for their head office and production sites.

Situation

The client requires a scalable RPO solution to optimize recruitment technology, reduce agency usage, centralize recruitment processes and increase the quality-of-hire by standardizing the recruitment and selection process. The solution combines highly skilled recruiters, innovative technology and sophisticated recruitment processes to source market leading talent across Australia and the wider APAC region.

Solution

EMBEDDED RECRUITMENT SUPPORT

The solution has been constantly evolving over time to become a fit-for-purpose recruitment model that can flex up and down to meet the growth needs of the company across both regions as determined by changes in seasons and mergers and acquisitions.

IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY

The optimization of the recruitment technology ensures all roles are approved through an online form. The end-to-end recruitment process is shifted online allowing for measurable analytics.

TAILORED RECRUITMENT FOR DRIVERS

PeopleScout designed a recruitment and assessment process for drivers with a simple one-click apply and a single onsite interview. Completed pre-employment paperwork meant that drivers only came in once to complete the selection process. Mobile drug and alcohol testing vans were made available at the end of their shifts for a period of three days—reducing administrative costs and time-to-hire. On the day of the interview, candidates also completed medical assessments, further reducing time-to-fill.

SOURCING FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES

PeopleScout was asked to recruit a number of senior leadership roles across the organization. In the past, these roles would have been filled by an executive recruitment agency. PeopleScout was able to reduce time-to-fill and create a significant cost savings.

Results

REDUCTION IN AGENCY SPEND

Since the start of our journey with the client we have reduced agency spend from 40% to less than 5%. This equates to a cost reduction of well in excess of half a million dollars.

INSIGHTS & EXPERTISE

The client values the transparent approach to sharing data and the regular insights underpinning process improvement provided by PeopleScout’s RPO team as well as their ability to quickly source and hire candidates for hard-to-fill positions.

ACQUISITION SUPPORT

The use of structured screening and assessment combined with hiring manager training and uplift in hiring manager capability has led to an increased quality of hire.

IMPROVED PERFORMANCE

PeopleScout has improved the client’s recruitment performance by merging people, process and technology to enhance the experience with the recruitment process for candidates, recruiters and hiring managers.

ALIGNMENT TO PEOPLE CAPABILITIES

The company people capabilities set the behaviors of how the company performs, grows, recruits and recognizes people. The talent acquisition team continues to work closely with key stakeholders to build success profiles and interview guides that embed these capabilities in the recruitment process, and the team coaches hiring managers on best practice interview techniques.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY: Consumer goods food manufacturing company
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Affinix
Let’s Connect

Staying COVID-Safe: Are You Ready to be a Health Business?

Posted on by akessler

Joe Mongon, Head of Recruitment Delivery, EMEA

This week in the UK, many businesses are considering how to safely return their employees to construction sites, field work and offices in larger numbers. Schools, nurseries and—dare we hope—shops, bars and restaurants may follow in June and July.

What does your workplace look like today? Is it an empty office or a packed manufacturing facility? Wherever your employees and colleagues are, their health and safety have never been more important.

Post-pandemic, the vigilance around employee care will move from wellness to health. I don’t want to downplay a strong wellbeing policy, and it’s cool to have a yoga studio, but it’s essential to provide protection from harm. Government guidelines will likely mean it’s not a matter of choice, but it’s not legislation alone that will drive this cultural change. 

Some new examples of business responses are highlighted in a recent article from the BBC, from onsite medical teams to implementing temperature checks for employees and customers.

“We used to say every business will be a digital business. But today we say every business will be a health business.”

Gianfranco Casati, Chief Executive for Growth Markets, Accenture

Businesses with high-risk environments have recognised the importance of keeping employees safe and healthy for a long time. I worked with an offshore drilling company who set ‘Safety’ as a cultural objective for all employees. It’s  sound reasoning—a payroll clerk doing their job with unerring accuracy gives someone on the drilling platform one less distraction on the job.

So, how does this impact recruitment and talent acquisition?

Candidate Experience 

In your communications plan, information on health and wellbeing should be mandatory information, not just positioned as a benefit. Recruiters and interviewers must demonstrate higher levels of responsibility and care to candidates, including guidance on safely accessing your sites.

Technology 

Implementing virtual hiring solutions can help to protect your employees and candidates by eliminating face-to-face interactions while allowing you to continue moving forward with your recruiting needs.

