Deutsche Telekom's "Open Application" was awarded Potentialpark's Innovation of the Year in Germany this year. The award was given by an independent jury to the project that has advanced talent communication the most in the past year.
Together with their implementation partner Cyquest, Deutsche Telekom beat 14 other nominations. Not bad at all!
Torgil Lenning, CEO Potentialpark, Cagla Kocayel and Lotta Stepan, Deutsche Telekom AG, Jo Diercks, Cyquest at the Potentialpark Summit 2024
So what's so innovative about it? And what can we learn from it? Let's have a look behind the scenes and also hear from the team that implemented it.
But first, this is what the jury of the Innovation Award said:
"Telekom delivers a solution that seamlessly integrates career orientation and the application process – and cleverly incorporates personnel marketing messages. A win-win for companies and candidates, it manages to bridge a gap that the education system in Germany often leaves open.
So what is the Open Application? A matching tool, a marketing campaign towards school-leavers, an orientation service, an assessment, all in one.
It asks candidates who have applied for an apprenticeship several questions and automatically generates recommendations of professions that match them best. The tech behind it is Cyquest's, and it was customized to Deutsche Telekom's jobs and skills.
What really impressed me, however, was that the Open Application even helps candidates who are not a match for Deutsche Telekom by recommending them professions that they can persue elsewhere.
Most matching tools limit themselves to what the employer has to offer. So either everyone gets a recommendation, no matter how little they match, or some are brushed off with a "no thank you" which can feel rude and harm the talent relationship.
The Open Application on the other hand has an altruistic touch that may pay off for the brand long-term. And still, you want the right people, not just any people, even in a competitive talent market.
Now to look under the hood, I'm talking to the people behind the project: Cagla Kocayel, Expert for strategic recruiting of junior staff, and Lisa Ebert, Head of Junior Staffing team at Deutsche Telekom AG.
Julian: Cagla and Lisa, can you please briefly introduce yourselves and the team behind the Open Application?
Hello, we are Lisa and Cagla from Deutsche Telekom AG.
Lisa: I have temporarily taken over the leadership of the Junior Staffing team in the central training management. Our tasks include student marketing, recruiting, and the integration of junior staff.
Cagla: I am part of the Junior Staffing team, and I am responsible for the strategic recruiting of junior staff.
In the summer of 2023, we introduced the new recruiting process, which also includes the Open Application.
What is the purpose of the Open Application, what did you try to accomplish?
Recent studies show that the younger generation finds it difficult to match their own interests with a profession or dual study program when entering the workforce. They are increasingly seeking career guidance. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified this trend due to the lack of career orientation opportunities. This leads to more frequent training and study dropouts and gaps in career biographies, which reduces demand in the applicant market and makes securing skilled workers even more difficult.
To be able to meet the long-term demand for skilled workers, it is crucial for companies to support the young generation in their career orientation and to provide them with security in their choice of profession. This requires a new understanding of recruiting.
Deutsche Telekom wants to advance this paradigm shift and integrate career orientation into the recruiting process. With the help of the Open Application, it is possible to apply without having to decide on a specific profession or study program beforehand. Together, we find the best fit – this means that during our recruiting process, we look at individual strengths and interests and together find the right career start.
To this end, all applicants are first invited to an online test where their individual interests, strengths, and potentials are examined. The test results are then available to support them in their career orientation. During the interview, the test results are reviewed together and the appropriate training profession or dual study program at Telekom is identified.
And what did you achieve, and how did you measure it?
With the introduction of the new recruiting process at the end of June 2023, we enabled the "Open Application" for training and dual study programs. This has given young people, who are still unsure, the opportunity to receive guidance during the recruiting process and find the right career entry for them.
By January 2024, over 15,700 applicants had gone through the new recruiting process.
Of these, 750 applicants took advantage of the "Open Application" opportunity.
Furthermore, we were able to offer 360 applicants a placement in a different profession than originally desired based on the matching recommendation, thus setting the course for a successful and satisfied professional future through targeted advice.
The target group also confirms the success of our new recruiting process, as young people are impressed by how the online test recognizes their interests and suggests a tailor-made profession for them.
Moreover, thanks to the counseling, they were able to find a professional profile that matches their strengths. For young people, career orientation as an inclusive service is thus a real added value and for us as a company a unique selling point in the War for Talent and the right consequence for securing the skilled workforce needs in times of great disorientation.
For us, career orientation does not end with the recruiting but becomes an integral part of the support throughout the entire training and study course.
How long did it take you from decision to implementation?
We started the project in the fall of 2022 and have intensively studied the feedback from the target group and our recruiters at Telekom. We surveyed Telekom applicants from the last recruiting year to obtain information on satisfaction, quality and possible improvements to the current recruiting process.
Based on these findings and relevant studies, we held workshops with all our recruiters to work on the project idea and implementation. Finally, the new recruiting process was introduced on June 26, 2023, including a comprehensive communication to all relevant stakeholders.
How did you pick the right skills for each apprenticeship, and how did you make sure the recommendations are really useful for the applicants?
When selecting applicants, we consider the overall picture. This means we consider the individual interests, strengths, and potential of young people. In a personal interview, we want to get to know the applicants better and together we identify the appropriate training profession or dual study program at Telekom.
Additionally, we use feedback from the business unit to check what interests a candidate must have to best meet the needs of supply and demand.
What were (one or two) major challenges on the way, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges was to engage all relevant stakeholders for the new recruiting process and to communicate an understanding of it.
Internally, close collaboration between recruiters and business units was required. There were sometimes different perspectives and sensitivities. Therefore, it was important to involve the stakeholders early through various communication channels and to engage in dialogue.
Additionally, it was crucial to clearly define for whom and why we are pursuing this change.
Anything you personally learned during this project that you didn't know before?
What has become clear to us again during this project is that we can only be successful together. The new process involves a change, and changes are never easy. But together, we are successful, following the motto #yeswecan!
It fills us with joy to see how our ideas have become reality. We are proud of what we have achieved as a team in collaboration with all involved.
By integrating career orientation into the recruiting process, we make a significant contribution to further supporting young people in their career orientation.
What no. 1 advice would you give other Employer Branding teams that want to do something similar?
Be brave and open to changes!
Involve the various stakeholders, maintain active exchanges with each other, and work together on a common understanding and plan.
Will you keep the Open Application going as it is, or are you planning to change or extend it?
Last summer, we launched the concept. It is of great importance that we do not rest on our success. Continuously soliciting feedback and making adjustments as necessary is crucial. Therefore, we are looking forward to the further development of the concept.
Cagla and Lisa, I can see that a lot of effort went into this innovation. Thank you for sharing the insights, really fascinating, and good luck for your next steps!