One of the hotel industry's main challenges is the supply of skills as well as attracting more potential hires. Maria Rodert, HR Manager at Scandic Hotels, talks about how they have streamlined their recruitment process including the process of applying for a job at Scandic.
The wish list was clear when it was time for Scandic Hotels to transition to a new recruiting software. A user-friendly ATS for both recruiters and candidates, not only throughout the recruitment process, but a mobile-friendly tool that enables candidates to apply through their phones.
Scandic Hotels also wanted to use video resumes, something they had previously implemented with impressive results.
- Jobylon made a very good presentation, everything felt trustworthy and easy to understand. One of Jobylons strengths are their agility and the fact that they truly want to, not only understand our needs but also grow with us. They listen to our needs and wishes - and the system is constantly evolving according to our feedback.
Launched before midsummer
Initially, they set up a routine with frequent monthly reconciliations to continuously develop functions depending on our need. Maria appreciates that Jobylon always has a positive spirit and has tried to accommodate their wishes, no matter how big or small the requests have been. Today, Scandic Hotels has a main person of contact at Jobylon who they can turn to if something needs to be adjusted or exchange feedback with.
Scandic has now worked with Jobylon for five years and the system was initially tested at one of their hotels in Germany. In Sweden, the shift to Jobylon would take place just before midsummer to easily handle all the recruitments for the summer. Maria was not worried that the new recruitment system would be implemented during the summer holidays.
- It felt so good that I could honestly tell my employees that this system will make it easier with recruitments, a promise that was kept. We had introductions and trained our staff in how to use Jobylon and once we launched, very few questions remained. For safety's sake, we kept the old system in parallel, but no one wanted to use it after they were introduced to Jobylon.
Mobile-friendly job applications
Updates are made continuously to simplify our everyday use of the tool. Time savings are a great advantage because each manager is responsible for their recruitments. As a manager, you would rather spend time on interviews and other tasks than administration.
Something that has been important for Scandic Hotels is to lower the threshold for submitting its application. Therefore, candidates can apply easily on their mobile phone and for some positions, no formal resume is required.
- Applying for a job at Scandic should be easy. In general, we do not ask for more information than necessary, no cumbersome candidate accounts that you have to create and remember to log in to. I think the candidate journey is a better experience now. Everything is gathered in one place, which makes it increasingly easy and safe, says Maria.
Video resumes has been giving us great results
When Scandic Haymarket in Stockholm city was just opening up, it was the first time that Scandic tried out video resumes in their recruitment process, something that proved to be very effective. In Jobylon, it is optional to use the video format, but sending in a video application can sometimes be met with opposition from candidates.
- Video is just more personal, a resume or a personal letter, you could ask a friend to write. Video resumes are a great way to make a first impression, which is so important in our industry. Working with us, you’re always on stage and therefore, it shouldn't be a problem to record a video of yourself. However, we do want it to be seen as a complement to the application.
The challenges for the hotel industry are in particular the supply of skills, to reach and encourage more people to apply. Maria can see a tendency for more positions to be advertised nowadays, precisely because it is simpler, and since everything is gathered in one place, the system has links to both job sites and campaigns on social media, which saves a lot of time for the recruiting managers. Time that they can now spend on other things.
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