Assignment on Design Thinking for Innovation

Method used: Story Telling

Challenges

This was during my summer internship in an MNC. My project was on candidate experience

and they wanted to understand why as a top MNC when they get thousands of applications

for a single profile they should even consider investing in candidate experience? They

expected me to find out why they should focus on candidate experience and if it is needed

how they should go about it? Candidate experience is defined as feelings invoked in

candidate while going through the recruitment process of an organization.

Approach

The literature regarding this topic is very limited and there were very few organizations

actually focussing on candidate experience to benchmark. There was no substantial data

which could support if candidate experience is important for the organization. Therefore, I

had to sit with HR team and understand their entire process of recruitment and understand

everything from the candidate’s perspective. I had to understand the kind of emotions they

would go through during the process. I then reached out to both selected and rejected

candidates to understand their perspective to get deeper insights. I interviewed close to 25

candidates to understand their emotions during the process. Then I collected insights to be

presented in front of the top executives.

Application

I relied on story telling because I felt that since there is no data available on any kind of

returns on investing in candidate experience; I had to resort to invoking emotions. I made

them go through the anxious journey of a candidate and what kind of emotions he/she may go

through when there is no clear communication from the company regarding their results and

other process. How frustrating it would be to receive no welcome message and the first

message they receive consists of dozens of document which had to be filled and printed. We

talked about importance of first impression and why it is important for a brand like them.

Insights

Personally, it felt like an achievement of some sort when I was able to convince the

executives through story telling. Usually in B schools we have been trained to talk numbers

and hard data to be able to convince top managers, but this was totally new to me. We are

taught that stories don’t work in the board room but I discovered that it isn’t true.  I was able

to emphasize with the candidates and could really get some useful insights and it was

humbling to know how willing they were to help me.


Assignment on Design Thinking for Innovation Method used : Story Telling Challenges This was during my summer internship in an MNC . My project was on candidate experience and they wanted to understand why as a top MNC when they get thousands of applications for a single profile they should even consider investing in candidate experience ? They expected me to find out why they should focus on candidate experience and if it is needed how they should go about it ? Candidate experience is defined as feelings invoked in candidate while going through the recruitment process of an organization . Approach The literature regarding this topic is very limited and there were very few organizations actually focussing on candidate experience to benchmark . There was no substantial data which could support if candidate experience is important for the organization . Therefore , I had to sit with HR team and understand their entire process of recruitment and understand everything from the candidate ’s perspective . I had to understand the kind of emotions they would go through during the process . I then reached out to both selected and rejected candidates to understand their perspective to get deeper insights . I interviewed close to 25 candidates to understand their emotions during the process . Then I collected insights to be presented in front of the top executives . Application I relied on story telling because I felt that since there is no data available on any kind of returns on investing in candidate experience ; I had to resort to invoking emotions . I made them go through the anxious journey of a candidate and what kind of emotions he / she may go through when there is no clear communication from the company regarding their results and other process . How frustrating it would be to receive no welcome message and the first message they receive consists of dozens of document which had to be filled and printed . We talked about importance of first impression and why it is important for a brand like them . Insights Personally , it felt like an achievement of some sort when I was able to convince the executives through story telling . Usually in B schools we have been trained to talk numbers and hard data to be able to convince top managers , but this was totally new to me . We are taught that stories do n’t work in the board room but I discovered that it is n’t true . I was able to emphasize with the candidates and could really get some useful insights and it was humbling to know how willing they were to help me .