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Mars Case Study
Delivering Best in Class Candidate Management for Mars
The Background
Mars is one of the world’s leading branded manufacturers. They manufacture confectionery, food, pet care and drinks products, and their brands include Mars, Snickers, Galaxy, Pedigree, Whiskas, Dolmio, and Flavia, Skittles, Linnaeus, and many more.
For more than a century, Mars Incorporated, has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how they do business today. This idea is at the centre of who they have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm their commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.
Our Objective
- Improving candidate experience as candidates are customers
- Embed industry leading recruitment technology
- Drive efficiency across the entire process to free up recruitment time and resources
Our Solution
- We designed a recruitment outsourcing solution to deliver the graduate talent Mars needed. Our innovative volume recruitment programme is based on a streamlined four-stage process that’s supported by our cutting-edge technology. It includes a shortened application form, online tests, telephone interviews and assessment centres.
- The entire recruitment process was managed on our Volume Hiring Platform Applications were screened manually. Telephone interviews were conducted, and assessment centres managed efficiently. Every step was closely monitored by our quality assurance team. Real-time reporting provided detailed statistics that were shared with Mars and acted upon immediately.
- Our technology also supported the candidate experience alongside our resourcing services team. Candidates booked interview and assessment centre dates that suited them. They were able to access their account areas by mobile and easily see where they were in the process, while personalised communications kept candidates up to date with application progress at all times. These personalised online accounts, accessible from their own devices, helped maintain personal communication every step of the way.
- The Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) we design are highly effective self-selection tools that are proven to predict candidates’ future success. The SJTs gave Mars a more engaging way of providing an authentic job preview while telling their story and showcasing their brand.
The Impact
100% of offers were accepted.
The campaign also recorded an excellent overall Net Promoter Score of +61
The SJT had a sift out rate of 40% and effectively help control the quality of Mars’ future talent pipeline.
Transforming recruitment for leading organisations
Frequently Asked Questions
Have any questions about candidate attraction? Here are answers to some of the most common queries.
What is the goal of Candidate Attraction?
The goal of candidate attraction is to build a talent pipeline of qualified candidates in advance of actual job openings, so that when a position needs to be filled, the hiring process is quicker and more efficient.
The candidate attraction process begins with understanding what is required for candidates to be successful both within an organisation and the particular role.
Once this has been determined, candidate attraction strategies can be implemented to attract the best candidates who match the desired profile.
Outreach and engagement can be done through a variety of means, such as social media, email, or career events. Since 2020, there has been a significant rise in virtual events and networking sessions, allowing employers to have increased reach and provide more opportunities for candidates.
The ultimate goal is to start a relationship with potential employees, and provide them with a good understanding of the organisation and role so they are excited and motivated to apply.
What is the difference between candidate attraction and recruiting?
Candidate attraction is a proactive and targeted activity which is focused on engaging candidates, educating and informing them about your opportunities and converting them to application stage.
Recruiting is a more general term which refers to the broader process including assessment, selection, offer management and on-boarding.
What are some popular candidate attraction activities and channels?
There are multiple channels for organisations to use to attract their candidates and we would always suggest carrying out an audit of previous activity to see what is providing the best ROI.
Within the Early Careers social recruiting is becoming a more preferred channel as engaging to candidates in their familiar digital environments drives stronger engagement.
Industry specific platforms such as Bright Network provide a readymade community for employers to engage with and events and networking are still a firm favourite as it offers the opportunity to meet current employees face to face.
The key to candidate attraction is understanding your audience. What motivates them? Where do they look for opportunities? How can you best educate them?
It’s not simple but having a well thought out strategy will mean you can drive higher quality applications.
How can I make my organisation more attractive to candidates?
Again, this is about understanding your audience, however there are some common key themes.
Firstly, be honest and transparent. Whether that be disclosing salary information on the job specification or positioning the diversity of your board members, candidates will understand your challenges if you are clear about how you are addressing them.
ED&I is a huge topic and one that employers most continually focus on engage candidates. Whether it be sharing your ED&I policies from the outset or introducing them to your internal networks or relevant employees, showcase how you support individuals from underrepresented groups and how they can succeed in your business.
Finally, give clear and detailed information on the recruitment process. Provide information on each stage, expected timeframes and consider committing to giving personalised feedback.
