Solution: Talent Advisory

Safran Nacelles: Reducing Time-to-Hire by a Third for Critical Engineering Talent

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CHALLENGE

With increased litigation and fear around aeroplane safety, stress engineers have become an essential part of the design and test processes. Consequently, Nacelle’s were keen to attract experienced stress engineers to join in permanent roles. This had proved difficult to say the least, as experienced stress engineers are in very short supply. The aerospace market is highly competitive and the best candidates opt for contracts rather than permanent positions. All of which demands substantial time and focus for resourcers. So after 18 unsatisfying months trying to fill roles with their previous supplier, Nacelles approached PeopleScout for help.

APPROACH

Four things defined our approach: rigour, innovation, relationships and brand unity.

To assess in detail, the skills, experience and behaviors that typified an excellent candidate for Nacelles, we held a detailed briefing with the hiring manager and other stakeholders. Next, we devised an innovative sourcing strategy, including deep web searching, competitor mapping and tapping into online forums, reaching out to candidates from Romania, India and the UK.

A unified employer brand simplifies life. But more than that, it’s a reason for candidates to gravitate to us over traditional agencies. So we worked in the Nacelles headquarters to build great relationships with the hiring managers. And the unity behind the scenes extended to candidate communications. Every contact by the PeopleScout team was made under the Nacelles name, whether sourcing candidates, conducting interviews or leading tours of the factory. Nacelles and PeopleScout were as one.

‘The agreed time per hire is 45 days, while our average is just 30 days. That’s a reduction of 33%.’

RESULTS

Because we manage every part of the process we’ve substantially streamlined Nacelle’s resourcing, yielding fantastic results. Within a month, we filled the first 3 roles. Then we placed nine more stress engineers in permanent roles at Nacelle: an unheard-of achievement in the aerospace industry. And the good results continue to build as we help with the client’s ongoing recruitment needs. The agreed time per hire is 45 days, while our average is just 30 days. That’s a reduction of 33%. And we’ve managed to halve the cost per hire.

The AA: Rigorous Market Mapping for Contact Centre Roles

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CHALLENGE

The AA had identified an opportunity to significantly expand the capacity of a Midlands contact centre. At the same time, they wanted to shift focus away from customer service to more sales-oriented roles. But first, they wanted to understand if the location and available talent could support the proposal. If the AA was going to commit to the expansion they needed to be confident that the investment would pay off. So they teamed up with PeopleScout to find answers.

APPROACH

The view at PeopleScout was that the assessment could only be undertaken with robust and transparent evidence of the local employment market.

Using a mixture of online research and big data tools, we sourced detailed, comprehensive data, covering market capability, salary, talent distribution and competitor analysis including site size and skill capability.

‘The client was able to demonstrate effective manpower planning – winning the support of key stakeholders.’

RESULTS

Armed with the in-depth insight into local labour and hiring potential that we provided, the client was able to demonstrate effective manpower planning – winning the support of key stakeholders.

The AA: Bot-Powered, Brand Boosting Innovation

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CHALLENGE

Mention “working for the AA” and many people can’t see beyond roadside roles– a roadblock when it comes to recruitment. Candidates assumed they knew what The AA had to offer, and weren’t engaged with the wider culture and benefits. As a result, the AA was failing to engage and convert website visitors. It was clear that the careers site needed a new brand voice and experience – to shake visitors out of old assumptions, and to attract – and ultimately hire – more candidates.

APPROACH

Last year we launched a reimagined digital solution that could do justice to the new brand proposition, ‘Ready for ANYTHING?’. It’s a totally new way to access the world of AA, replacing the need for conventional website navigation – The AA chatbot. To achieve it, we sought out bleeding-edge software, Microsoft’s Bot Framework, which was still in beta, and constructed new bot pathways even as the core code changed under our feet.

The result, AAbot, is your guide to the world of The AA. By asking him questions, candidates can access all website information from within the chatbot – utterly tailored to their interests, and, if desired, full job listings.

