Case Study: Ashburton District Council
How Ashburton District Council Enables More Screening Accuracy With Spark Hire Video Interviews
Ashburton District Council comprises a Mayor and elected councillors representing Ashburton, Eastern and Western wards of New Zealand.
- www.ashburtondc.govt.nz
- Government Administration
- 51-200 Employees
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About Ashburton District Council
The Ashburton District Council is a dynamic local government organisation that offers its people rewarding and varied opportunities. They provide services and support to one of New Zealand's fastest growing and thriving communities. With a fast-paced and changing community, they continually have interesting projects and initiatives. Their diverse and passionate workforce of 200 employees spans all Council activities and are dedicated to delivering only the best to their community. Employees contribute to the district becoming a better place to work, live, and do business in a friendly atmosphere.
Goals for Video Interviewing
When initially looking into video interviewing, the council wanted to create an interview experience for candidates that presented a consistent experience for the whole district. While there might be small notes between departments, they wanted a clear, simple interview process that could be easily conveyed on a board ad. Additionally, with many busy council members and employees, they wanted to achieve more efficient hiring decisions and get to face-to-face interviews faster.
Q&A with People & Capability Advisor, Jim Henderson:
What inspired you to look into video interviewing? Were there specific challenges in your day to day were you looking to solve with video interviewing?
We used phone screening previously and this was conducted by the recruiter rather than the Hiring Manager. This meant that the hiring manager relied on recruiters to understand the skills and responsibilities needed for the position to effectively screen applicants. We wanted an interviewing method that would allow the hiring managers the ability to actually screen their own candidates.
Did Spark Hire replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using video interviewing?
This is the first time we've used video interviewing.
What criteria did you have in mind for a video interviewing solution?
We were completely open to any system that would streamline our process and allow our hiring managers the ability to screen their own shortlists.
What made you choose Spark Hire as your video interviewing solution?
To be honest it was the great sales pitch by your sales team member in Melbourne. They, like the rest of the Spark Hire team, were friendly, informative, and not at all pushy. In addition, the ease of use and cost effectiveness of Spark Hire made selecting a platform easy.
What was getting started with Spark Hire like?
The Spark Hire system is simple to use, and did not require a huge amount of work for our busy team or the managers. The videos provided by your team explained everything very well, and our onboarding specialist was also very knowledgeable and helpful.
How has Spark Hire improved your hiring metrics and process?
The hiring process has been streamlined and our hiring managers really like that they can now screen their own candidates. Question sets for different positions and their requirements are easily swapped out between the many types of roles we hire for.
What was your team’s hiring process prior to using Spark Hire?
Previously we would compile a complete list of applicants, which recruiters would shortlist to screen over the phone. Recruiters would then make their recommendations to the hiring managers who would interview candidates through Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or even face to face. Those who passed the hiring manager's criteria had their references checked and finally an offer was submitted.
How do you get your team members to buy into video interviewing?
We did not have to do anything really! We conducted a briefing to the hiring managers as a whole and the buy-in was obvious from the beginning. We also received the recommendation to move forward from the CEO and general managers involved as they saw video interviewing as a great improvement on the hiring process. Since starting with Spark Hire, we have received nothing but positive feedback from the managers.
What was your aha moment — the moment you knew you loved Spark Hire?
I think when I had the first manager, an older and technically-challenged person came to me and said the new video interview platform was fantastic. They loved the fact that they could change the questions and then view candidate responses. That was it for me and my other team members.
Why should other hiring teams at other government agencies look into video interviewing?
Video interviewing gives hiring managers the ability to screen their own applicants. For many, this alone makes Spark Hire worthwhile.
What are three words that describe your experience working with Spark Hire?
Enjoyable, professional, simple
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