Source: theHRDIRECTOR
Date: January 2007 

Orange, part of the FranceT Group, is one of the world’s largest communications companies, providing mobile devices and services to over 85 million people worldwide. The company is Europe’s largest broadband provider and serves mobile, internet and landline needs to businesses in over 200 countries.

Operating in a fast moving competitive market, Orange has fully embraced e-recruitment software to help the 200-strong HR team to promote the company culture to applicants from the first point of contact. The company has a chain of over 340 retail stores and employs over 12,000 staff in the UK.

THE E-RECRUITMENT JOURNEY
Four years ago, Orange began to use online job boards and it also launched its first careers website, which has evolved to today’s comprehensive portal: www.orange.co.uk/jobs, as well as a number of recruitment micro sites such as www.orange.co.uk/retail. While the first Orange jobs website met the company’s initial needs, it became clear very quickly that to cope with the anticipated growth of the business and the desire to create a great candidate experience, a much more comprehensive e-recruitment system would be vital.

David Roberts, employer brand manager for Orange, explains: “One of the biggest issues for the HR team at that time was the need to be able to share information more easily. In addition, the front-end of our jobs portal had to be easy-to-use and navigate. But we also required a system capable of the volume recruitment campaigns that we execute.”

Orange chose StepStone’s i-GRasp to underpin the next generation of its recruitment portal, which was launched in 2005. In adopting the new software, Orange was able to re-define its e-recruitment processes, a move that delivered a number of positive benefits. “The roll-out of i-GRasp provided us with an opportunity to re-consider our recruitment process and how we could make it more efficient. Through using the software, all applicant information can be processed and shared efficiently. Reporting is now quicker and easier. Certain correspondence can be automated, which results in major time savings. It is also possible to see instantly how campaigns are progressing and to measure the Return on Investment (RoI) we are receiving from any spend on offline advertising or on recruitment agency fees.”

All applications to Orange are now funnelled through the careers portal, and over the past 18 months Orange has advertised 6,600 roles online. In response, it has received close to 80,000 CVs.

CULTURAL CHANGE
At first, the use of e-recruitment was limited within Orange but, as the benefits became apparent, adoption became more widespread. “Print advertising had been used for many years and was a trusted recruitment method. Therefore, some reluctance to try unknown mediums was understandable,” explains Roberts. “However the turning point for many of our HR and line managers was when they were able to access up-tothe-
minute data on their campaigns. In the past, this was a difficult task.“ Use of the Internet has also helped Orange to recruit senior managers earning salaries in excess of £100,000, which did surprise many within the organisation. Roberts says, “Traditionally such highly experienced candidates were recruited using the services of executive search firms. However, use of the Internet for job hunting is now so prolific that a flexible jobs website is not just a ‘nice to have’ but can be incredibly cost-effective.”

E-recruitment has helped Orange to dramatically cut its spend on recruitment by £1.1 million last year. Now, any ads that appear offline promote the Orange employer brand and drive traffic to the careers portal.

INNOVATIVE USES OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY WITHIN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Candidates that receive an interview invite are sent a text message that gives them an immediate reminder that they have got an important email in their inbox. Picture messaging is also being explored to provide applicants with maps and photos of the interview venue. In the future, the Orange jobs portal will also feature video footage of current employees speaking about their experience within the organisation, as well as line managers explaining to candidates what their jobs will entail on a day-to-day basis. “Our e-recruitment system plays a vital role in the success of our company. Externally, it helps to ensure that the Orange job application process is as efficient as possible. Internally, it has delivered major efficiency and cost savings. In the future, we are confident that e-recruitment will continue to help the HR team support the company as it evolves,” concludes Roberts.