With expressive animations for any occasion, and banter full of cheek and surprise, AAbot is packed with personality. He takes the employer tone of voice in a playful, irreverent, funny and bold new direction. And he’s virtual proof that functional UX copy can entertain and build a brand, as well as inform.

  • See AAbot in action here

“This brilliant innovation has transformed how we engage candidates.” Craig Morgans, Head of Talent Acquisition, The AA

“I highly recommend AAbot. He’s the best robot in town. And the most modest.” AAbot

RESULTS

With no other significant changes to recruitment activity, total job applications – via the website – have increased by 146% since last year (full year 2017 – 2018 YTD).

Direct hires are also at a record high: having increased by 38%, to 2,800 in total (full year 2016 – YTD 2018), amounting to 96% of all hires (full year 2016 – YTD 2018).

This is against a backdrop of steadily increasing site traffic since launch: with 10% YOY growth (full year 2016 vs full year 2017), and consistent progress in 2018 (visitors YTD 2018 = 75% of the 2017 total).

Since launching Bot-led social media pages and enhanced chatbot functions in 2018, we’ve also accelerated the impact. Notable increases include average page views (+15%), and returning visitors (+14%). Applications in 2018 have already totalled 85% of the total for 2017 (36,000 full year 2017 vs. 30,500 YTD 2018).

In a nutshell, this is a story of consistent, significant business impact. Let’s just hope it doesn’t go to AAbot’s head.

HM Treasury: Building Inclusion into the Candidate Experience

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CHALLENGE

Every year Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) recruits up to 150 graduates for their Graduate Policy Adviser programme, offering the chance to shape policies that affect a nation. A popular proposition, they sought our help to identify the very best candidates from almost 2,500 applications. While well-subscribed, delivering a satisfactory candidate journey had historically proved to be a challenge, and they were keen for our help to improve the application experience. A key objective was to attract a more diverse range of candidates, reflecting the diverse make-up of the UK population they would be supporting. Specifically, they wanted to engage a wider socio-economic, gender, ethnic and disability community. Understanding – and addressing – any adverse impacts on these groups was essential.

APPROACH

Our attraction strategy was to shift the perception that HMT roles are primarily ‘financial’ when, in fact, communication and analytical skills are the most important abilities. This allowed us to broaden the sweep of our attraction strategy in general and also, to target specific talent groups.

We reviewed all of HMT’s assessment materials to establish their fairness, and to ensure they represented best practice. We also monitored every recruitment stage for any adverse impact. Implementing a batched recruitment process, we established a structured schedule of keep warm emails, regularly updating candidates on their applications. And we also applied our standard reasonable adjustment process, making sure that every candidate with a disability-related request was personally contacted to assess requirements.

A recruitment team was also made available to support candidates throughout their entire recruitment journey.

‘The attraction campaign generated 49% of all applications and increased applications from key target audiences – particularly women, BME and state schools.’

RESULTS

Our analysis of the recruitment process also demonstrated that it was free of adverse impacts. For example, a disabled candidate was unable to complete the online test, so we worked with the online provider to replicate testing in Microsoft Excel, and completed the test with the candidate at our offices in London. The candidate was successful and progressed to the next stage.

All hiring targets were achieved. The attraction campaign generated 49% of all applications and increased applications from key target audiences – particularly women, BME and state schools. And HMT was thrilled with the results – so much so that they have asked us to take on further campaigns.

SSE: Achieving Project RPO Success Despite Limited Talent Pool

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CHALLENGE

As part of the Government’s smart meter rollout, SSE needed to hire 1,500 Smart Meter Engineers in a short time-frame – in direct competition with all the other energy companies looking for the same people. A long-term client, SSE turned to their Talent Solutions Partner to share the problem and outsource the project.

