Media Buzz
ExxonMobil processes candidates electronically
The
"war for talent" is in full swing. The recent economic decline has forced
companies to take fewer risks when hiring new employees. They go looking
on all levels for the best possible candidates: the ones who, as new employees,
will provide value and return on the company's talent investment. Meanwhile,
the global pattern of budget reductions has reached HR, which is now expected
to select and recruit new employees more efficiently and at a lower total
cost to the company. ExxonMobil achieves this with the Talent Relationship
Management (TRM) tool Enterprise from the American company BrassRing.
From the Benelux headquarters of ExxonMobil in Breda the company handles recruiting for new employees in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Yet ExxonMobil rarely follows the traditional channels for recruiting and hiring. Traditional recruitment classified ads are usually a last choice for the company, which regularly organizes events to attract recent graduates. "We absolutely want the best candidates," says Carolien Bijen, recruitment officer with ExxonMobil. Specifically, Bijen's company is looking for recent graduates with engineering and economic degrees. "ExxonMobil always encourages a high amount of job rotation. New employees can get promoted quickly and receive new assignments. For that reason we continue to hire young graduates with masters' degrees. From this target group we are able to create deep pools of candidates."
Lost time meant lost candidates
Not long ago, most new job applications came to ExxonMobil by traditional
mail. The HR staff would review the cover letter and educational experience
and select a preliminary group of qualified candidates. The candidates that
passed this step would receive an invitation some time later for an interview.
"The problem was that by the time we responded we had already lost too much
time," explained Bijen. "Candidates who didn't receive an instant response
thought they had no chance, and so they would join another company."
In addition, the follow-up process with selected candidates was very labor-intensive. After each interview the HR department would write an evaluation report. These reports were combined with a copy of the cover letter and CV and turned over to the hiring manager who would conduct the second interview. After the second round all documents were returned to the HR department. In short, the selection process had many similarities to a slowly turning paper mill.
ExxonMobil wanted a faster way to manage the processing and follow-up for its large stream of unsolicited applications. At the same time, they wanted a solution where they could speak to a broader target group. And they wanted to be reachable by potential applicants who were finishing their studies in foreign countries. An Internet-based solution was the logical choice in front of them.
User-friendliness on both sides
To make the selection time more efficient, ExxonMobil decided to rollout
BrassRing Enterprise around the world. The first implementations
were in Benelux, the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. In Benelux the online
application system has been in use since April 2002. For the candidate the
new system lowers the barriers to applying and saves time. When visiting
the web site, http://www.exxonmobil.com/careers,
the candidate instantly gets an overview of all available opportunities.
Interested applicants can create an account and log in. "The intention is
that the candidate fill in our questionnaire on the website," explains Bijen.
"That way we are able to capture all the information we need to see at one
time: personal information, diplomas, job preferences, country preferences,
et cetera."
On the site, the candidate can access a number of useful features. There is a 'Resume Manager' that enables candidates to store multiple CVs and use the right one to apply for each different position. An 'Agent Manager' informs the candidate via e-mail when there is a vacancy for his or her dream job.
ExxonMobil is clearly excited by the new tool. The recruiter who logs in immediately gets to see which new candidates came in, can select the ones that need to be brought in for interviews, and can add remarks that are visible for all ExxonMobil users of the system. "The system is there because we wanted to react quicker to candidates," says Bijen. "We've already attained that desired speed. Candidates who apply through the system immediately receive an e-mail response with a note that their candidacy is accepted and that the CV has safely arrived. After our internal evaluation process, we notify the candidate via e-mail on the level of our interest. That takes approximately a week from the time of application." The message contains either a rejection or an invitation for a conversation. For each type of answer, ExxonMobil sees to it that there are corresponding templates. "We store all further correspondence with the CV and the interview reports, right on a Talent Record in the system. When we refuse a candidate, we store our reasoning internally. From that information we can learn a lot over time. For instance, we learn how we can more effectively reach the right target audience for a particular opening."
Everything electronic
The implementation of BrassRing Enterprise came exactly at the
right moment for ExxonMobil. While the Benelux business in prior years had
received about eight hundred spontaneous applications, that number was around
fourteen hundred in 2002. "As awareness of our Internet Application system
improves, that number will possibly rise even further," says Carolien Bijen.
"Also, it has become more difficult for recent graduates to find a nice
job because of the current economic situation."
Enterprise provides a good solution to handle the rising number of applications. It also significantly reduces the work needed to manage traditional CVs sent via paper mail. "Paper cover letters are scanned by BrassRing and added to the system within a day for us. Applications that reach us via e-mail also enter the system immediately."
The storage of all employee information takes place in ExxonMobil's ERP system from SAP. The integrated exchange of data from BrassRing to SAP leaves open the possibility of expanding the use of the BrassRing system at a later stage for internal applications. It also allows the automated transfer of new employee data – from the recruitment system directly to the HR module of SAP.
This article first appeared in VUNET in French and Dutch, and was translated with permission by Glenn Dittrich, Managing Director of BrassRing in the Netherlands.