Case study
High-Volume RPO: 1,000 Security Officers. Six months.
We re‑engineered a major airport’s security officer recruitment process. Here’s how we delivered an entirely bespoke virtual assessment platform and high-volume RPO programme with reduced costs.
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were womenThe challenge
Our client is a major international airport in the UK, and the country’s largest single-site employer. More than 84 million passengers passing through annually, hundreds of staff are required to support operations 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Security officers play a crucial role at the airport, screening baggage, engaging with passengers and patrolling the runways and terminals.
What started as a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partnership for 400 security officers sourced over six months, quickly grew to 1,000 vacancies in the same period as travel restrictions loosened throughout the pandemic.
Due to the nature of the role, all offers for the airport security officer role were contingent on the candidate passing a thorough background screening and counter terrorism check, which can take up to 16 weeks. This stage requires the candidate to complete a lot of paperwork which can’t be cut back, so our client needed PeopleScout to create a recruitment process that was fast and easy. Plus, we needed to find a way to keep candidates engaged during the long security check period to minimise drop-off.
Previously, candidates completed a telephone interview and then an in-person assessment centre event at a hotel by the airport. But the quality of candidates was inconsistent. And the hotel carried a cost our client needed to justify, with capacity capped at 30 candidates a day. They needed to ensure that only candidates with the right skills for the role were getting to this stage. Plus, with COVID restrictions in place, the hotel wasn’t an option.
The solution
PeopleScout redesigned the airport’s security officer recruitment process to move candidates through the screening, interview and assessment stages in a matter of days—all done virtually.
One Experience Assessment
We introduced a completely bespoke virtual testing platform called One Experience Assessment (1XP). Tests were engaging and video-based: an immersive insight into airport work. Scenarios evaluated spatial awareness and ability to identify potential hazards, hidden weapons or unattended suitcases. Our client could evaluate 52 candidates per day (up from the previous 30).
Audio screening
Candidates who passed the virtual assessment centre were immediately prompted to either schedule a telephone interview with one of our recruiters or to submit an audio recording of themselves answering pre-determined questions which were then screened.
Live virtual interview
Successful candidates participated in a live virtual interview facilitated by our team, which we were able to expand to accommodate their high-volume recruiting.
Keeping candidates engaged
To support offer holders during the background screening process, we created a video for candidates on what to expect. Recruiters checked in with candidates, ensuring that they completed paperwork in a timely manner. Once the background checks were underway, we kept in contact with candidates to prepare them for onboarding.
Results
We not only filled the 1,000 security officer positions for our client in the allotted six-month period — we exceeded the goal. Venue costs eliminated, with fewer unsuitable candidates reaching late-stage assessment. By shifting the assessment stages to earlier in the journey, we were able to improve candidate quality and test more people at a faster rate — a 73% increase — 52 candidates assessed per day, up from 30. We’ve hired over 1,600 security officers to date, from a pipeline of over 90,000 applicants.
Candidates loved the immersive assessment experience, giving an NPS score of 70+ out of 100. In fact, 94% of candidates rated the experience positively, whether or not they were hired.
In addition, we were able to improve diversity amongst new security officers—48% of the hires were women. Our partnership with our client continues to expand through our always-on high-volume RPO approach.
Our client named us Supplier of the Year at their annual supplier awards, the first recruitment partner ever to win it, against hundreds of suppliers from every industry they work with. We also won a Candidate Experience Award at the Personnel Today Awards.
