Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/234597
Recruitment While I was new to the organization, I had a wealth of experience to draw upon at Caesars. The company has launched more than 50 successful gaming establishments and employs a workforce of 70,000 on four continents. So my first step was to examine the company's current talent acquisition process to see how well it would work for the Cincinnati office. We had launched our newest property less than a month earlier in Cleveland with 1,600 employees. That opening offered a significant advantage in terms of a learning experience. I quickly discovered, however, that there is no perfect blueprint for high-volume hiring. Every new facility opening brings a unique set of challenges. After completing my research, I could clearly identify the requirements I had to meet and the pitfalls I had to avoid. The pitfalls included: • Large applicant volumes and tight time frames; • Lack of technology and resources to efficiently touch and screen all applicants; • Resource constraints that required an influx of colleagues unfamiliar with the current hiring project and local labor market dynamics; • Inability to get to know all candidates beyond their applications; • Inconsistency in the candidate experience; and • Scheduling burdens, both for the company and for candidates. Based on the company's experience staffing other properties—and given substantial community expectations of job creation and economic prosperity—we knew that how we handled recruiting would be a key contributor to how we were viewed as a new business partner in Cincinnati. With continuous process improvement a foundational value for Caesars, we looked at ways to enhance our recruiting process. That led to our partnership with Aon Hewitt and a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) engagement. They recommended a project recruiting solution that offered both the scalability and flexibility to accommodate the high volumes and tight time frames we anticipated. As an added bonus, the solution could be ramped up with incredible speed. Within two weeks, we had an efficient process built [50] HRO TODAY MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2013 on innovation and recruiting expertise that incorporated technology accelerators for screening, scheduling, and interviewing. Improving the Process The entire process was designed to be fast, efficient, consistent, and convenient, both for candidates and hiring managers. We had developed a customized set of interview questions and calibrated them for the desired responses. This upfront collaboration enabled us to thoroughly and consistently screen and rate candidates in order to single out the high-potential candidates. The digital interview process allowed candidates to complete their interviews from any device with a webcam, including smartphones and tablets, anytime, anywhere. Clear instructions guided candidates from start to finish. It even had automated diagnostics to test—and optimize— sound and video quality. The ability to brand the digital interview and embed custom videos allowed us to showcase our employment value proposition. This was particularly important as we were the first gaming establishment in the city and people had lots of questions about our culture, values, and work environment. Our use of this technology became a selling point of sorts. Candidate feedback showed they thought it was "cool." The vast majority—92 percent—gave the process a four or more on a scale of 1 to 5 for "ease of use." Community leaders loved it too. It gave them an opportunity to partner with Horseshoe Cincinnati in prepping potential candidates. After we had provided some initial orientation, they were able to set up their own local workshops where candidates could go for help and advice in putting their best face forward. Aon Hewitt handled all of the screening, using a highly seasoned team that reviewed, assessed, and rated every digital interview, only passing along the best-qualified candidates to our hiring managers. They estimate that if we had relied upon traditional phone screening methods, this phase alone would have required the full-time focus of nearly 60 recruiters! Using Aon Hewitt's proprietary scheduling tool allowed us to fully automate the usually time-consuming task of scheduling interviews. Candidates who had passed the initial screening, assessment, and digital interview phases could self-schedule their in-person interview. In addition to