Chewy's Innovative Candidate Engagement Strategy Reduces Time to Fill by 45%

Chewy is a Fortune 500 e-commerce company that specializes in pet supplies. Known for its commitment to customer satisfaction, the company strives to surprise and delight its customers with every interaction. This approach extends to all aspects of the business, including the candidate journey. The company is passionate about attracting and retaining top talent and believes in maintaining a high level of engagement with candidates from the start of their journey. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Chewy has been innovative in finding ways to connect with candidates and ensure a positive experience.

Chewy, a Fortune 500 e-commerce pet supply company, was facing a challenge in maintaining a high-touch engagement with their candidates. The company prides itself on surprising and delighting customers with every interaction and wanted to extend this approach to their candidate journey. However, the traditional methods of communication such as phone calls and emails were not yielding the desired results. The situation was further complicated by the onset of the pandemic, which made in-person interactions impossible. The company was struggling to connect with candidates virtually and maintain the same level of engagement as before.

To address this challenge, Chewy decided to revamp their candidate engagement strategy. They introduced a high-touch campaign that starts within the first 48 hours of a candidate's journey. The company combined three methods of communication - phone, text, and email - to engage with candidates. A key component of this new strategy was the use of iCIMS Text Engagement, which allowed the company to send casual and friendly messages to candidates. This approach was more effective as candidates were more likely to respond to text messages than phone calls. To ensure a seamless transition to this new strategy, the talent acquisition team worked closely with stakeholders across the organization. Additionally, to compensate for the lack of in-person interactions due to the pandemic, Chewy started sending Uber Eats cards to candidates on their interview days, allowing them to buy lunch.

• The implementation of the new candidate engagement strategy has significantly improved Chewy's recruitment process. The use of iCIMS Text Engagement has allowed the company to maintain close contact with candidates, resulting in a higher response rate. The early outreach within the first 48 hours of a candidate's journey has also helped the company attract quality candidates. The introduction of Uber Eats cards for candidates on their interview days has added a personal touch to the virtual interview process, helping to 'wow' candidates and maintain the company's reputation for providing delightful experiences. Overall, the new strategy has not only improved the efficiency of the recruitment process but also enhanced the candidate experience.

• Early outreach reduced time to fill by 45%

• Increased candidate response rate due to the use of text messages