HireVue Horizon 2018 Recap Day 2

We wrapped up Horizon with some surprise announcements and incredible breakout sessions. If you missed them, read our recap below.

Table of Contents

1. Accelerating Great Talent Discovery, A Scientific Approach: Loren Larsen, CTO, HireVue
2. Behind the Curtain: What Drives Our Decisions?: Zoe Chance, Professor at the Yale School of Management
3. The Empowered Recruiter: the Changing Role of Recruiting: Denise Nichols, HR Thought Leader; Terrence Reed, Vice President Talent Selection, Georgia-Pacific LLC; Richard Waite, Resourcing Lead, Grant Thornton UK
4. How to Reduce Implementation Risk and Get Your Toughest Customers to Embrace HireVue: Jason Fine, Recruiting Operations Project Manager, EY; John Gates, Director of Talent Acquisition, Asante
5. Unconventional Hiring Strategies that Increase Workplace Diversity: Molly Weaver, Director of Talent Acquisition, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics; Donna Wright, Senior Manager, Military & Diversity Sourcing, T-Mobile; Obed Louissant, VP People & Culture, IBM Watson & Cognitive Solutions
6. Putting People First - How Spectrum Broadened Access to Opportunity with Video First: Molly McKinley, Director of Sourcing Program Management, Spectrum; Elly Dickerman, Diversity Recruiting Program Manager, Spectrum
7. HireVue Live and Campus Recruiting: How Crisis Response Became a Catalyst for Recruiting Transformation: Rebecca Wright, Associate Recruiter - Systems Specialist in US University Relations, BP
8. Strategic Recruiting: Do More With Less by Aligning to Business Objectives: Marci Sigmund, Director, Talent Acquisition, Caleres
9. The Sky Is Not The Limit: Lessons from a Year in Space: Captain Scott Kelly, History-Making U.S. Astronaut & Retired US Navy Captain

Accelerating Great Talent Discovery, A Scientific Approach

Loren Larsen, CTO, HireVue Loren kicked off the day with an observation: this is an HR conference in 2018, so of course we’ll talk about AI. For HireVue, this isn’t a new topic - we started our journey with artificial intelligence over six years ago. He continued with an overview of the 200+ new features HireVue has introduced over the last year, from updates to interview scheduling and position templating, to our new security standards and GDPR compliance. HireVue is now available in 32 languages, and offers assessments in 13 of those languages. Overall, from 1 million+ candidates surveyed, the HireVue experience has earned a 71 Net Promoter Score. Then Loren looked at what makes a candidate employable. It boils down to:

1. How they work with people
2. How they work with information
3. Their personality & work style
4. Their technical skills

HireVue Assessments are all about leveraging AI to evaluate candidates along these domains. Loren then walked through the assessment-building process that allows AI to find top talent (identify success criteria > identify competencies & skills > identify questions to elucidate them > eliminate sources of bias > identify great talent), and revealed HireVue’s AI principles:

1. We are committed to benefiting society
2. We strive to eliminate bias
3. We design for people
4. We design for privacy and data protection
5. We validate and test continuously

He then introduced Game-Based Assessments. While video interviews do a great job of elucidating how candidates work with people, and their personality & work style, game-based assessments uncover how they work with information. HireVue’s Game-Based Assessments are:

• Scientifically validated
• Fast
• Relevant
• Engaging

Loren then announced Competency Level Scoring for HireVue Assessments. Previously, HireVue Assessments provided a single score, stack ranking candidates on a scale of 0-100. Now, Assessments will provide deeper insight into a range of job-relevant competencies, like Willingness to Learn, Conscientiousness & Responsibility, and cognitive ability. He also announced Pre-Built Assessments. Up to this point, HireVue Assessments were all custom. Now, leveraging competency-level scoring, we can offer assessments ready “out of the box.” These assessments come with predefined questions, game-based challenges, and (in the case of the pre-built software developer assessment) coding challenges. Pre-Built Assessments will be available for the following job roles:

• Retail Associate
• Call Center Agent
• Sales Associate
• Software Developer

HireVue is also providing pre-built cognitive assessments, delivered via game-based challenges. These do not have a video element. So what’s next? More pre-built job families, continued dedication to AI ethics and security, and continued updates based on the needs of HireVue customers.

