How Casio transformed its hiring process to attract top talent

Casio utilized cutting-edge HR technology to bolster its focus on soft skills, resulting in positive outcomes for both candidate satisfaction and employee engagement. How easy was it for them to attract top talent?

Sam emphasizes the significance of a well-crafted candidate experience, stating, “For us it’s incredibly important, especially given the current climate within the UK in terms of talent acquisition. It’s very competitive so businesses need to ensure that their recruitment processes are smooth, consistent and with quick action for candidates.” 

To address this challenge, Casio overhauled their recruitment process, which “previously was very manual – from candidate shortlisting all the way through to facilitating communications between our hiring teams and candidates. Interview scheduling at times was tricky to coordinate, requiring multiple reminders, as we also had introduced hybrid working in our head office post-COVID”.

Sam further elaborates, “It’s important for that candidate to know where they stand, not just waiting a long time for their first interview and then the follow-up stages after that.

“So, having Workable really helped us with that communication and recruitment pipeline, making sure those touchpoints with the candidate were really easy to use and maintain; enhancing a more personal experience with automated communication templates that were easy to define and customize in the platform.” 

This proactive approach to communication has been key in keeping candidates engaged throughout the hiring process and boosting their efforts to attract top talent.

HR Technology can overcome hiring challenges 

Casio implemented Workable, our recruitment software, to enhance candidate communication and smooth the hiring process. 

This has been particularly beneficial for roles in high demand, such as customer service, marketing, and retail.

Sam notes the specific challenges in these industries, saying, “Recently the predominant roles we recruit for are customer service and marketing, which can be quite challenging due to their demand in the market.

“Additionally, retail positions pose a challenge since the pandemic, with experienced retail workers seeking opportunities that are more remote work or hybrid, so brands have to be able to emphasize their benefits clearly to attract quality candidates.”

“Brands have to be able to emphasize their benefits clearly to attract quality candidates.”

By leveraging technology, Casio has been able to navigate these challenges more effectively “by ensuring our adverts are optimized to reach the relevant talent we want to attract. Workable’s AI recruiter has also been helpful in sourcing potentially applicable matches.

“Furthermore, the collaboration with the hiring teams on our recruitment campaigns has improved and been made easy with the platform, centralizing our communications, feedback and evaluations in one place rather than just emails. Seamlessly managing campaigns via Desktop or App is made so easy.”

The value of unified reporting

As the self-proclaimed “data cruncher” of the team, Sam appreciates the value of a unified reporting system. 

“I’m probably the data cruncher on our team. Having HR technology that helps inform our strategic decisions was incredibly important for our team. Previously, I had to manually gather data from various sources, which was time-consuming.”

“Whether I was working with recruiters or analyzing data myself, everything was done manually, including generating reports.

With HR technology, “I can easily access information for how the campaigns are performing – reports like time to fill, recruiter productivity, performance of different recruitment sources are just some of the reports pre-built into the system and easy to use and export.”

“Having real-time data and robust filtering options is invaluable for our team’s efficiency and historical analysis.”

Embracing video interviews

One standout feature that has transformed Casio’s hiring process is the use of one-way video interviews. 

Sam shares, “The recorded one-way video interviews were a trial, but they really worked. Initially, I was hesitant because I knew this could be a drastic change for the business as we were used to always conducting interviews in person, which isn’t always feasible nowadays. It could also be argued as a potential barrier for some candidates.”

This shift has not only saved time but also received “really positive feedback from both candidates and hiring managers. Candidates are able to proceed in our selection process quickly and hiring managers are able to review candidates and evaluate them almost as soon as the candidate has submitted their interview, allowing us to move on to the next stages of the process more efficiently.

“It also allows us to consider how candidates present themselves in a remote environment which is a factor we consider now that remote meetings happen more often nowadays with hybrid working.”

“Being able to shortlist people who we might have otherwise taken longer to see has been a great benefit from the system.”

Prioritizing soft skills

Casio has shifted its focus to prioritize soft skills and cultural fit over strict qualifications. Sam explains:

“For some roles, yes we do still need some technical expertise, but our focus is about what else the candidate can bring? Are they organized? Are they more methodical in approach to problem solving or more creative? How do they tailor their communication?”

This approach aligns with Casio’s values. Sam elaborates, “values are really important to us, especially in the challenges of adapting to a hybrid work environment. Ensuring someone can engage with the rest of the team is part of our interview process.

“Also understanding the candidate’s needs and wants for their work environment is also crucial, these days it’s important to assess cultural fit from both employer and candidate perspectives. It’s a partnership at the end of the day. This is particularly emphasized in senior roles.” 

“These days it’s important to assess cultural fit from both employer and candidate perspectives. It’s a partnership at the end of the day.

“We’ve also used the system’s psychometric assessments, which have been very insightful during interviews encouraging productive conversation between us and the candidates.”

Workplace culture: a factor to attract top talent

Casio has noticed promising trends in employee satisfaction. Sam shares, “By focusing on that, you end up having people who are more invested in your workplace culture. This, in turn, hopefully leads to an upward trend in positive feedback from our employees.” 

“We do survey our employees as well, and we are not only scoring high, we are also seeing further increase in recommendations for Casio as a place to work and in people wanting to be part of our team.”

Sam acknowledges that while they are making progress, there is still room for growth. “Focusing more on those softer skills is actually crucial for us, ensuring that we have an engaging process. There’s always room for development and learning from our employees.”

Casio’s transformation of their hiring process demonstrates the impact of prioritizing candidate experience, utilizing HR technology, and focusing on soft skills. That was the best way for them attract top talent.

By implementing tools like Workable and embracing video interviews, Casio has streamlined its recruitment efforts while attracting high-quality talent that aligns with their culture.

As Sam notes, “it’s really important for us to get that right and make sure we have the right people in the right seats.” 

With a dedication to continuous improvement and a candidate-centric approach, Casio is well-positioned to build strong, engaged teams that drive the company’s success.