Employer Brand 

In late 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, prospective employees who wanted to understand a company’s culture and values asked their interviewers how they and their colleagues were treated, and how well they were cared for.

In a way, that shouldn’t feel new. People and culture are most companies’ greatest assets. Leading organisations recognise this and demonstrate it to their employees and candidates. Protecting your people must be more serious now, but it’s likely always been a priority.  

Haven’t you always been a health business?

Best Practices for Using Virtual Talent Solutions with Carter McHugh

Posted on by jpatel

As organizations around the globe confront the challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, even the most seasoned talent leaders find themselves in uncharted territory. We’re creating a mini-series with our experts here at PeopleScout about the issues that are most pressing during this uncertain time.  

This profile shares insights from PeopleScout Vice President of Technology Carter McHugh. Carter brings more than 22 years of experience in building world-class software solutions for businesses and consumers. In his role at PeopleScout, his passion is creating a culture of technology excellence at a global scale and delighting customers with innovative software solutions that improve their people and business processes. Prior to joining PeopleScout, Carter held various executive technology roles at CSG International, a leading provider of enterprise revenue management and customer engagement solutions for the telecommunication industry. 

Carter shared his insights on best practices for using virtual talent solutions from his home office in Chicago.  

How does cloud computing enable virtual hiring solutions? What would they look like if we didn’t have this type of technology? 

Great companies have been investing heavily in modernizing their technology infrastructure by enlisting the help of major cloud computing platforms like Amazon with their AWS offering, Microsoft with their Azure offering and Google with their Google cloud platform. These companies are experts in providing secure, always on, and really most importantly, managed infrastructure and platform services. Through automation, these services seamlessly support elastic demand — meaning they can rapidly scale up when they’re required to due to extra usage, and they can also scale back down when they’re not as heavily utilized.  

In just a matter of weeks, the world has shifted rapidly to fully digitalizing their work requirements, resulting in increased network bandwidth, processing and data storage requirements. Without these managed computing services, companies would be understaffed and would lack both the data center equipment and the automated operations necessary to handle such a rapid increase brought on by virtual talent solutions. 

Here at PeopleScout, our proprietary tool, Affinix™ talent technology, and the technology partners we use are all designed to take advantage of these cloud computing services. So, we’ve been able to respond very quickly and ensure that our clients can manage this sudden shift away from traditional, face-to-face interviewing into digital interviewing and virtual hiring throughout their talent acquisition process. 

These services aren’t limitless. When we experience outages, what’s happening and why? 

I think almost everyone can recall times when they’ve sat down to stream their favorite show or movie and it’s getting interrupted, or they’re seeing a little circle spinning. A lot of that is due to high network congestion or just an overload of too many people trying to access the service at once. As good as these cloud competing platforms are in their ability to provide this highly available, scalable virtual infrastructure and these great application services — it isn’t totally magic.  

Somewhere there still exists physical computers, networks, digital storage and in a lot of cases, people who are still running and working very hard to make all of this possible. So, when too many of these resources are requested all at the same time, they all still have to compete for that same available physical resource. Things have to wait their turn to get processed, so that’s when you see the service degradation and the digital disruptions. Sometimes that can result in a lot of end user frustration, and companies work very hard to avoid this. But again, it’s not easy to avoid in a situation like we’re facing today with such a rapid shift into the fully digital experience we’re witnessing right now. 

As organizations rely more heavily on these services for their talent acquisition solutions, what are some best practices to avoid outages? 

Right now, we’re all staying home and practicing social distancing to help flatten the curve to mitigate overwhelming our critical medical equipment and personnel during the COVID-19 crisis. A similar pattern applies to peak digital technology load used during the workday.  

For example, think about when you use a high definition video for a live interview, especially with multiple participants. Imagine you have a hiring manager and several members of a team and they’re all connecting on their webcams with a candidate and trying to complete a live interview. Many organizations across the world are all doing this during the peak business hours between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and all of this combined can really overwhelm those services. 

Some good ways to work around this are for talent acquisition teams to: 

  • Reduce or shift live interview schedules with candidates. Most digital interviewing technology, in addition to having live interview capabilities, offer on-demand interview capabilities. This allows hiring managers to pre-record themselves asking interview questions and make them available via a link to an applicant, who can then choose a time and place of their convenience to record their answers. This can ease the burden of having to do everything live, and candidates can complete an interview without the risk of real-time disruption due to service degradation or unavailability. 
  • Use text or voice only interviews. This can be especially useful for initial screening interviews. Once you’ve narrowed down your candidate slate to just a few finalists, you can conduct interviews with live video to help reduce the peak usage load for some of these technologies.  

