Digital Transformation in Talent Acquisition: A Case Study of Chalhoub Group

Chalhoub Group is the leading luxury partner across the Middle East, with a network of over 750 retail stores and a growing workforce of over 12,000 people. The group deals with high volumes of applications from all over the Middle Eastern region and the world. 80% of open positions are in stores and require a quick and seamless recruiting process. The group is also going through a major digital transformation and is looking to attract top digital and tech-savvy professionals.

Chalhoub Group, a leading luxury partner across the Middle East with a network of over 750 retail stores and a workforce of over 12,000 people, was facing challenges in managing high volumes of job applications from all over the region and the world. The majority of the open positions were in stores and required a quick and seamless recruiting process. Additionally, the group was undergoing a significant digital transformation and was in need of attracting top digital and tech-savvy professionals. The existing process was time-consuming for candidates, taking them up to three minutes to find a relevant position on the company's career site.

To address these challenges, Chalhoub Group introduced the iCIMS Digital Assistant to their company’s career site to pre-screen and filter applications. This was then integrated into Chalhoub’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The company also extended its use of the iCIMS Talent Cloud with the iCIMS Video Interview suite, which included pre-recorded interviews and an AI-driven recommendation tool. The chatbot provided candidates with an easier access and improved search experience to discover open positions, apply or create a profile. The process was quick and seamless, with over 20,000 applications submitted through the bot since its integration. The chatbot also facilitated open applications, encouraging candidates to create a profile by answering simple questions, thus saving them the time-consuming task of having to submit an open application written from scratch.

• The implementation of the iCIMS Digital Assistant and the iCIMS Video Interview suite has significantly improved the candidate experience and employer branding for Chalhoub Group. The chatbot has made the application process quick and seamless, retaining talent that could have easily dropped off the website. The pre-recorded interview feature has provided candidates with a frictionless interview experience, allowing applicants from around the world to take their interview at their convenience and in the best conditions. This has also solved potential time zone issues. The whole experience has enhanced the human touch that technology cannot replace and has given the Talent Acquisition team more time to focus on critical strategic roles to fill.

• 20,000 applications submitted through the bot since its integration

• It now takes candidates 15 seconds to find a relevant position, down from three minutes

• The team estimates they save up to 20% of pre-screening time thanks to the chatbot