Recently, metal industry company Hanza Mechanics fully digitalized their
recruitment process and has since experienced significant benefits. As all the data is securely stored in one system, there is an ability to compare candidates easily, and the recruitment process is significantly faster, the company has seen measurable results.
During a webinar held with the Estonian Association of Machine Industry, Hanza Mechanics’ HR manager Marika Maschorov and Recrur’s founder and CEO Marit Alaväli shared their experiences of digitalizing the recruitment processes.
Why digitalize recruitment processes in a manufacturing company?
Marit Alaväli, founder and CEO of Recrur, highlighted the real need for digitalization and its measurable benefits for companies. These advantages extend to the whole organization, not only to the hiring manager and the recruiter.
Benefits for recruiters: Recruiters can manage the entire recruitment process within a single platform, freeing them from data administration and allowing them to use their time more effectively. Implementing the software saves at least 69% of the time spent on administrative tasks, and real-time information management throughout the recruitment process can be up to twice as efficient.
Benefits for hiring managers: Managers get a real-time overview of the recruitment process and incoming candidates. They can communicate directly with candidates and assess them, improving communication with their recruiters.
Benefits for the organization: Recruitment is managed within a single environment, with all information stored in one place. This saves time and money, avoids arguments and fines related to GDPR issues, and ensures the organization remains competitive by evaluating recruitment processes and making better decisions for improvement.
What caused a need for digitization of recruitment processes in Hanza?
HANZA Mechanics, part of the rapidly growing international HANZA Group, operates factories in Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, and China. The company, founded in 1907, is a publicly traded company with 2100 employees, of which nearly 800 are in the Baltic cluster. In Tartu, there are 476 employees, 260 in Narva, and 23 in the Tartu service center. In 2023, Hanza filled 164 positions, with the most challenging being operator-setup roles.
A total of 476 people work in the Tartu factory of Hanza Machanics.
Photo: Toomas Kelt
In 2022, Hanza faced difficulties managing information in Excel and various locations – emails, paper, and different job portals. This led them to explore various recruitment software options to automate their processes.
What did digitalizing the recruitment process bring to Hanza?
HR manager Marika Maschorov noted the importance of having all data securely in one place, the ability to compare candidates, a faster recruitment process, and quicker candidate communication. Previously, potential candidates’ resumes collected at career fairs on paper required extensive processing time, during which candidates might find other jobs. Now, potential job seekers are directed to a career page, and their data immediately reaches the Recrur software, allowing for instant communication. Paper resumes are no longer accepted at any production unit, and
all applications go through the career page or job portals.
With nearly 20 different units, Hanza has its masters and managers for each. If someone involved in the recruitment process went on vacation while a position needed to be filled, the recruiter had to gather and resend all the information. Data protection issues such as how and where to send and store information were challenging. With the adoption of the software, life has significantly changed. Logging into the recruitment software provides access to all data securely. Both HR managers and other managers can easily monitor processes and evaluate candidates. Communication with recruiters has improved, and all information is in one place.
How is the recruitment process set up at Hanza’s Tartu factory?
The need for a job position arises from a specific production unit and is approved by the plant manager, who evaluates its practicality before the request reaches the HR department. The recruitment manager posts job ads in various places – CV Market and the career page. Job postings are automatically uploaded, and all applicants are automatically directed to the Recrur recruitment software. If necessary, a social media campaign is also conducted for the job posting. This is followed by pre- selection, interviews, and tests if needed. A suitable candidate is offered the position, feedback is sent to others from Recrur, and the work begins. Consent to keep candidates in the talent pool is also requested, allowing for easy re-invitation to apply in the future.
How was recruitment software implemented at Hanza?
The selection of the software was described as a democratic process, where company employees tried different recruitment software, and Recrur was chosen for its simplicity and user-friendliness. It takes about three months for all employees to use the software proficiently, though it may take longer. In hindsight, managers acknowledge that life has become much easier, and significant time has been saved, wondering why they did not start using recruitment software sooner. Marika added that managers’ attitudes towards new tools play a crucial role in how quickly recruitment software is adopted.
Feel free to contact Marit Alaväli to learn how Recrur’s recruitment software can create a competitive advantage for your company.
Marit Alaväli, CEO and Founder of Recrur
marit@recrur.com