It’s also important for companies and teams to ensure that the digital technologies they’re using employ best practices, including data security and consent. When you’re using these tools with your team and candidates, make sure you’re getting their informed consent to participate in the interviews and recordings using the technology. 

Right now, we’re dealing with a relatively short-term crisis, but we could see some permanent changes to the way people get hired and do work. What changes do you anticipate going forward? 

With any new technology that’s introduced, there are always people who are early adopters and those who are more hesitant. What’s unique in this crisis is that companies that may have been slower to embrace some of the new virtual talent solutions and talent acquisition technologies now have no choice but to adopt these very rapidly — which can really push them out of their comfort zone. They may have felt that using a video technology wouldn’t allow them to deeply connect with their applicant, or maybe they feared embarrassment or looking bad if the technology failed during an interview. Those were all certainly legitimate concerns, but ones that were very rapidly removed in this crisis. 

And as companies have been forced to embrace these new technologies, they’re becoming more comfortable with this new normal. They’ll soon start to realize that they may have been trying to get many candidates to interview in-person who may not have been a good fit, and a video interview may have saved time and resources. They’ll also see that the younger generation of folks who are comfortable with technology may actually be seeking out and really appreciate the ability to interact with technology enabled companies and talent acquisition teams that allow them to set their own interview schedules. 

I really believe that once this crisis passes, we’ll definitely see permanent changes to many talent acquisition teams’ processes and they’ll be looking to keep the technologies that they’ve been using. They’ll probably be increasing the use of these technologies, really designing their processes and their candidate engagement more so around virtual solutions. 

What other types of tools do you see becoming essential for virtual talent solutions? 

The hiring process is definitely two way — candidates are just as interested in if the role, company, people and culture are a good fit for them as the hiring manager is trying to figure out if the candidate is a good fit for the job. Onsite team interviews and guided facilities tours have traditionally been a really important part the final interview stages so the candidate and hiring manager can get really sold on whether this is the right place for them and if this is the right candidate for the team.  

Seeing the actual what, where and how teams and companies work has always been critical for candidates to picture themselves in a role and make the final decision on whether to accept or decline an offer. With the potential for increasing remote work as teams are more distributed than ever across the globe, some forward-thinking companies are looking ahead with digital onboarding tools. These are tools that bring together team videos, leadership interviews, daily work instructions, examples of people in the role doing the work, and in some cases using augmented or virtual reality scenarios that can create a simulated work environment for a candidate. 

All of these things go a tremendously long way in engaging the best candidates with a modern, consumer-like experience that they’re so used to. This also has the benefit of streamlining these talent acquisition processes, so it benefits both sides. It ensures the candidates and hiring managers all have the best information to make what is really one of the most important decisions of their lives. 

Are there any final thoughts on virtual talent solutions you’d like to leave us with? 

We are truly living in some extraordinary times right now, and I’ve seen how companies all over the globe are reacting quickly and responding to the changes COVID-19 has brought to the workforce. It’s impressive to see the capabilities companies have implemented to enable their workforce, help their employees and continue to find the best talent they can to run their businesses in these truly unprecedented times. 

To learn more about ways employers can respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, visit our Resource Center. 

Keeping Candidates and Employees Safe with a Virtual Hiring Solution with Allison Brigden

Posted on by edyson

As organizations around the globe confront the challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, even the most seasoned talent leaders find themselves in uncharted territory. We’re creating a mini-series with our experts here at PeopleScout about the issues that are most pressing during this uncertain time.

This profile shares insights from PeopleScout Global Leader of Affinix Client Success and Strategy, Allison Brigden, on transitioning to a virtual talent acquisition solution. Allison leads the Affinix Client Success Team and our strategic technology partnerships.

Allison shared her insights about virtual hiring solutions from her home in Chicago.

Allison, we know that things are hard right now, but a lot of organizations that provide essential goods and services need to keep hiring and it’s important to keep both employees and candidates safe during the process. What’s the best way to do this?

