Infosys: Redefining candidate experience

The second largest Indian IT services company by 2016 revenues, Infosys, as a global leader in technology services and consulting helps enterprises to remain at par and relevant to the changing times, which in turn compels Infosys to be nimble with its own hiring process.

With every other organization having something unique to offer to its candidates, the fundamental business challenges for Infosys related to providing an unparalleled candidate experience along with becoming an employer of choice. 

Some of the questions that Infosys encountered pertained to the value proposition Infosys extended to the potential candidates along with growth and development opportunities that Infosys provided its employees.

Enhancing candidate experience throughout the recruitment cycle (from the initial validation pitch/Pre-Placement Talk to the ease of application form filling, the way in which the questions were framed and competencies were assessed during the recruitment process) was a major hurdle for Infosys. With organizations today being evaluated by prospective employees not only on the basis of the interview experience, but the entire recruitment process, Infosys not only struggled with an employee base that was accustomed to conventional functions and activities and needed to be re-skilled frequently, but also strained client relationships that affected the company’s revenues adversely. 

To counter the challenges, Infosys customized its approach for prospective employees as well as lateral hires to provide an enriching candidate experience.

For campus hires, the following interventions were introduced:

• Automated application and evaluation processing: Infosys moved from a manual application process to a web-oriented process, wherein all the transactional work around candidate applications was automated. In addition to this, the manual testing process was transformed to a dynamic and robust automated Evaluation Assessment Process. This initiative helped the company in using its time and the stakeholders’ time efficiently and effectively.
• Campus Connect: Infosys partnered with various campuses and held a series of sessions and events for students. These sessions were specifically designed to skill the students in technology and soft skills, thereby making them industry-ready, well before the commencement of the placement season.
• Spark: Selected candidates were invited to one of Infosys’ own campuses to give them a first-hand experience of working there. Students also got the opportunity to interact with business leaders and know more about the organization. 

For lateral hires, the interventions introduced were:

• Implementation of modern day ATS: Infosys revamped its Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for international locations by implementing a responsive cloud-based ATS that was mobile-enabled. This implementation was done with an acute focus on User Experience, Capturing increased traffic, and Responsiveness & Mobility to enhance stakeholder experience. 
• Regular updates to candidates through SMS: Infosys initiated SMS based communication process to candidates that provided them with the details of their recruiter or Single Point of Contact (SPOC), whom they could approach regarding their queries. This resulted in a shortened Turnaround Time (TAT) from releasing offer letter to onboarding.
• Initiating background verification before candidate onboarding: Background verification of prospective employees was initiated well ahead in time — between their offer acceptance and date of joining that eased the onboarding process.

Through such initiatives and interventions, Infosys had a significant increase in the performance of the organization and considerable improvement in the following areas:

• Enhanced candidate experience w.r.t

(a) Option to apply with multiple devices

(b) Time to apply decreased by 60 percent

(c) Reduction in the number of application pages by 45 percent

(d) Disclosures and long text supported by hyperlinks 

(e) Uploading of resume through Drop Box/Google Drive/LinkedIn/Facebook 

• SMS Channel: With the launch of the SMS process, the company could connect with a larger number of prospective employees. By leveraging the SMS channel for follow-up, the on-boarding time was also reduced considerably.
• Ease of delivery: Business was able to plan and execute better and deliver within the promised deadlines with ease.
• Offer to join ratio: For lateral hires, there was a marked improvement in the offer to join ratio after the implementing of ATS and SMS channel. Automation of the application and evaluation process for niche hiring segment improved the conversion ratios too. Business was also able to bid to new clients with a sizeable skilled employee base already in place. The number of resumes received also went up, for various positions.
• Quality of applicants: In FY 2016-17, Infosys closed its positions with 8 percent fewer hiring events as compared to FY 2015-16. 
• Positive candidate feedback: Anonymous feedback was sought from the campus hires about the entire recruitment cycle and a majority of them (98 percent) expressed that they were satisfied with the entire process.