DHL will allow prospective employees to apply via the smartphone application WhatsApp to improve its high-volume recruitment capabilities.
Rather than filling in online forms, candidates can receive a telephone number to register through WhatsApp. A chatbot will then ask for the necessary recruitment data step-by-step and sends it automatically to the applicant management system.
The initiative, currently only active in Germany, aims to replace “cumbersome and time-consuming” online forms with a virtual conversation that can be paused at any time and resumed later. The data is continuously saved and only accessible to DHL.
“Introducing the WhatsApp chatbot makes DPDHL Group a German pioneer in high volume recruiting based on simplified applications,” the company said in a statement.
Thomas Ogilvie, DHL’s board member for HR: “The recruitment process must be dynamic, in constant development and tailored to the needs of the applicants.”
In 2018 the company introduced a new automated recruitment process in the US which as of January had generated over 52000 applications and resulted in 5000 new workers. The IT system automates every step of the recruitment process, including online applications through a dedicated portal, pre-hire testing and on-boarding.
Image credit: DHL
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