The best way to do that is to continue your recruiting process, but do it virtually. Recruiting has undergone a digital transformation and essentially all of the recruiting steps can be handled virtually. By moving to this type of process, you can provide access to jobs in a completely safe environment without contact for both the employer and the job seeker. Of course, candidates have been able to apply online for a long time and recruiters can review resumes online, but most interviews have still been done in person. 

Interviews can be done virtually through technology that allows you to have a live, two-way video or a pre-recorded video that the candidate can do on their timeline, at their convenience. Later, the audio or video recording can be reviewed by both the recruiter and the hiring manager.

This technology can easily support a process that can be fully virtual from the time candidates apply through the offer and onboarding. As I said, the technology has been available for a while, but it hasn’t been fully adopted. This is an opportune time for us to use the available technology. 

A virtual hiring solution allows us to put health and safety first, but also provide access to jobs for those who need one during this challenging time. There’s also been a huge spike in jobs for remote workers in the past few weeks. A virtual hiring solution is directly aligned to that remote work environment as well, so it’s a very good time to introduce that and transition to a virtual process for your recruiting.

So, what does a virtual talent acquisition solution look like?

A virtual hiring solution leverages technology, but it can also have a highly personal touch. By using technologies to their full advantage, recruiters can and will have more time to spend with applicants. Technology can engage one applicant with multiple interviewers and live two-way video engagement. You can even have a panel interview with five different interviewers connecting with a candidate at the same time.

You should strive to make your virtual conversations feel more personal, just because you are leveraging technology doesn’t mean that you have to lose that personal touch as part of the process.

To further answer this question, I think a virtual hiring solution should involve the following components:

First, you should have an easy application that can be done on a mobile phone. It should feel like an online shopping experience and should only take four to eight minutes. There should also be an immediate next step, so that the applicant can drive the process.

This could be a text exchange where you’re asking questions about the interview schedule or the requirements of the job, or it can be a video exchange or a candidate-friendly assessment process. All this can be done on their mobile phone. 

Another really important component is automated self-scheduling. This allows the candidate to look at the available interview times and select one for themselves, either via text or via an online web experience. This also allows candidates to drive that next step – whether it’s a phone interview with the recruiter or a live video interview. Giving the candidate the ability to drive forward in the process is also a very important component of a virtual hiring solution.

The offer and the post-offer process can also be done virtually. This has been done over the phone for a long time, but there are also more options for a personalized and engaging onboarding experience, which can help right now when people are feeling a little bit isolated or disconnected. 

As an example, after someone has accepted an offer have a welcome video sent to their phone or preferred device where you welcome them and tell them what to expect on their first day. 

The entire virtual hiring process can be fully branded to elevate your employer brand and the connection you have with applicants. These are the components you’d want to have in place while building your virtual process.

In summary, a virtual hiring solution can be very safe while still being highly effective. It doesn’t require contact, but it also gives you that chance to connect with potential new employees and provide them a personalized experience.

Can you tell me some of the short-term and long-term benefits that people would see with a virtual hiring solution?

Things are changing quickly and it’s very important to remember that we’re all in this together and we need to be understanding and flexible as things develop. PeopleScout can definitely help with both short-term benefits for the job seeker as well as long-term benefits for the company. 

Short-term benefits are fairly clear. The virtual interview and scheduling process provides a completely safe, no-contact method to further the recruiting process, which is a clear short-term benefit. Another short-term benefit is speed-to-hire. We typically see a reduction of four to eight days in the time it takes to fill a job.

Virtual interviews and automated scheduling reduce the amount of time it takes to fill a job and that’s a short-term benefit in getting an essential worker on the job sooner. By providing a more automated applicant-driven process, you can enhance the candidate experience and lead to acquiring better talent faster. 

Virtual interviews and automated scheduling are also a long-term benefit because companies will see improvements in their business outcomes as people reach productivity faster.  A few additional benefits include saving money and travel costs for interviews, if you would normally have candidates travel in for an interview and a lower overall cost-per-hire.

Once you have a virtual process in place, you don’t need to return to previous hiring practices, you can continue the virtual process and reap the same benefits.

Giving candidates more control in the process, whether that be the option to record an on-demand video or audio interview, or scheduling an interview themselves, puts them in a position of controlling the process, or driving the next step, which is a great improvement in the candidate experience. If you implement this virtual process today, you’ll see these short-term and long-term benefits that you can carry forward as the future unfolds.