APPROACH

Our task was to recruit 1,500 Smart Meter Installers by December 2017. Time was of the essence. The hiring process needed to be transformed, streamlined and made more consistent, as the existing process was time-consuming for hiring managers and candidates alike. Hiring managers were incredibly busy so we needed a process that required minimal commitment.

The next challenge we faced was the limited talent pool of candidates. So it was essential that SSE made an impact with highly targeted communications.

Our Occupational Psychologist team designed a new online application process that removed the need for SSE Managers to interview candidates. Now they would only need to meet the candidates on their first day of training. Our newly designed online 3D model and multiple-choice tests allowed us to assess candidates much more efficiently. And along the way, our UK Delivery Centre supported candidates at each stage, ensuring that they remained engaged and satisfied.

‘We’ve been really pleased with the speed of project set up, the team and the added value that they continue to provide.” Lee Newbold, HR Business Partner – Metering and Smart Transformation’

RESULTS

Between October 2016 and April 2018, 902 Smart Meter Installers were recruited. The average time to receive an offer has been reduced to 69 days, and recruits now start after 104 days, on average.

And, throughout we have increased the quality of the candidates. 90% of trainee candidates attended assessment and 64% passed at the Assessment Centre. We’ve increased the number of female Smart Meter Operatives by 800%.

The application process was nominated for an Innovation Award by the Association of British Psychology.

IMI: End-to-End Graduate Recruitment Balancing Technology and the Human Touch

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CHALLENGE

IMI is a specialist engineering company. They design, manufacture and service highly engineered products that control the movement of fluids. They employ some 11,000 people, have manufacturing facilities in more than 20 countries and operate a global service network. When they needed a comprehensive global graduate recruitment campaign, IMI approached PeopleScout.

APPROACH

We’ve supported IMI’s Graduate Programme for two years, with a global end-to-end talent solution designed to deliver an excellent candidate experience. It includes everything from website design, attraction and sourcing, through to candidate management.

In practice, we manage a recruitment process that comprises an online application, a detailed qualification screen, a sift of written motivational responses, online verbal and numerical reasoning testing and a telephone interview. Assessment centres are regionally administered and conducted by IMI hiring managers.

We know just how valuable human contact is in the recruitment process. So we give applicants real-time phone access to the resourcers and recruiters in the Delivery Centre – maintaining high candidate satisfaction. Candidates can expect responses to email enquiries within 24 hours. And telephone interviews and assessments are scheduled during UK evening hours, allowing IMI to concentrate on interviews and assessments.

“Moving to PeopleScout was the best decision I ever made.” Mari Docker – Global Graduate Development Manager, IMI

RESULTS

We’ve supported IMI’s Graduate Programme for two years, with a global end-to-end talent solution designed to deliver an excellent candidate experience. It includes everything from website design, attraction and sourcing, through to candidate management.

In practice, we manage a recruitment process that comprises an online application, a detailed qualification screen, a sift of written motivational responses, online verbal and numerical reasoning testing and a telephone interview. Assessment centres are regionally administered and conducted by IMI hiring managers.

We know just how valuable human contact is in the recruitment process. So we give applicants real-time phone access to the resourcers and recruiters in the Delivery Centre – maintaining high candidate satisfaction. Candidates can expect responses to email enquiries within 24 hours. And telephone interviews and assessments are scheduled during UK evening hours, allowing IMI to concentrate on interviews and assessments.

Virgin Money: Creating a Candidate Assessment Like No Other

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CHALLENGE

Virgin Money’s brief to us: find me Harry Potter, a creative genius who can come along and change banking. Someone from outside banking that we couldn’t attract through the normal processes.

APPROACH

How do you recruit an executive from a completely different sector? And how do you reach them in the first place? Above all, by making the front pages, not the banking job section. So we set out to create a headline-grabbing experience and generate PR and noise in the right places – starting with a pilot of the assessment experience. And that experience was ‘The world’s most creative job interview’, a hybrid of immersive theatre and robust assessment. Building on psychological principles, it set candidates tasks that engaged as thoroughly as they tested.