Behind the Curtain: What Drives Our Decisions?

Zoe Chance, Professor at the Yale School of Management

This morning’s second Keynote session was offered by Dr. Zoe Chance, an accomplished Marketing professor at Yale School of Management.

In Chance’s presentation titled, Behind the Curtain: What Drives Our Decisions? Chance effectively teaches and demonstrates exactly how powerful and unconscious our implicit biases can be.

Chance began by sharing that human’s decision-making processes can be compared to, on both extremes like an alligator and a judge. Like an alligator, we often make unconscious, fast, intuitive, and automatic, decisions. On the other hand, like a judge, we are also capable of making conscious, slow deliberate and effortful decisions.

Chance proceeded to share that even though we have the capacity for thoroughness, thoroughness does not necessarily improve accuracy. Chance demonstrated this citing a study conducted by her and her colleagues at Yale. In the experiment, 2 groups were to make predictions about a student’s GPA for the following semester. Group 1 was permitted to interview the students and Group 2 simply got to look at a picture of each student they were guessing for. Those who conducted an interview had an accuracy coefficient of .31, those who didn’t, a .63.

Chance went on to elaborate, “It gets worse.” Chance introduced a new element to the study by having participants interview 3 groups of students:

Group 1: Students who were interviewed openly (naturally)

Group 2: Students who were interviewed with Yes or No questions

Group 3: Students who were interviewed asking Yes or No questions but were asked to randomize their responses.

Participants most accurately guessed the GPA of Group 3. Even worse, the interviewers reported feeling like they learned the most about the person(s) in Group 3.

Chance then proceeded to conduct an experiment with the crowd. On her slides, she flashed about 15-20 words. She asked us to then write down which ones we remembered. Surveying the crowd as to which they wrote down, the first few and last few words in the sequence were vastly over-represented. Chance effectively demonstrated that our minds have a clear tendency to recall events at the beginning and end of a sequence, but poor ability to recall what happened, or what existed in between.

Chance went on to share a quote from Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman,

“I’ve been studying judgment for 45 years and I’m no better than when I started. I fall for every one of the biases.” Concluding Chance remarked, "If Daniel Kahneman and my colleagues can’t get this right, it tells me, we can’t the bias out the person, so we should try and get the bias out of the system as much as we can.”

The Empowered Recruiter: the Changing Role of Recruiting

Denise Nichols, HR Thought Leader; Terrence Reed, Vice President Talent Selection, Georgia-Pacific LLC; Richard Waite, Resourcing Lead, Grant Thornton UK Joining moderator Dina Taylor on stage for today’s second Keynote was a discussion regarding The Empowered Recruiter: The Changing Role of Recruiting. Joining Dina were the following panelists:

• Denise Nichols: HR Thought Leader and Formerly Global Head of TA at Marsh & McLennan
• Terrence Reed: Vice President Talent Selection at Georgia-Pacific LLC
• Richie White: Resourcing Lead at Grant Thornton UK

Reed, asked to elaborate on what “The Empowered Recruiter” meant to him remarked, “it's important to have recruiters that go beyond just order-takers.” He adds, “They have a sincere seat at the table and are a part of the broader conversation.”

Asked about how recruiters are responding to the ever changing landscape of hiring and its technology, Nichols says, “It’s a mixed bag.” She continues, “Were asking recruiters to do more with less time; there’s more pressure and brand new tools. Some recruiters self-select out. I know we joke saying, ‘Who got into recruiting to screen through hundreds of resumes,’ well maybe some people did. Others embrace a new way of doing things.

The panel appeared to agree in unanimity that “The Empowered Recruiter” is a someone who goes beyond task management and brings utility to the hiring process by taking on the responsibilities of a strategic hiring consultant.