How do you transition or implement a virtual hiring solution?

The good news here is that this transition is more of a light lift than a heavy lift. Most likely, a large part of an employer’s process is already virtual. Everyone can apply online. Recruiters can work online to interact with the systems already in place.

Mostly you need to focus on the steps that are traditionally face-to-face, like the interview itself or some parts of the onboarding process. You probably don’t need to overhaul the whole application and hiring process, but rather just introduce this virtual interviewing and scheduling component. And, if you’re working with a provider, like a recruitment process outsourcing partner, they can actually handle much of that transition for you. Even if you just have an in-house team, it’s not a very difficult transition to make.

The biggest challenge will be the adoption and training. I would definitely want to have an employer focus their efforts on helping the hiring managers understand the process and share the short-term and long-term benefits so that they can drive adoption within their organization.

For a lot of organizations, hiring face-to-face may be deeply ingrained into the culture. How can you make virtual interviewing work in a way that still feels authentic and personal for both the hiring manager and the candidate?

A big part of this is comfort level. And the only way to truly get comfortable with something is to start using it. So, the comfort level will increase for everyone involved as they continue to use the technology. This is true for candidates too. The first time they do an interview like this, they might have increased nervousness. 

After they’ve been through it once, we’ve seen that the next time they become more comfortable. But there are things you can do to make it the best experience possible, and to make it feel authentic and personal.

Even though this is a virtual interview, as a recruiter, you want to be prepared so that you have meaningful questions to ask. Make sure you have pertinent information about the job on-hand, and make sure you’ve reviewed the resumes so you’re not going in cold to this interview experience.

As a candidate, you want to be sure that you have the same level of professionalism that you would have in a face-to-face environment. This extends to not just how you dress for the interview, but making sure that you have a quiet place to participate, etc. Another best practice would be to test the technology first. Most virtual interviewing technologies allow you to test your video and your sound, so you’re able to see what the video looks like before you begin the process. 

For employers, I also recommend testing your connections and making sure everything looks and sounds good. Once the video interviews begins you should also reinforce your employer brand by letting the candidate know unique things about your company culture that may appeal to the candidate. Displaying your company culture is important during the virtual hiring process, as candidates do not have to opportunity to visit your facility.

Beyond displaying your company culture and employer brand, you need to make sure you ask the right questions during the interview to better understand a candidate’s experience and competencies, and very importantly, communicate openly and authentically about the role and your expectations. 

After the interview is done, it’s important to provide some sort of feedback to the candidate, and let them know what the next step is in the process. Whether or not a candidate is moving forward in the process or not, provide them that information in a timely way so they’re not left wondering and feeling disconnected from your brand and keep all of the interactions warm. 

Are there any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with?

I would just say that it is important for those essential workers that we need in the healthcare industry and front line retail and essential goods industries to be able to hire at this time. Being able to move forward with this process and keep recruiters busy and employed to fill these critical jobs is very important and it’s a great way to help in this uncertain time. And then lastly, I would just say keep safe everyone. Follow the recommendations of the CDC and the world health organization and we will all come through this challenging time together.

To learn more about ways employers can respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, visit our Resource Center. 

COVID-19 Series: Best Practices for Using Virtual Talent Solutions

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As organizations around the globe confront the challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, even the most seasoned talent leaders find themselves in uncharted territory. We’re creating a series with our experts here at PeopleScout about the issues that are most pressing during this uncertain time.

We are focused on the safety of our employees and clients, friends, families and loved ones. However, it is important for many organizations to keep their talent acquisition functions moving – whether to provide essential services or to serve our communities by providing jobs. Many organizations are also now adapting to a newly virtual workforce.

In that spirit, this podcast shares insights from PeopleScout Vice President of Technology Carter McHugh on best practices for using virtual talent solutions.

Carter brings more than 22 years of experience in building world-class software solutions for businesses and consumers. In his role at PeopleScout, his passion is creating a culture of technology excellence at a global scale and delighting customers with innovative software solutions that improve their people and business. Prior to joining PeopleScout, Carter held various executive technology roles at CSG International, a leading provider of enterprise revenue management and customer engagement solutions for the telecommunication industry.