“The thing I love about PeopleScout is they have that really interesting blend of a robust approach to assessment and the creative ability to think differently.” – Head of Resourcing, Virgin Money

RESULTS

Alongside coverage in the usual HR publications, we earned high-profile media coverage in titles like The Evening Standard, City A.M., Campaign, Marketing Magazine and Brand Republic, with a combined circulation of around 30 million. Ten outstanding candidates were chosen for the ‘interview’. Which all led to the discovery of the successful applicant, Dhiraj Mukherjee, a founder of the music application Shazam, and a truly creative entrepreneur. And the new assessment approach has ushered in a legacy beyond a new Head of Innovation. From one niche role, we’ve now scaled up the approach to be used nationally across all volume hiring.

Derby City Council: Candidate Generation for Future Generations

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Derby City Council needed to recruit several Directors to drive forward their 2030 vision for a safer, stronger city. They engaged our expertise in Candidate Generation and Assessment solutions to ensure the right candidates were identified and assessed in a robust, pragmatic way. We delivered a streamlined, structured solution to ensure they had the information they needed to make successful appointments based on objective, role-specific insights.

SOLUTION HIGHLIGHTS
• A ROBUST PROCESS
• IN-DEPTH INSIGHT
• MEASUREMENT & VALIDATION
• BESPOKE CANDIDATE REPORTS
• SUCCESSFUL APPOINTMENTS

IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT CANDIDATES TO DRIVE DERBY’S 2030 VISION

SCOPE & SCALE

Derby City Council has a clear vision for 2030, based on building a “safe, strong, ambitious city”.To achieve this vision they needed to recruit a number of Directors to drive forward their ambitious plans.

SITUATION

Derby City Council engaged our expertise in Candidate Generation and Assessment solutions to ensure the right candidates were identified and assessed in a robust, pragmatic way

SOLUTION

IN-DEPTH INSIGHT
To target suitable candidates for each of the roles, our specialist Candidate Generation team immersed themselves in the culture of Derby City Council. They asked questions to understand the key success requirements, experience and qualities essential for each role. This also supported the development of a compelling, yet realistic, narrative that could be used to keep candidates motivated to complete the recruitment journey.

MEASUREMENT & VALIDATION
Our Senior Assessment Consultant ensured that each candidate completed two personality questionnaires to measure their profiles against the organisation’s key strategic level
competencies. In addition, our Occupational Psychologist conducted a 60-minute validation call with each individual to really get under their skin and bring their behavioral preferences to life.

BESPOKE CANDIDATE REPORTS
We then compiled a report on every candidate, highlighting their key strengths and development areas, providing briefs for the panel to use to probe further during the selection interviews.

RESULTS

SUCCESSFUL APPOINTMENTS
This streamlined, structured solution ensured that Derby City Council had the information they needed to make appointment decisions based on objective, role-specific insights.

A ROBUST PROCESS
It also made for a fair process which both successful and unsuccessful candidates found to be enriching, as they received insightful feedback throughout. Similarly, the assessor panel reported that the briefings helped to focus their questions at the final stage interviews for each candidate.

Bombardier: Keeping the World Moving with a Global Employer Brand

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A worldwide leader in rail technology, Bombardier Transportation had no global employer brand presence. So they approached us to develop a recruitment value proposition. Launched initially in the UK, and now rolling out to other territories, our global messaging framework and toolkit has already helped them recruit to previously hard-to-fill roles, as well as meet diversity objectives.

SOLUTION HIGHLIGHTS
• GLOBAL PRESENCE
• SUCCESSFUL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
• FILLING CRITICAL ROLES
• IMPROVED DIVERSITY

SCOPE AND SCALE

With no global employer brand presence, Bombardier Transportation was keen to develop a recruitment value proposition (RVP). The RVP was not only to be used to push out the overall brand message, but also to underpin specific propositions for, and support recruitment activity in, each of their territories around the world.

