Brazen Congratulates our 2021 CandE Award Winners for Outstanding Candidate Experience

Being nominated for a CandE award, particularly during a global pandemic, is certainly something to brag about. To win a CandE award is nothing short of inspiring and speaks loudly to these organizations’ dedication to create an unmatched candidate experience.

A huge congratulations to two beloved Brazen customers, Auburn-Washburn USD 437 and Maxar Technologies, on their wins this year! Sourcing top talent during a time of little (or, in some cases, no) face-to-face interactions is no easy feat, but these organizations broke down barriers and harnessed the power of Brazen to continue to create personal, engaging, and outstanding candidate experiences.

Let’s take a closer look at each of our winners below:

Enriching Candidate Experience: Auburn-Washburn USD 437

Brian White, Executive Director of HR & Operations at Auburn-Washburn USD 437, a school district in Topeka, Kansas (and three-time CandE award winner!), highlights how the use of Brazen technology has enriched their candidate experience:

“Virtual career fairs have been part of our talent pipeline for many years,” White said. “They really are a great way to begin, build, and engage in relationships with candidates in a way that was informal, easy, and comfortable.”

His team also leverages Brazen’s QuickChat functionality in addition to their regularly hosted virtual events to provide candidates with a convenient (and mobile-friendly) engagement option on job listings they’re interested in or have questions about. “In a time when people were isolated and maybe even feeling down, they were able to get in touch with somebody. They were able to get an answer. They were able to feel like somebody cared about them,” said White.

These virtual enhancements have helped enrich the candidate experience by equipping job seekers with what they need, when they need it.

As White explained, the integration of virtual recruiting into their wider talent acquisition strategy didn’t start with the pandemic and won’t end with the pandemic. They’ll continue to leverage their array of virtual tools, including virtual hiring events powered by Brazen, to build connections, have meaningful conversations, and create new experiences for prospective candidates.

Congratulations to the entire Auburn-Washburn USD 437 team on their CandE win!

Maxar Technologies Leverages Virtual Recruiting to Boost Candidate Experience

Maxar Technologies, a space technology company based in Westminster, Colorado, had to think quickly on their feet when the pandemic hit, having not previously held virtual hiring events. While the standard in-person recruiting opportunities had unfortunately come to a halt, they knew they had to keep their talent pipeline flowing.

“Virtual recruiting has become a main focus of our talent efforts,” explained Erin Mathew, Strategic Talent Sourcing Manager at Maxar. “It’s allowed us to fill a lot of high volume roles quicker than we normally would.” More than anything, Brazen has helped them to alleviate one of the biggest complaints about the standard candidate experience so many face: that it’s hard to break through the ATS and get into the hiring process. Maxar’s new approach of hosting virtual hiring events gives their candidates the opportunity to talk directly to a hiring manager, adding immense value to their experience right from the start.

Maxar continues to find ways to enhance their virtual hiring events to build better experiences from the moment their candidates log in. One recent example is by providing ‘welcome videos’ in the event lobby to give a brief overview of each hiring team. “When the candidates watch these videos, they come to the booths with so much more to discuss, and we really want to continue this approach with most of our events,” Mathews said.

The proof is in the numbers! A recent Maxar event had a 78% attendance rate, and nearly half of the candidates moved forward for interviews or further screening. Results like these helped Maxar solidify their decision to continue using virtual recruiting as part of their broader talent acquisition efforts even post-pandemic.

“The in-person events are often limiting by geography. It’s also helped us with our diversity and inclusion strategy:oftentimes, in-person events can unintentionally exclude some people who may not be able to take off several hours of work to physically go somewhere. This is a much more flexible platform that it’s easier for them to attend.” Mathews also explained that as their internal hiring strategy evolves and more hiring managers are open to remote employees, Brazen helps them more easily expand their searches nationwide. “I see this being more of our primary strategy than we ever will with our in-person events.”

Congratulations, Maxar team, on your CandE win!

Brazen is proud to help these organizations reach their talent acquisition objectives and empower them to excellence in creating an award-winning candidate experience as recognized by this year’s CandE awards.

If you’d like to learn more about hosting your own virtual hiring events, or leveraging Brazen’s suite of virtual recruiting tools, let us know!

Like this post? Try these!

• Why a Great Candidate Experience Helps Attract Top Talent
  
• How to Improve Candidate Experience in Recruitment: A Master Guide
  
• Create an Amazing Candidate Experience in a Virtual Event: Tips from Brazen’s Experts

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