COVID-19 Series: Keeping Candidates and Employees Safe with a Virtual Hiring Solution

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As organizations around the globe confront the challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, even the most seasoned talent leaders find themselves in uncharted territory. We’re creating a miniseries with our experts here at PeopleScout about the issues that are most pressing during this uncertain time.

We are focused on the safety of our employees and clients, friends, families and loved ones. However, it is important for many organizations to keep their talent acquisition functions moving – whether to provide essential services or to serve our communities by providing jobs. Many organizations are also now adapting to a newly virtual workforce.

In that spirit, in this podcast, we share insights from PeopleScout Global Leader of Affinix Client Success and Strategy Allison Brigden on transitioning to a virtual talent acquisition solution.

Allison has been with PeopleScout since 1995 and has served in roles related to implementing and managing complex RPO programs as well as operations and technology. In her current role, Allison focuses on leveraging technology to elevate the talent strategy and client success through Affinix, PeopleScout’s proprietary talent technology platform. Allison leads an Affinix Client Success Team and our strategic technology partnerships. The Affinix Client Success Team is focused on understanding our clients’ objectives with Affinix and creating positive outcomes. She also possesses a deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, with an emphasis on military veteran advocacy. Allison holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah.

At PeopleScout, we’re all dealing with the same changes—working from home and recording these podcasts from a distance, so things may sound a bit different than you’re used to hearing.

2020 TALENT TECH TRENDS

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Talent Tech

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE includes machine learning, deep learning and automation. Talent tech platforms integrate AI to streamline time-intensive tasks. Through AI, recruiters can find candidates faster, while candidates can receive consumer-like branded employer experiences.

87% of senior executives believe AI is important to achieving overall business objectives.

Source: Forbes Insights

AUTOMATION continues to grow, replacing low-value, manual tasks with more strategic ones. How can employers achieve the right balance between automation and human interaction?

For more on automation, watch our webinar, “The Dos and Don’ts of Automating Your Candidate Experience” on-demand at peoplescout.com/webinars.

BEHAVIORAL ANALYTICS helps explain why people take certain actions. This form of analytics can target passive candidates, as well as help predict candidates’ future success.

Organizations that use behavioral insights outperform peers by 85% in sales growth.

Source: McKinsey sales growth.

The CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE differentiates and bolsters employers’ brands. Organizations that do not improve their candidate experience may negatively affect their ability to hire talent.

27% of candidates who have a bad experience would “actively discourage others to apply.”

Source: LinkedIn

PRIVACY in the digital age and the way organizations handle candidate information is an ongoing concern made more complex across the digital and international world.

GDPR’s Effect Since Implementation: Large UK companies spent $1.1 billion collectively on GDPR prep. Large American companies spent $7.8 billion on GDPR prep.

Source: www.varonis.com/blog/gdpr-effect-review/

IN 2020, THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGY IN TALENT ACQUISITION WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IN EACH STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT CYCLE.

Many in the industry expect talent tech to play an increasingly large role in recruiting activities in the next three years.

Source: Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends survey, 2019.

WHILE THE CROWDED TALENT TECH WORLD EXPANDS, A FEW TECHNOLOGIES WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE RECRUITMENT CYCLE THIS YEAR: ANALYTICS, AI, BLOCKCHAIN AND RPA.

RPO service providers are creating a digital ecosystem using third-party technology providers to provide a seamless experience to hiring managers and candidates.

Source: Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Annual Report 2019: Steering 3D Growth on the Tides of Talent Shortage, RPO Annual Report, page 50, August 2019, Everest Group.

MAKE SURE TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TALENT TECH PROVIDER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NEEDS

Talent tech growth is driven by the competitive job market and new AI-based solutions.

As an industry, talent acquisition is mid-way through a massive replacement of legacy systems and looking at more nimble models.

When choosing a talent tech provider for your project, ask questions, understand the vision of the project, ask for a road map and agree on the support model.

Source: HR Technology Market 2019: Disruption Ahead, Josh Bersin, Page 50

Talking Talent Leadership Profile: Jon Porter

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Jon Porter doesn’t have a typical recruiting background. He started out as an accountant with KPMG and made his way through the advertising sector before finally landing as the Managing Director of PeopleScout in the UK and Head of EMEA Operational Delivery. Along the way, he was lucky enough to work with many organizations with diverse recruiting challenges – from the British Army and the Metropolitan Police to Diageo. So, when Jon looks at talent challenges, he doesn’t just look at them as a recruiter; he views them through the wide-angle lens of the entire business, and he sees them as a storyteller.

