shares Bruce Maxwell, Founder and Managing Director of an international management and consulting firm for BPOs and related industries. Maxwell, a contact center executive with more than 25 years of senior management experience in designing, building, and leading best-in-class contact center operations, recognized the potential of virtual hiring solutions designed by Employment Technologies.
“As we considered using Employment Technologies’ products in the hiring process for one of our subsidiaries, we also recognized the opportunity to shift our entire approach from being company-focused to applicant-focused. This was huge, because hiring is typically all about meeting a company’s needs,” Maxwell explains.
Creating an applicant-first hiring process was a welcome challenge for their team. In addition to leveraging innovative technologies such as Employment Technologies’ job simulations and virtual interviews, there was a commitment to crafting a communication strategy around the values of transparency, respect, efficiency, and consistency.
“From the minute an applicant completes the first online form, we are in regular communication,” explains Candy Duve, HR Analyst. A series of emails are strategically timed to prompt candidate responses by highlighting only what is essential for moving to the next step. “The goal is to give candidates as much information as possible without being overwhelming or distracting.”
Another strategy for putting candidates first is the use of realistic job simulations. These immersive experiences breathe life into the job description by allowing participants to experience a day-on-the-job and prove their abilities to engage customers and solve problems. Depending upon the role, this highly job-relevant approach can include:
– Bruce Maxwell, Founder and Managing Director
“The greatest time savings on our end has been in scheduling. When we send out invitations to complete a simulation or to record a virtual interview, we make it clear that they have control of when and how to complete each task,” said Duve. “And from feedback we’ve received from candidates, they appreciate the flexibility which in turn helps with engagement.”
“In designing the new system, while we kept the applicant first in terms of ease of use and communication, we also designed the flow and collection of data to support timely internal decision making,” explained Elise Christensen, Director of Media (Web) Services. “The changes have been a win-win.”
Mireya Burgos, Director of Operations and Customer Experience, shares her colleagues’ excitement. “The new process is fantastic! I didn’t know what to expect from the simulations, but we are finding that the relevancy and specificity of the assessments are helping us attract stronger candidates.”
– Bruce Maxwell, Founder and Managing Director
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