E‐recruitment delivers return on investment for DML
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390980000977 |
| Pages | 8-9 |
| Date | 12 August 2007 |
| Published date | 12 August 2007 |
| Author | Andy Leftley |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
8Volume 6 Issue 4 May/June 2007
HR AT WORK
,
Short case studies that demonstrate best practice in HR
E-recruitment delivers return on
investment for DML
D
evonport Management Limited
(DML), the largest private sector
employer in the Devon and
Cornwall region in the UK, implemented
the First Advantage Hiring Management
System (HMS) just over a year ago and is
now evaluating the benefits of bringing
e-recruitment into the organization.
A Prime Support Contractor to the
Royal Navy, DML employs around 5,000
permanent staff at its main site at
Devonport Royal Dockyard and several
hundred more people at sites across the
UK. The company also runs the
Appledore shipyard in North Devon,
where it currently builds the hulls for
luxury superyachts. DML would expect
to recruit between 200 and 250 new
hires during the course of a year. At any
one time it also employs some 500
temporary personnel, typically on
contracts of one year or less.
The challenges of traditional methods
Andy Leftley, DML recruitment manager,
explains: “Dealing with this level of
recruitment using traditional, manual
methods is labor-intensive. The
disconnected processes previously used
meant an administration-heavy
workload, with individual applications
being slow to process. We need to stand
out from our competitors in the way we
deal with candidates, if we’re to attract
the very best recruits.”
In introducing its hiring management
system, DML decided to focus first on
planned annual recruitment. The original
intention was to cover all the core
applicant tracking needs by moving to
automated processing of applications,
whether received online or through the
post. “The First Advantage HMS solution
offered the state-of-the-art applicant
tracking system, with flexibility, that we
wanted,” says Leftley. “In practice we
have extended our use of the system and
exploited the wider hiring management
capabilities, which far exceed anything
offered by traditional systems.”
Automating the process
DML initially implemented the system to
introduce an element of automation in
dealing with applicants to its graduate
and apprentice recruitment programs.
The two programs have very different
needs. Leftley explains: “We bring in
around 25 new graduates each year,
which means choosing the best 25 from
around 700 applications. Historically,
vacancies have tended to be in
mechanical, electrical and marine
engineering and naval architecture, but
our requirements are broadening. During
2007, we will also recruit graduates for
such areas as civil engineering and
chemical process engineering, as well as
more business-oriented disciplines
including contracts, purchasing, IT and
business development.”
Apprentice vacancies are, naturally,
different: “We look for young people to
train as mechanical and electrical fitters,
fabricators and pipe-fitters. The criteria
and processes are necessarily different to
those for graduates, but with common
features, and we still have to select from
a large pool of candidates. DML typically
receives 450 or more applications for the
35 apprenticeships it awards each year.”
DML invites graduate candidates to a
two-day residential assessment event.
This means sifting and de-selecting more
than 80 percent of the 700 applications
received, a process that is now carried
out entirely online. Previously,
candidates’ responses on questionnaires
and in tests all had to be individually
checked. Leftley says: “Simple arithmetic
shows that just five minutes per
application would mean nearly 60 hours
of checking.”
An element of candidate self-vetting
“As part of today’s application process,”
explains Leftley, “the applicants now
complete forms and tests online at the
The DML Group is based in the UK and is
a Prime Support Contractor to the Royal
Navy, providing through-life support for
submarines, surface ships and equipment.
It employs over 5,000 full-time staff
across multiple sites, in addition to
around 500 temporary staff.
DML
Andy Leftley, recruitment manager at DML, discusses the company’s successful first step into e-recruitment and
the significant benefits that have been realized from its hiring management system.
© Melcrum publishing 2007.For more information visit our website www.melcrum.com or e-mail info@melcrum.com
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