As talent attraction and acquisition specialists, our lives here at Scout Talent revolve around recruitment. We live and breathe the services and products that we provide to our clients and we also practice what we preach, especially when it comes to candidate experience and care.
Candidate experience is really important to us, as we want to make a positive, lasting first impression about our organisation, not only to make them feel invested in working for us, but because we believe the key to great recruitment is developing positive relationships with our team members.
In this short series, we interviewed some of our newest team members to get their perspective on their candidate experience applying for their current role and joining our Scout Talent team.
Here’s what Michael had to say.
Michael Petselas – Business Development Manager
How long have you been working at Scout Talent?
I’ve been here for about 2 months now.
Could you please explain the process you went through?
I saw the advertisement for the role on SEEK and it immediately caught my attention; I decided to investigate the role and organisation further.
I called the office to ask a few more questions before applying. I was put through to a team member (who is now my current manager!). He was happy to answer my questions and was very helpful by explaining the rest of the process to me and what I could expect after applying for the role.
After this call, I decided to apply for the role. There were a few screening questions on the application and they were fairly simple to answer. Overall, from seeing the ad to completing the application, I managed to apply within about 40 minutes.
I immediately got a “thanks for applying” email which confirmed that my application had been received. Four working days later, I got invited for a video interview. This interview took place two days later and was handled by a member of the team in the office based in Canada.
After this interview, I sent an email thanking Scout Talent for speaking with me. Following this, I got invited to complete a McQuaig mental agility test and personality test. I was very happy that two days later I received an invitation for a face-to-face interview at the Brisbane office.
I booked in for my interview online and attended a few days later. Within two working days, I was invited to a secondary interview where I was given a verbal offer.
The panel explained that they would complete reference checks before sending the written offer and contract and estimated how long this would take. They completed this within a few days. I received my written offer and contract alongside a phone call from the team member who is now my manager, congratulating me and ensuring that I was now part of the team.
I was really excited about working at Scout because I had a really positive candidate experience and was able to accept my offer digitally. I signed my contract within an hour of receiving it.
From your initial application to your first day, how long did the process take?
I sent my application on the 9th of May and started on the 10th of June. However, the process was shorter than this, as I had prior commitments which delayed my start date a little. The Scout team were very understanding.
How was your onboarding experience?
So easy! I was able to read and sign all my documents online. There was no need for me to print, sign and scan my contract to provide my acceptance, which really saved me a lot of time.
On my first day at work, I was able to hit the ground running. My laptop was prepped for me and my initial logins for email and the learning management system were all set up, so I didn’t have to wait around to begin my tasks.
How did your experience compare to other organisations you applied for?
It was similar to a few organisations I have worked for, but a lot more thorough than most. I felt more respected as a candidate because the team were responsive and polite, and I had a clear understanding of where I was in the process each time they communicated with me.
Previously, I participated in interviews where I expected a specific person to be there to interview me, and for whatever reason they weren’t there or the panel had changed. With Scout, if changes took place, I was immediately informed and always knew who I would be meeting.
Did you have any further comments?
A major deciding factor for me when applying for roles is the culture, which I look for on the careers page and social media of the organisation. I liked the culture and personality of Scout Talent, which I discovered through both my research and meeting people. Positively paired with a great candidate experience, I feel that here, I have a good work environment with a lot of scope for growth. All of the key criteria I look for in a job have been met.
Looking for advice?
The Scout Talent suite makes it easy to handle all of your candidate care, leaving a great impression of your business for it’s future employees. Speak to a member of the team to discuss our product suite and how it can streamline your recruitment process today on +61 7 3330 2595.
