High-Fliers!
The challenge
As one of the world’s most successful airlines, it is vital
for British Airways to provide a recruitment process
that mirrors the full service experience enjoyed by
passengers.
Project aims:1. Support diverse roles – engineering to
customer services
2. “Full service experience” for candidates
3. Intelligent approach to popular brand
4. Help for the recruiters’ workload
Fasten your seatbelts
The sheer size and diversity of their operations
produces many varied career paths - from school
leavers to experienced professionals - with positions
ranging from engineers to customer services. For BA
one of the challenges of having such a popular brand
is the sheer volume of applications. Treating each one
individually was creating a significant workload with
the previous systems.
Planning the journey
Before embarking on the introduction of an erecruitment system, a stringent business case was
compiled, which identified the main aims and
objectives.
“I must have seen every recruitment system and
think GlobalSuccessor is the best”
Jenni Edwards, Resourcing Business Manager,
responsible for the implementation at BA explains the
business case: “the initial objectives were cost savings
and a consistent candidate experience.” BA contends
with many external factors - high fuel prices have
added £1bn to costs - which mustn’t be passed on to
customers. “Another key factor was the integration of
all parts of the recruitment process, to replace the
separate systems that were being used. A contributing
factor to i-GRasp’s selection was their overall approach
and the people we would be working with. I must have
seen every e-recruitment system over the past couple
of years and think GlobalSuccessor is the best.”
Pre-flight checks
British Airways went through an extensive selection
process before choosing i-GRasp’s GlobalSuccessor.
They had a long list of requirements, and a number of
e-recruitment systems were tested against these
requirements. Jenni describes that “GlobalSuccessor
was the strongest contender with regards to our type
of recruitment which is high volume forms.” Jenni
looked at the websites of a number of i-GRasp’s clients
and applied as a candidate to experience the process
at ground level.
Check-in
In addition to hands-on demonstrations, Jenni also
visited an existing client which was “invaluable in
getting a feeling for how it works in practice and for
the opportunity to speak to users. This was set up
independently and not contrived, building trust that iGRasp were confident in their system.” i-GRasp
advised the BA Steering Group on Best Practice,
derived from their work with other clients.
"British Airways have been at the leading edge for the
last 5 years and they needed to know they were
choosing something that would be the best for the
next 5 years." says i-GRasp CEO Andy Randall.
“everyone at i-GRasp has been professional and
easy to work with.”
I-GRasp’s implementation team regularly consulted
with BA’s steering group. Jenni sees this as one of the
key advantages i-GRasp offers “being a flexible
organisation, listening to the customer and devising
solutions rather than presenting the product as it is.”
Clear for take-off
Jenni explains, “i-GRasp did not baffle us with science
– the product was presented in a simple way. The
relationship with the supplier has been important
throughout the whole process”
The solution went live on April 26th 2005
- on time and on budget.
A smooth landing
Since the implementation of GlobalSuccessor, the
candidate experience has become faster and more
reliable. The new system is easy to navigate and the
candidate can see what part of the form has been
completed rather than just being presented with a long
list of questions.
“Intelligent screening and filtering are a major
advantage of i-GRasp”
British Airways now have specifically targeted
application forms which can be selected very quickly –
this allows more flexibility and contributes to an
improved candidate experience. The processes in place
prior to implementation meant that they had to invest
time and money for each form to be designed – with
GlobalSuccessor they can select a tailor made form at
the touch of a button.
The onward journey
British Airway’s vision is to be the undisputed leader in
international air travel in the 21st Century. An
integrated recruitment process provides a seamless
experience for candidates whilst measuring the results
achieved - to ensure its employer brand shines in the
marketplace. By helping British Airways recruit the
best talent, GlobalSuccessor will continue to make a
contribution to its success. Andy summarises "BA are a
popular employer and we add value by helping
candidates know if a particular job is right for them,
right from the start.