How to Reduce Implementation Risk and Get Your Toughest Customers to Embrace HireVue

Jason Fine, Recruiting Operations Project Manager, EY; John Gates, Director of Talent Acquisition, Asante Jason Fine began by talking about his approach to HireVue implementation at EY. When EY first rolled out HireVue, it was optional. There was a “grace period” for phased adoption, and adoption was slow. There were lingering concerns around “dehumanizing” the recruiting process, frustrations around needing to learn a new technology, and concerns that a video interaction is no substitute for a face to face interaction.

The key takeaway here was that the recruiting community needs to buy in the most. If recruiters present the tool to hiring managers or candidates as “something they’re forced to do”, no one will buy in. The context with which the tool is presented by users is important. These are the key lessons Jason learned rolling out HireVue at EY:

• Providing flexibility in usage can cause confusion and reduce the adoption rate - soft-handed mandated usage is a better approach.
• It is critical to develop and leverage early adopters to champion the cause.
• Providing concise and clear instructions to end users reduces anxiety and increases adoption rates.
• Leadership buy in is needed to overcome objections and reduce the “exception” rate - training should focus on the “why,” not just the “how.”
• Listening to feedback can improve adoption and make your process better.

John Gates from Asante then shared his strategy for rolling out HireVue. John has been a HireVue customer since HireVue was 3 employees, and has implemented HireVue in 5 different organizations in different industries.

He identified the three stakeholders in a video interviewing process, and outlined their primary objections:

1. Candidates. Candidates often feel uncomfortable with the new experience, and don’t know what to expect.
2. Hiring managers. Hiring managers tend to be skeptical and cautious. They tend to think “this isn’t going to save me time” and view any new tool as “another system I need to log into.”
3. Recruiters. Recruiters tend to be afraid, doubtful, and resistant. Their primary concerns have to do with adding time to the process, giving candidates a bad experience, and that their job is going to significantly change. Most recruiters value the phone screen, they feel like it is the activity where they add the most value.

John concluded with tips around how to sell to each of these skeptical objectors:

1. Candidates. Explain to candidates how they get to tell their own story, don’t need to work through an intermediary (the recruiter), interview on their own schedule, and how the process means faster decisions for them. Manage the change by replacing the recruiter phone screen time with a preparatory call, where the recruiter can act as a process salesperson and coach.
2. Hiring managers. Do a customer satisfaction survey with hiring managers before telling them about HireVue. They’ll inevitably say they want better candidates, faster. Frame the tool as a way you are taking action to address their needs. You should also explain the benefits: no scheduling, no phone screens, head-to-head comparisons of candidates, and candidates like it. Prove it with early adopter testimonies, pilot program successes, and candidate experience proof (NPS data, etc). Manage the change by setting the expectation that this is “standard process” - don’t make it optional.
3. Recruiters. Explain how HireVue leads to faster decisions, fewer follow-ups with hiring managers, and the opportunity to elevate their game. Prove it with faster time to fill numbers, customer satisfaction surveys with hiring managers, and early adopter success stories. Manage the change by setting it as the standard process, measuring system usage, and tying the system to performance metrics.

Unconventional Hiring Strategies that Increase Workplace Diversity

Molly Weaver, Director of Talent Acquisition, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics; Donna Wright, Senior Manager, Military & Diversity Sourcing, T-Mobile; Obed Louissant, VP People & Culture, IBM Watson & Cognitive Solutions

During one of today’s first breakout sessions, and discussing new unique ways to attract and retain diverse talent was:

• Molly Weaver, Director of Talent Acquisition at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
• Donna Wright, Senior Manager, Military & Diversity Sourcing at T-Mobile
• Obed Louissant, VP People & Culture at IBM Watson & Cognitive Solutions

The overwhelming theme that arose from the panel was, diversity and inclusion is an organizational effort and it must be treated with proactive measures. “It takes intentional strategy over the long-term,” says Louissant. “Everyone of us plays a role in creating a diverse and inclusive environment.”

