In the fall of 2023, Rice University's Talent Acquisition (TA) team launched the first pilot of an innovative approach to hiring - the Hiring Collaboration Hub (the Hub). This initiative emerged from a pressing need to reduce the time-to-hire for a staff position from the then-current average of 88 days, and it worked!
Informed by an external workforce assessment and feedback from campus partners, the Hub was designed to move away from traditional, isolated hiring methods and foster a more collaborative and inclusive approach focused on improving the customer experience for hiring managers and applicants. Before a campus-wide launch, the team conducted two pilots in November 2023 and February 2024. During these pilots, the TA Team and Hub participants tested different methods, shared feedback, and designed a collaborative, results-driven approach.
Pilot Approach
Participants volunteered for the Hub at various stages of their hiring process by contacting the TA team. Hub participants generally consisted of hiring managers, department administrators, and HCM initiators coordinating the hiring process. After joining the Hub, participants are provided with access to the following resources, guiding them through the Hiring Roadmap:
- Micro-Learnings: Micro-learnings are brief online learning modules that participants access as pre-work before the weekly check-in. The learnings are divided into recruitment stages, allowing participants to easily navigate to the most relevant module based on their job posting’s status.
- Weekly Check-In Sessions: At the virtual check-in session, participants discuss their job posting progress, share successes and insights, and seek advice from other Hub participants and the TA team. These sessions provide Hub participants with ongoing support and accountability partners as participants motivate and encourage one another to keep the momentum going.
- Weekly Status Emails: Status emails are sent to all Hub participants and include the status of each job posting. Additionally, the agenda is shared for the upcoming weekly check-in session, so folks can prepare.
The following graphic details the hiring roadmap corresponding to micro-learnings and weekly check-in session topics.
Pilot Results
Pilot participants posted 29 jobs, filling 13 within 54 days or less (two of which were filled in 34 days!).
- Pilot 1 started in November 2023 and included a total of nine positions. Eight positions were filled in an average of 58 days, with five filled in 50 days or less. One position had to be revised and reposted to attract a more suitable applicant pool.
- Pilot 2 started in February 2024 and included a total of 20 job postings. Eight have been filled in 54 days or less, with two filled in 34 days! Twelve are still actively moving through the hiring process.
This innovative project has demonstrated the value of a community-driven approach where successes and challenges are shared openly. The collaborative environment has not only improved recruitment outcomes but also strengthened bonds across the university.
The Hiring Collaboration Hub actively seeks community members invested in enhancing the hiring process and seeking to be more efficient with their job postings. Join the Hub today by emailing the Talent Acquisition team at jobs@rice.edu!