The
changes to the application process
were complemented by a complete redesign of assessment centre materials
report, bespoke to the candidate, to guide the strengths-based interview at the assessment centre stage. A challenging percentile cut-off range was implemented and only candidates who successfully passed both the Aptitude and Work Strengths testing stages progressed onto the internal application review stage.
The changes to the application process were complemented by a complete redesign of assessment centre materials to embrace the new approach to Work Strengths testing and a revitalised behavioural framework internal to the business. Saville Consulting worked with the Early Careers Resourcing Team and a selection of internal graduate incumbents to design appropriate exercises that reflected some of the ‘real world’ challenges Thales faces as an organisation, with engineering-based scenarios to provide a realistic job preview. Subsequently, new exercises in the form of a group exercise, a written- based analytical task and the Work Strengths behavioural interview were implemented into the exciting new-look process and compressed into half a day, rather than a full day assessment, which was used in the previous campaign, utilising the time of the candidate and the business more effectively. Furthermore, supporting materials for assessors were also developed and branded to professionalise the hiring manager and candidate experience.
In addition to the implementation of a new selection and assessment process, we also reviewed the operational efficiency of our applicant tracking system to understand if any marginal gains could be utilised to improve the candidate experience and manage the volume of applications more effectively. A review of the candidate selection workflow (CSW) was undertaken and a bespoke CSW specific for campus recruitment with tailored application questions, entry fields required for the role and a more personalised automated communication process was designed and implemented.
to embrace the new approach to Work Strengths testing and a revitalised behavioural framework internal to the business.
One of the final changes we made to the process was a renewed focused on intern conversion. Understanding the strategic importance the internship programme has at Thales was the founding principle in developing a robust conversion process to allow the organisation to build a strong talent pipeline for future growth. Establishing a clear process for our hiring managers to provide feedback on their undergraduate talent was crucial to successfully implementing a smoother conversion programme within the business with the added benefit of reducing the number of externally advertised graduate vacancies for the following campaign. On consultation, managers were unsure of what to do with their interns on the finalisation of their placement and often missed out on the incredible return on investment that interns can have once they re-join the business as a graduate hire. We took the following steps to set in motion a smoother intern conversation process:
1. Talent Mapping – ensuring you have a strong grasp on who your interns are will allow you to develop a comprehensive picture of what your talent pipeline looks like.
2. Stakeholder engagement – discussing the performance of the intern and the suitability of the individual for a graduate programme place with the respective line managers allowed us to develop proactive communications with our managerial community, whilst illustrating to our undergraduate hires that we live up to our promise as an organisation who puts their people at the heart of everything they do.
3. Optimising operational effectiveness – issuing contracts and offers of employment in advance of the interns returning back to university was a positive engagement strategy whilst reducing the number of live vacancies that were due to be advertised once the new campaign kicked in.
The Results The radical changes that were made to the graduate and intern recruitment process during the 2015 campaign have led to some staggering results.
The implementation of the Saville Consulting Aptitude and Work Strengths testing successfully filtered out candidates that did not meet the required benchmark set by the organisation and drastically reduced the number of candidates at the ‘application review stage, allowing the Early Careers Resourcing Team to review applications of candidates who were of higher quality.
The 2015 campaign received a staggering amount of applications (the highest ever at Thales and a 45% increase on the previous year) and our interventions prior to campaign launch, enabled us to deliver a campaign that was of an exceptionally high standard, put candidate experience at the forefront of our processes and delivered outstanding results for the business. By focusing on the quality of the candidate, improving our recruitment processes and systems and identifying areas for growth and development, we achieved the following: • Reduced number of assessment centres by nearly 50% despite marked increase in candidate applications
• Reduced number of candidates at assessment centre stage by nearly 50%, focusing on quality of candidate rather than quantity but still retaining the average candidate numbers at assessment centre to that of the previous campaign, illustrating effective use of time and resources
• Improved hire ratio so that 1 in 2 candidates received an offer of employment at assessment centre stage compared to 1 in 4 in 2014.
At Thales, we are delighted with the incredible results we have witnessed, but we are always looking to continue to maximise the return on investment through the recruitment and selection process, whilst offering an exceptional candidate experience.
www.agr.org.uk | Graduate Recruiter 23 Keeping track of the numbers
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