In fast moving consumer goods, speed, reach, and a great candidate experience are essential to attract candidates in remote locations and fill roles for peak seasons.
At Twinings, the recruitment team was held back by decentralized systems, manual processes, and a glaring lack of recruitment data. Without an ATS, HR had to handle each step in the recruitment process manually. To make matters worse, they did not have their own recruitment site, but instead were “piggy-backing” off the Twinings website. Candidates would upload their CVs via a form which HR would then manually download and filter one-by-one.
Sophie Rogers, Twinings’s Talent Acquisition Specialist, describes the old process as “a nightmare.” Without data, Twinings’s hiring metrics were obscured in a black box. Every manual step took longer than necessary, so improvements that could make the process more applicant-friendly were neglected.
As a result, time to hire often exceeded 100 days, by which time the best candidates had accepted offers elsewhere. “It was such a colossal waste of time for everyone,” Sophie told us. “Line managers were reviewing each CV manually via email. It was incredibly time-consuming.”
With the right tech and systems in place, Twinings shortened time to hire by 63%, improved candidate experience, and achieved more of their hiring goals. Here’s how they did it.
Key info
- Locations: Andover, Paris, New Jersey, Lagos, Rowille, Shanghai, Jakarta, Kolkata, Swarzedz, Neuenegg, Bangkok
- Industry: Fast moving consumer goods
- Headcount: 400 in the UK, 2,400 globally
- Size of talent team: 5
Twinings’ recipe for success
1. Centralize candidate management
Sophie knew the team needed to cut down time spent on manual processes, which put bulk actioning and automation at the top of her ATS wish list. Twinings needed one-click, user-friendly functionality that wouldn’t burden the team.
Where HR and hiring managers had been managing candidates one by one, they can now manage them in bulk, sending both automated and personalized communication as needed. Everyone—from the Twinings team to the candidates themselves—can quickly and easily see where they stand. Hiring managers can access CVs, make interview notes, score candidates, view feedback, and communicate with candidates, in one centralized platform.
2. Post jobs across more channels
Previously, posting jobs on more than one channel was a manual process. With Talent Gleam, Sophie and her team can quickly post jobs on multiple job boards with just a few clicks. By increasing their reach, Twinings has seen a 3X increase in applicant volume.
Candidates have told us, ‘When I saw your system, I knew right away that Twinings would be a great company to work for, because you have a great platform.’
3. Remove the back-and-forth from interview scheduling
Interview scheduling has been a standout favorite for candidates and hiring managers. Sophie looks after dozens of roles at a time, but she’s not stressed about calendar management. She updates her availability in a few clicks and empowers candidates to choose from her available times.
Candidates now spend 45% less time in the interview stage on average.
4. Make reporting accessible
Sophie has defeated the “black box” of Twinings’ recruitment data once and for all. With Talent Gleam’s recruitment analytics tools, she can pull diversity data for every job and gain an understanding of where applications are coming from.
Sophie’s data shows that 85% of Twinings’s applications come through LinkedIn—an insight that would have been painful to uncover, if not impossible, before Talent Gleam. Now, her ability to nail down precisely where applications are coming from has allowed Sophie to strengthen the Twinings strategy and negotiate a two-year deal with LinkedIn.
And of course, more data means Sophie and the team can see the long-term impact of their work to improve candidate experience and team collaboration.
The Result
Since January 2023, Sophie has saved Twinings £500,000 in agency fees by running their talent acquisition through Talent Gleam. Those savings will continue to increase now she has a dedicated team to help her expand her strategic vision.
The feedback we continue to get about Talent Gleam is how easy it is to use. It’s been well received across the business.
Learn how you can achieve your recruitment goals with Talent Gleam
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