While each organization's tactics for attracting diverse talent are unique to their industry, another common theme arose: start by giving back and working with high school students.

Weaver shared that Children’s Mercy Hospital has an created a speakers bureau of employees who were willing to speak with high schools collectively or work with students individually. They found that many families that qualified for governmental education grants were simply not taking advantage of those opportunities because they could not complete a FAFSA.

Wright also explained how T-Mobile works with at-risk high school students who have fallen off the tack to go to college. She talked about approaching these students and giving them a chance to attend one of five colleges T-Mobile partners with. “We are going to pay, for free, these 5 schools, you choose.”

At the conclusion of the session, it was palpable that the panelists shared the core belief that diversity is simply a starting point, however, inclusion is the goal. Powerfully summing up this point, Louissant adds, “Sometimes we lean too hard toward diversity which is about compliance—it’s about being invited to the party. But it’s really about inclusion...It’s simply not enough for all of us to look different and sound the same.”

Putting People First - How Spectrum Broadened Access to Opportunity with Video First

Molly McKinley, Director of Sourcing Program Management, Spectrum; Elly Dickerman, Diversity Recruiting Program Manager, Spectrum

Spectrum is a telecommunications organization with nearly 100,000 employees. Born from a merger between Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks under Charter Communications, Spectrum receives over 1 million applications per year, and makes 40,000 hires annually.

The focus of their presentation was Sourcing Program Management. The idea behind Sourcing Program Management is to build sourcing capabilities (supporting talent sourcing within the areas of diversity, military, and university) and creating partnerships with business units - each of which has its own recruiting function - to create initiatives around diversity, military, and university recruiting.

A key part of the Sourcing Program Management strategy is using technology to maximize reach and interorganizational recruiting capabilities. For example, they’ve implemented:

• A master calendar of events to support local recruiting efforts
• Event management tracking and reporting
• Universal contact engagement and retention
• Video introductions

The final bullet above was inspired by Children’s Mercy Hospital’s presentation at Digital Disruption last year. Video introductions flip the traditional hiring funnel, so job seekers can interview first and apply later.

Spectrum named their take on video introductions “digital introductions.” In a digital introduction, job seekers (not candidates, they haven’t filled out an application) complete a combination of multiple choice questions and video interview questions. The multiple choice questions allow candidates to select the areas of the business they are most interested in working in, as well as their location.

After completing the multiple choice questions, job seekers are asked via video questions like: “What are your biggest assets” and “What do you bring to the table for those roles you are interested in?” This allows recruiters to better match them to available roles. They also try to reach out to candidates within 48 hours of receiving the digital introduction. Based on their responses, recruiters provide a list of jobs the job seeker might be interested in and coach them on how to get the job.

Taking the digital introduction a step further, Spectrum formed strategic partnerships with military organizations (MSEP, PaYS, Fort Bragg, Recruit Military) to spread the news and educate potential applicants about the digital introduction.

Keep in mind these are not candidates. Recruiters act as job seeker advocates; so compliance guidelines are not applicable.

HireVue Live and Campus Recruiting: How Crisis Response Became a Catalyst for Recruiting Transformation

Rebecca Wright, Associate Recruiter - Systems Specialist in US University Relations, BP

When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas in August 2017, it completely flooded the BP America headquarters. During the crisis BP employees rallied around each other, operating a call center for employees in need, and helping 511 employees repair their homes.

For four weeks, the city of Houston was under a travel ban - four weeks critical for campus recruiting. All in all, 94 recruiting events were affected.

BP operated a fairly standard campus recruiting program prior to Hurricane Harvey. Recruiters would source candidates, invite them to an OnDemand interview or conduct interviews on campus, then invite the best to an onsite interview day.

With their American HQ under water, and a month-long travel ban in effect, they needed an entirely new process.

BP’s first thought was conducting interviews over Skype. But due to the short timeframe, and the barriers to entry for candidates (each candidate needed their own login), they tackled this challenge with HireVue Live - a functionality they had never used before.

