31 Dec Growing Pains at Airbnb. Unit Learning Outcomes ? Select strategic recruitment sources. (4) ? Develop recruitment messages. (4) Directions Read Chapter 7 Exercises #4 Staffing Challenge: Im

Introduction

Growing Pains at Airbnb.

Unit Learning Outcomes

· Select strategic recruitment sources. (4)

· Develop recruitment messages. (4)

Directions

Read Chapter 7 Exercises #4 Staffing Challenge: Improving the Job Candidate Experience at Airbnb on in your textbook.  Answer questions a.b.c.

This Chapter’s opening Staffing Challenge described Airbnb’s effort to improve its employer value proposition and the job candidate experience. Answer the following questions:

a. What metrics do you suggest Airbnb track to optimize its use of social media in sourcing talent?

b. What initiatives do you think have been the most effective in improving the candidate experience at Airbnb? Why?

c. How else can Airbnb improve its new hire diversity?

Requirements

· Minimum length: one page per question response

· Address the problem, discuss relevance to topic, using outside sources as support

· Include at least two scholarly sources and/or professional business periodicals, e.g.: Harvard Business Review, Human Resource Management, etc.

· Format: APA format, double space 12 pt font.

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Staffing Challenge Response

Improving the Candidate Experience at Airbnb

To improve its candidate experience, Airbnb set a goal to have job candidates walk away saying, “Wow-those Airbnb people are so smart and coordinated-I’m even more excited about the chance to work with them.” 194 The recruiting team started by brainstorming how they wanted the hiring process to feel at each step and mapped out its ideal process from both the hiring team’s and the candidates’ perspectives. They also benchmarked their auto-reply application messages and learned that theirs was the same boring message other companies were using. They wrote a new message that reinforced Airbnb’s employer value proposition, outlined the next steps in the hiring process, and provided suggestions for what candidates could do while they waited to hear back (e.g., read the frequently asked questions on the website, watch company culture videos, etc.). 195 The recruiting team then created a variety of employer value-proposition-branded templates that could be quickly adapted by recruiters when communicating with candidates. The recruiting team was also given the responsibility to extend offer letters. This reduced the time it took for candidates to receive an offer to just a couple of days.196 They even held lunches to help employees improve and update their LinkedIn profiles because they knew candidates would be looking at them. Every week they started recognizing a recruiter who went the extra mile for a candidate, such as a hiring manager who went hiking on a Saturday to recruit a top prospect. 197 The on-site interview process was improved by giving each interviewer a distinct role ensuring that they don’t ask the same questions. They also prep interviewers to help them tailor their approach to each candidate. For example, a manager might be sent a calendar interview invitation saying, “Super passive candidate. Had coffee with Mike three months ago. Have been courting ever since. Need to sell.” Candidates arriving for interviews are greeted with a personalized welcome note written on the white board in the interview room and are given a tour of the office to help reduce interview nerves and improve their ability to assess their fit. Rejected candidates are informed via e-mail but are invited to call for feedback if they would like. Airbnb feels that this gives the candidate time to digest the news, making the feedback conversation more productive and helping them feel more positively toward the company. After passing a certain stage of the hiring process, candidates are also given a coupon to thank them for the time they spent with Airbnb.198 The company also took steps to mitigate recruiting bias and hire more diverse employees by focusing on being objective and identifying the best candidates for the job, not just hiring the people they most wanted to hang out with. 199 The recruiting team worked with hiring managers to conduct a job analysis and identify the attributes for success in each role. After securing agreement on the right skill sets, the interview questions and scoring key were developed. Interviewers were also trained to objectively and accurately evaluate candidates. Interviewers were discouraged from looking for common passions and hobbies on a candidate’s resume because doing so promoted bias when they developed stronger connections based on similar interests that had nothing to do with job success. Unconscious bias training was also conducted. 200 The changes appear to be working as employee diversity has increased, 201 second-time candidates are increasing, and more friends of former candidates are applying. 202