The Siemens employer brand promise is ‘we make real what matters’. Their employees are tasked with the aspirational goal of ‘reimagining the world around us, creating solutions to the most challenging problems and making infrastructure more intuitive; making the world a smarter place.’
That’s why they recruit people with more than just a passion for disruptive ideas – Siemens employees must also have the courage to bring those ideas to life. It’s a collaborative culture, driven by ingenuity and a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
Disruptive ideas are not the sole domain of engineers and technologists, Siemens’ recruitment marketers are also embracing new technology such as video (VideoMyJob), augmented writing (Textio) and experiential job postings (Ruutly).
With a data-driven and iterative approach to HR technology, Siemens are rising to the challenge of connecting and engaging with talent - specifically ‘passive’ talent - and positioning Siemens as an employer of choice.
A few weeks ago, I caught up with Eleni Efstratiades whose global role at Siemens is 100% focused on identifying, reviewing and implementing technology innovations that enhance the candidate experience. We talked about Siemens unique approach to technology pilots and how video job ads are impacting candidate engagement globally.
I did a double-take when Eleni shared this global statistic with me. We hear anecdotally that candidate engagement metrics - like time on page and open rates - improve with the addition of video. Our own research tells us that 74% of talent professionals believe video improves the candidate experience. But nothing beats a customer with two years’ worth of data telling us they have increased time on page by 4 minutes with the addition of video!
“Since we've been on VideoMyJob, the candidate experience has improved tremendously and it really shows ... people stay on our job postings 4 minutes longer when there's a video [in our job ad].”
Eleni Efstratiades
Candidates who have watched a video job ad on YouTube, then followed the ‘Apply’ link through to Siemens’ job posting, spend on average 8:40 minutes on a job post. The average time on a Siemens job post is 4:40 minutes. Which means candidates are watching the video, their interest is sparked, they're actively seeking out more information by leaving YouTube to review the job description and qualifications. They’re thinking about what they can bring to the job and how they fit in. It’s the definition of candidate engagement and it makes me very excited!
Siemens recruit for a significant number of niche roles and with only 30% of the workforce actively seeking new opportunities, the challenge of getting in front of, and appealing to, passive candidates is a real one for Siemens’ recruiters.
“Video brings life to the job. We've been having not only the recruiters on video, but also the hiring managers and that way a person can say ‘wow I can really see myself working for this person’ or ‘I can see myself on this team’ and when they (recruiters) get creative like that, that really helps the candidate experience.” Eleni Efstratiades
Video allows candidates to quickly understand more about a role, the work environment and colleagues, than a text job description can. Video job ads on the Siemens YouTube channel drive engaged traffic from the video search engine to the Siemens job post.
As I mentioned before, Eleni’s expertise is in technology; identifying, reviewing and implementing technology innovations. She believes strongly that complementary technologies - that keep the candidate experience top of mind - and education, are essential for successful technology adoption.
Eleni’s team strive to create a seamless experience for recruiters, with technologies that work together. By focusing on integration, more people are exposed to the platforms and organic growth and adoption becomes less of a challenge. She says “... we have different ways that we can integrate video, either in the job description or we have another layer (Ruutly) that sits on top. And their (with Ruutly) candidates can get a quick glimpse of the job and what Siemens is like.”
“My coworker Charis, who was leading the project, worked really hard to bring awareness to how videos are changing the market and why they're necessary. That was the first thing and then just showcase how easy it is to pick up a camera and and just start filming. You don't have to be perfect, because in reality we're not perfect!” Eleni Efstratiades
With so many recruiters across 120 countries, different languages and different cultures, adoption of any tool can be challenging. Some regions are happy to just jump right into new technology, other cultures can be a little bit more hesitant to do so.
Siemens focused heavily on education, measuring the pilots and promoting the results (as they have in the video below) through the company’s internal social network to increase adoption and global buy-in.
About Siemens
Siemens employs over 300,000 people in more than 200 countries, creating innovation every day to change the future.
They’re engineers – and scientists, mechanics, computer geniuses, HR professionals, sales experts and designers. They're a global community, from factories to office floors. Siemens are known for their engineering expertise and the ingenious solutions that many people rely on everyday.
How do they make a difference? They take on tough projects and provide solutions. They build infrastructure where there is none. They energize the world, help industries run smoothly and create the digital tomorrow. They empower their people to own and thrive on challenges, enabling them to maximize their potential.