Jon shared his story from PeopleScout’s London offices. He explained how the unique and ever-evolving challenges and opportunities in the UK and Europe will influence talent acquisition leaders around the globe.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing the UK and Europe in talent acquisition right now?

The biggest challenge has been the uncertainty around Brexit since the referendum in 2016. Organizations have not had certainty around the future, and this has influenced decision-making around how to potentially invest and grow a business. The focus of government around the normal investment programs has also been affected, as much of parliamentary time was focused on the many Brexit bills progressing through both Houses. It almost felt that the UK was on pause and we just needed to press the play button. After the election result of December 12, 2019, it now looks like some of that uncertainty has been removed. The newly formed government, now with a working majority, is pushing for a conclusion of the Brexit debate by the end of 2020.

What are the talent acquisition trends you’re seeing in the UK and Europe today?

There are some clear trends in the marketplace. The obvious one is technology. There is a fragmented and hugely diverse technology landscape in the UK and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), and leaders are looking at how to better navigate that landscape. How do they make the most of it – to drive efficiency, cost savings and better-quality candidates – and optimize the way they do things?

There is also a trend of organizations looking at multi-country programs, with a focus around EMEA. Organizations seem to be looking at talent more globally and around the concept that talent isn’t limited by traditional country boundaries or geography, or even technology. It’s fast-becoming a boundary-less environment.

How is the introduction of Affinix™ to Europe fitting into and changing the conversation about technology in the region?

I think that our timing couldn’t be better. We’ve had loads of great feedback on Affinix since our September launch at our Resourcing 2025 event at the London Science Museum, and I think it’s because it provides a flexible solution at a time when organizations are still a bit cautious about how they’re going to evolve their technology solutions. Because Affinix is a middleware, it affords our clients the opportunity to get the great technology of the now, but also it provides them with security for the future. It’s a manifestation of now to next.

How do you tell a cohesive and relevant story when recruiting across borders?

Finding “space” in a busy talent marketplace is hard; differentiating one company offer from another requires a deep understanding of brand and channel. Developing target personas, and understanding how they live their lives and how to create a one-to-one dialogue is essential. At PeopleScout, this approach and understanding is in our DNA. It’s how we think.    

When looking at cross-border campaigns, we first consider the message – the employer brand promise; the value exchange between the organization and the candidate – the deal. This message needs to be authentic across all borders. It needs to reflect the lived experience of employees within the organization. It can be aspirational; however, it can’t be an exaggeration of the truth. That can only lead to unfulfilled expectations, reduced engagement and increased attrition.

The art of the storyteller is to deliver a consistent, overarching message while accommodating the nuances of the countries in which it needs to be delivered. The language, tone, imagery and cultural touchpoints may change, but the essence of the promise remains consistent. Good recruiters understand how to bring the story to life in conversation with candidates and yet remain true to the organizational narrative.

What are some of the lessons from the UK and Europe that leaders in other regions should be paying attention to?

Many organizations have a structured view around their approach to talent and where they think hires might come from – whether it’s specific geographies, sectors or universities. I think one of the things that we’re doing in Europe – which does seem to be a message that’s landing elsewhere – is that we need to be more open-minded and a bit more conscious around things like social mobility and inclusivity.

Organizations are looking past the barriers of geography, society and technology. They’re seeing that talent is going to be pivotal to the evolution of business. That’s driving a mentality of embracing talent without any boundaries and taking a more progressive and equitable view of talent.

What are you most excited about for the future of talent acquisition?

The speed of change in talent acquisition is going to accelerate. Technology is absolutely going to fuel that acceleration. Clients are going to have greater and greater expectations, requiring more dynamic talent acquisition strategies. That will be driven by the fact that talent will be even more of a differentiator for organizations.

We’re also going to see employer brands and employer value propositions (EVPs) play an even greater role in the hiring process. The EVP is going to become the cornerstone of the people agenda – so, not just recruiting, but also learning and development, organizational design and more. How does the EVP play into the culture and behaviors of the organization?

Additionally, the vast majority of jobs that will be created five to 10 years from now probably don’t even exist today. So, there will be the evolution of new job roles, new technologies, new demands from organizations and new challenges in the world and political landscapes. This makes talent acquisition an exciting place to be.