RPO case study: start-up ramps up to enterprise-level with high-volume, highly skilled IT talent.
Automotive company fills 160 IT roles in less than 15 months in a highly competitive technology market with project RPO
industry
automotive cloud technologychallenge
When a global automotive company formed a new cloud IT division to develop vehicle-embedded software for its line of smart cars, it needed to scale like an enterprise, adding 150+ software developers and niche IT professionals to its original team of three within a 15-month period.solution
As the client’s project-based recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner, Randstad Sourceright sourced and screened talent, delivered analytics-based guidance to direct the process and implemented process improvements to accommodate shifting requirements.results
The agile project-based RPO program helped the organization successfully fill 160 roles in less than 15 months in a highly competitive technology market. Time-to-fill rates averaged 6 days lower than expected and new-hire satisfaction scores averaged at 4.4 out of 5.
ramping up quickly
A major automotive manufacturer launched a new cloud technology division focused on smart car software development. To support a connected experience for automotive customers worldwide — with the ability to handle data from millions of vehicles per day — the three-person start-up division needed to scale like an enterprise quickly.
Comprising only a chief operating officer, chief information officer and an in-house recruiter, the team had an immediate need to fill upwards of 150 positions with highly sought-after software developers and niche IT professionals — all locally sourced in the Puget Sound region. With market leaders like Amazon, Boeing and Microsoft nearby, the client was competing for highly skilled tech talent in an exceedingly challenging technology market.
The organization’s executives recognized that outsourcing recruitment could offer a strategic, highly efficient approach to meet its talent acquisition goals.
an agile approach for a complex recruiting process
The start-up engaged Randstad Sourceright as its project-based recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner. Randstad Sourceright began by assembling a team to source and screen the talent, then devised a sourcing strategy for each role.
In collaboration with the CIO, who was looking for a highly specific skill set and background for each candidate, the RPO devised a series of challenging online skills assessments using HackerRank to narrow down the pool of candidates. Those who passed the assessment proceeded to the talent advisor for a full-screen interview, followed by in-person, interactive virtual whiteboarding interviews with the client’s hiring managers where a coding problem had to be solved live through the HackerRank technology.
As the project progressed, requirements and priorities continued to shift. The initial timeline of 18 months for full onboarding was shortened to 15 months, 40 additional niche positions were added, and, once the pandemic broke, in-person interviews were no longer a viable option.
The RPO team proposed process improvements and offered analytics-based strategies to keep the project on track. Providing daily progress updates, the team assigned a dedicated specialist to run and share analytics reports on a range of metrics to keep the executive team informed. Online screening processes, such as the virtual whiteboarding sessions, minimized recruitment disruption during the pandemic.
To keep a highly sought after talent pool engaged throughout the process, the client and the RPO team worked together to highlight the company’s employee value proposition. They showcased the benefits of working for a start-up with backing by an established, globally recognized parent group.
The client relied on the Randstad Sourceright RPO team to be agile throughout a highly complex and time-intensive process. The RPO team’s ability to expertly shift people, processes and technology to accommodate the evolving requirements was instrumental in the global auto manufacturer’s successful ramp-up of its new cloud-based division.
meeting demands and exceeding customer goals
Through its agile project-based RPO program, the client scaled quickly, filling 160 roles, including software developers and niche positions, in less than 15 months. Despite the highly competitive technical market, the RPO exceeded all projections, with a time-to-fill of 39 days for software developers, nearly a whole week faster than expected. Additionally, the submittal to interview ratio of 74% exceeded the target goal of 66%, while the interview to offer ratio of 58% exceeded the target goal of 50%. The time-to-fill for the 40 niche roles was 57 days — three days ahead of schedule — and new-hire satisfaction scores across all hires averaged 4.4 out of 5.
The RPO helped this automotive leader hire the talent it needed to grow quickly while establishing a strong employer brand for cloud-innovation and technical talent. One of the organization’s biggest talent attractors is the opportunity it offers to solve challenges at the scale of one of the world’s largest automotive makers. Now the organization has the foundation it needs to continue growing in a competitive market.