How Hitachi Astemo hired an engineer in 17 days saving £5,400 in agency fees

Introduction

Hitachi Astemo needed to hire a maintenance technician and had been working with multiple recruitment agencies in an attempt to access suitable candidates. While the internal hiring team was confident in its ability to assess and select the right person, the challenge was getting a strong enough shortlist of candidates at the right calibre.

Connect helped Hitachi Astemo make the hire in just 17 days, using a fixed-fee recruitment model that significantly reduced the cost compared with traditional agency fees.

Before

Before working with Connect, Hitachi Astemo was:

• Using multiple recruitment agencies to source candidates.
• Struggling to attract high quality candidates.
• Confident in its own screening and decision-making process, but did not have a shortlist of strong candidates.
• Paying expensive traditional agency fees, typically around 20% of salary.
• Looking for a more efficient way to access suitable candidates without replacing its internal hiring process.

After

After working with Connect, Hitachi Astemo:

• Made an engineering hire within 17 days.
• Paid a fee equivalent to around 3% of salary, compared with a typical 20% agency fee.
• Accessed a shortlist that included candidates also introduced by traditional agencies.
• Identified that Connect could have supported multiple hires for the same fixed fee, had it been used as the first port of call.
• Agreed to use Connect first for future roles, only going to external agencies if required.
• Reduced reliance on traditional agency recruitment while still giving the internal team control over the final hiring decision.

Process

Connect's process was designed to support Hitachi Astemo's existing hiring team rather than replace it.

• Connect held a job specification call with HR to understand the engineering role in detail.
• The team ran through the essential and desirable criteria for the position.
• Connect identified the key selling points of the role to help attract relevant candidates.
• Optimised job adverts were posted to generate interest from active candidates.
• Relevant candidates were also approached directly through a targeted email campaign.
• Connect created and delivered a shortlist of suitable candidates.
• Interviews were arranged with Hitachi Astemo's hiring team.
• A successful hire was made within 17 days.

Conclusion

Hitachi Astemo had the internal expertise to assess engineering candidates. What they needed was reliable access to the right shortlist.

Connect helped them make a successful hire in 17 days for a fee equivalent to around 3% of salary, compared with a typical 20% agency fee.

The project also showed that, by using Connect first, Hitachi Astemo could reduce reliance on traditional agencies and potentially make multiple hires for the same fixed fee.