Makro, one of the UK’s largest wholesalers, has implemented StepStone Solutions’ e-recruitment platform to handle its recruitment processes through its new online careers portal www.makrocareers.co.uk. Despite only going live in June 2010 Makro has already forecast a 150 per cent return on investment (ROI) within 12 months.
The new e-recruitment solution has already had a significant impact. Within the first week of going live Makro processed over 350 applications resulting in the company making immediate hires through its new careers portal. Makro also received almost 27,000 site hits and roughly 5,500 job views within the first seven days. For a company that ordinarily received 200 speculative CVs every day, StepStone Solutions has helped streamline its recruitment considerably. Filter questions for each vacancy reduce the number of unsuitable applications, while conducting the entire recruitment process online, from application to arranging interviews, significantly reduces the administrative burden and, as a result, reduces time to hire.
With a workforce of 4,400 employees across its 30 UK stores Makro places an emphasis on customer service – it is therefore vital that it recruits employees that will reflect this ethos. The customised system, which was implemented in less than three months, gives hiring managers, HR professionals and business leaders greater visibility of the positions and candidates available. They can also search the portal for potential recruits by location and department, as well as via a key-word search. In addition, candidates can opt to receive job alerts when future positions become available. The highly efficient system is also expected to have a positive impact on Makro’s employer brand as applicants are informed of their progress quickly and accurately, with all communication taking place through the portal.
Nicola Lake, head of resourcing at Makro, comments: “Our new careers website will not only transform the way candidates can search for and apply for jobs, but also improve our in-house management of the recruitment process. The majority of the job applications we were receiving were speculative, but our new system gives greater visibility of what opportunities exist at Makro for those wanting to join us. It even provides automated job alerts which eliminate a lot of the admin for us. Our investment in www.makrocareers.co.uk sets us apart from our competitors and we want to do everything we can to attract the best talent to deliver the best possible service to our customers.”
Matthew Parker, CEO of StepStone Solutions comments: “Makro reaped the benefits of our e-recruitment system in the first week, and estimating an ROI of 150 per cent in the first 12 months demonstrates the solution’s ability to cut costs and improve efficiencies from the off-set. It is vital that companies like Makro have a cost-effective, seamless recruitment process if they are to attract and recruit the right talent and we’re delighted to have put them on the right track to achieving these objectives.”
In July, Makro launched an employee referral scheme and the company is currently considering additional StepStone Solution products to enhance its career programme.