Their modified Hurricane Harvey process involved sourcing and inviting candidates to complete an OnDemand video interview. The top candidates were then called and scheduled for a HireVue Live.

During the crisis, they conducted 100 interviews and made 46 offers, 40 of which were accepted. Hiring managers indicated the new process did not sacrifice quality of hire; there was a positive interview experience all around.

Now BP has taken what they learned and applied it to their overall campus recruiting process. Now recruiters source, and all candidates are invited to an OnDemand interview. During the second round, candidates can either be brought on site or complete an interview via HireVue Live.

Strategic Recruiting: Do More With Less by Aligning to Business Objectives

Marci Sigmund, Director, Talent Acquisition, Caleres

Previously known as Brown Shoe, Caleres is a footwear powerhouse. They’re the 28th oldest company on the New York Stock Exchange, and leverage a fully data-driven approach when it comes to their recruiting. In 2018, they’ve received over 250,000 applications, yet they operate with only two full-time recruiters. Their traditional challenges might sound familiar:

• Poor candidate experience
• HR team responsible for sourcing and screening
• Lack of employment brand
• No control of compliance
• Increased outside recruitment spend and cost per hire
• Negative impact on time to fill and quality of hire

All in all, their traditional process took up 2 hours and 10 minutes of a hiring manager’s time, and 2 hours and 50 minutes of a candidate’s time.

Caleres hires 1,500 management jobs annually. Hiring managers would spend an hour per job candidate, and interview around 5 candidates per job opening. They were spending 17,750+ hours staffing each year.

Over the past year, they’ve rolled out HireVue for their store manager jobs, cutting screening time per candidate by 30 minutes. Replacing the phone screen with a video interview has also meant candidates save an hour of time going through Caleres’ process. Candidates love the experience too, rating it an average of 4.5 out of 5.

The new process has also increased the quality of candidate: now managers only need to interview an average of 3 candidates before making an offer. They’ve cut outside recruiter spend by 75%, and ensured compliance since every candidate answers the same questions.

"Have you ever interviewed someone and 4 minutes in, you think, ‘no, not now, not ever’? We don’t do that anymore, it’s awesome!” Marci explained.

Now Caleres is taking it a step further. With HireVue, they’ve developed an assessment that they theorize will dramatically increase sales in stores using performance data and the data they know about their consumers.

Without adding any staff, they’ve created a process that delivers a richer, more legally defensible process and information about each candidate - that will also sell more shoes.

The Sky Is Not The Limit: Lessons from a Year in Space

Captain Scott Kelly, History-Making U.S. Astronaut & Retired US Navy Captain

Scott Kelly was a pretty typical kid. He was a climber, a biker, an explorer… and really bad at homework. In 1982, he graduated high school at the bottom half of his class. He was only accepted into one college - a college he applied to on accident.

In 2016 he plummeted to Earth in a Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft after spending 340 days in space, a record for an American astronaut.

If there’s one theme in Captain Scott Kelly’s life, it’s “endurance.” The endurance to push through college, the endurance to get into NASA, the endurance to live an entire year aboard the International Space Station.

In this inspiring keynote, Captain Kelly shared some incredible stories from his year in space. For example, he wore the same pants for six months!

Three primary takeaways from his keynote were:

• If you’re going to fail, fail at the hard stuff. When Captain Kelly entered the navy as a fighter pilot, his first run nearly ended in a crash. He was given the offer to fly cargo planes, or receive one last shot to fly a fighter jet - or never fly again. He opted for the latter.
• Make small, positive corrections over time. If you’re ever comfortable with the how things are, they’ll inevitably get worse. Instead of getting comfortable with the status quo, you should make small progressive improvements.
• Focus on the things you can control, ignore what you can’t. On his first trip into space, Captain Kelly never once looked out the window. He focused on operating the more than 2,000 switches that kept the rocket going. A single switch out of place could result in tragedy. What happened outside the rocket, he could not control.