The Client:
Our client was a tech start-up that was now ready to scale their operations in Ireland and in the US. They had no recruitment strategy in place and had been using a number of recruitment agencies in Dublin and Los Angeles. The agencies would deal directly with senior hiring managers, usually the CTO or CEO.
The Problem:
There was no defined recruitment process. The hiring managers were extremely busy and the external recruiters were consuming a lot of their time with repeated questions, poor quality CVs, poorly briefed candidates at interview, mismatched expectations of candidates etc. As a result
– The hiring managers became disengaged and the hiring process often stalled.
– Some roles remained unfilled for over 12 months.
– There was a high ratio of offers declined.
– Some poor hiring decisions were made out of desperation.
– The attrition rate was higher than average due to poor hires.
– Employer branding was negligible.
– The cost of recruitment was hugely inflated. Not just due to high fees but also higher attrition and lower productivity with unacceptable “time to hire” statistics.
The Solution:
We were approached by the executive chairman who had many years’ experience with start-ups. He outlined the issues and wanted to put some structure and process in place. Given the hiring plan for the coming year it was agreed that one part time Talent Acquisition Specialist (TAS) would join the clients’s team and lead the talent acquisition strategy for the next 12 months. As part of the strategy the client would disengage with all recruitment agencies and any contact would be through the TAS, who would only use these services when all other options were exhausted. A process would be put in place, including an on-boarding and induction plan which hadn’t existed to date. Other HR Policies and Procedure would also be reviewed as time permitted, including the selection of a HR/ATS system.
The Outcome:
- The TAS immediately tackled the role that had been open for over 12 months and which had already had three offers declined. Role was offered with 6 weeks and successful applicant started within 10 weeks.
- Put in place a process to ensure that the candidate journey was positive and expeditious this enhancing the candidate experience and consequently employer branding.
- Over the next 12 months we successfully filled all vacancies, mainly in Ireland but also at senior management level in the US.
- Completely eliminated the use of recruitment agencies saving €114,000 AFTER accounting for the total costs of the dedicated TAS.
- Zero advertising costs incurred by client as all advertising was done using Bond Personnel resources but with client branding, to enhance employer brand awareness.
- Significantly reduced “time to hire” by gaining a full understanding of the company’s products, history and culture, and ensuring all stakeholders were fully engaged in the recruitment process.
- Kick started the selection of company HR/ATS system and assisted in evaluation and subsequent implementation.
- Assisted with, and advised on, the review of employment contracts and HR Policies/Procedures for employee handbook for Ireland.
- Dramatically reduced job offer rejections. Over the first 12 months only one candidate rejected an offer (having previously accepted) and this was due to medical reasons.
- Dramatically reduced new hire attrition. All new hire were still in place at the end of the first 12 months,
- Built a framework for on-boarding and induction of new hires to ensure that the positive candidate journey continues through their early employment. This leads to improved employee engagement which leads to higher productivity and better retention.
The Cost:
There was a net saving for the client of €114,000. This is calculated by deducting the costs of the part time TAS from the savings made by eliminating recruitment agency fees. In addition, there were substantial hidden saving as a result of reduced time to hire (productivity) and improved new hire retention, which eliminated further potential agency fees. The client will also see higher performance from new hires as a result of a better on-boarding and induction processes.
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