RPO case study: national government agency accelerates graduate recruitment.
Facing fierce competition, the government department hires more than 50 candidates in two months with recruitment process outsourcing.
| 2 min read |
engaging top candidates before the competition
Much like other departments, one government agency in Australia conducts a graduate hiring program each year. Through the program, the department hires more than 50 recent college graduates. This gives emerging talent the experience of working in government, and some graduates are converted into permanent roles upon completion.
Finding and winning the best candidates can be challenging. Although the program is popular and attracts many candidates, the department competes with others that are also seeking graduate talent.
In 2018, other competing departments advertised their programs earlier. As a result, this department had the additional challenge of attracting candidates who may have already applied for opportunities with other departments.
Although the program is located in Australia’s capital, Canberra, it accepts applicants from across the country. This makes interview coordination more complex, and the department needs to manage those logistics.
To ensure the department isn’t missing out on high-potential candidates, the agency’s talent leaders hoped to streamline and accelerate their recruitment process.
HR tech and candidate management guide recruiting
With the goal of hiring many graduate employees in a short period of time, the department partners with Randstad Sourceright. Its recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) program now streamlines recruitment. With Randstad Sourceright working as an extension of the department’s team, the RPO uses innovative HR tech and engagement strategies to connect with candidates.
The scope of the RPO includes key recruiting activities, such as initial screening to identify right-fit talent and conducting video interviews. Using video interviewing – rather than traditional phone interviews – interviewers build better rapport and connection with candidates from anywhere across the country.
Candidates who pass both the screening and video interview stages are advanced to the assessment centre. The department’s talent leaders and Randstad Sourceright work together to develop on-site assessment activities. These activities are designed to better understand candidates’ abilities and fit, while also communicating the benefits of the graduate program.
Along with training for hiring managers, the department’s staff are well prepared to make informed hiring decisions. And, with the RPO handling candidate management, talent leaders have more time to focus on critical activities.
welcoming the next generation of talent
Through RPO, this government agency completed its 2018 graduate recruitment and hiring process in just two months.
With a streamlined and more effective process, the department collected more than 550 applications for the 2018 program. It conducted 407 video interviews, and enrolled 250 screened candidates in online testing. A total of 108 candidates (90% of the 121 invited) attended the assessment centre, leading to 51 hires.
This approach doesn’t just help the department meet its recruiting goals. Candidates are also satisfied with the improved interview process and recruiting experience, which moves quickly and keeps them informed throughout. At the same time, with more than 50 graduates selected and hired for this program, the company has a strong bench of talent it can turn to for future permanent roles.
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