SITUATION

Bombardier Transportation had to tackle a negative market perception of redundancies and lost orders. The truth was that they had a full order book and some new and exciting contracts to deliver in the future. With this positive story to share, they realised they had a great opportunity to enhance their position within the market.

SOLUTION

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
We began with extensive research in all key Bombardier Transportation global territories. As well as conducting interviews with a mixture of senior stakeholders and employees from the main talent groups they needed to recruit from, we also carried out external sessions with relevant talent groups.

FOUNDATION & FRAMEWORK
Using the insights we’d gained, we developed a set of RVP pillars capturing the key themes from the research. This provided the framework for creating our global messaging platform and design.

OUTCOME: GUIDELINES & TOOLKIT
Working closely with Bombardier Transportation’s Centre of Excellence, Branding and Communications teams, we produced a set of guidelines and toolkit of materials that could be used globally and nuanced for each individual territory.

RESULTS

GLOBAL PRESENCE
Initially launched within the UK, the RVP continues to be rolled out to other territories around the world.

SUCCESSFUL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Bombardier Transportation also launched its first media campaign using the RVP in the UK, with encouraging results. The campaign used a variety of digital and outdoor media in key hiring locations, which was a first for Bombardier Transportation.

SUCCESS IN HIRING CRITICAL, HARD-TO-FILL ROLES
Across the whole campaign, they received over 500 applications and made hires into critical roles that they had struggled to recruit to previously.

IMPROVED DIVERSITY
They were also able to recruit several females into these positions addressing their global diversity objectives.

FUTURE FOUNDATION
The RVP and media performance have been well received within Bombardier Transportation as they continue to plan their activities.

Sellafield: Transforming an Employer Brand to Engage Entry-Level Talent

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As part of a new vision and strategy, Sellafield Ltd had redefined and expanded their Graduate and Industrial Placement schemes, and they needed to hire more graduates and placement students than ever before. To help them do this, we developed a new brand messaging and visual approach that told their story across a range of channels – and significantly increased applications.

SOLUTION HIGHLIGHTS
• TRANSFORMATIVE BRAND MESSAGING
• COMPREHENSIVE ATTRACTION STRATEGY
• WIDER AUDIENCE
• INCREASED APPLICATIONS

SCOPE AND SCALE

We’ve worked with Sellafield Ltd for several years, supporting their annual Graduate and Industrial Placement schemes. As part of an ongoing transformational journey, the organisation
had repurposed its values and strategy for the future. In response to this, they also redefined and expanded their schemes to attract and hire more graduates and placement
students than ever before.

SITUATION

Sellafield Ltd needed to hire 55 graduates and 50 students. And, with a new vision and strategy, they were keen to develop their existing brand messaging to reflect the opportunities that these changes would bring. They agreed with us that a re-launch of the Graduate and Industrial Placement schemes was required, to tell the story of their transformation and engage candidates across the breadth of disciplines.

SOLUTION

ENGAGING BRAND MESSAGING
We worked with Sellafield Ltd to develop an engaging recruitment value proposition (RVP). Using the RVP as a platform, our brand messaging and design conveyed the new vision and strategy, and what that meant for our target audiences, across a range of attraction materials.

COMPREHENSIVE ATTRACTION STRATEGY
This included careers fair materials, such as stands, leaflets and posters, and collateral for their online attraction strategy – graduate media, search engine Pay Per Click and assets for
their careers website. We also supported our client with their approach to media channels and the purchase of relevant job boards.

RESULTS

A WIDER AUDIENCE
The new Sellafield Ltd RVP messaging has been seen by an audience of just under 1 million across all channels.

GREATER RESPONSE
With almost 30,000 people clicking to their website from media channels, Sellafield Ltd now has a higher number of visitors to their website – 8% up on the previous year. And, with around 1500 applications, we’ve enabled them to gain a greater breadth of response across all disciplines.