Social recruiting for a key position in railway operations: 71 completed application forms using a three-step application process instead of a career portal.
Hardly anyone actively searches for the role of a train dispatcher because few people know it exists or what it entails. Job boards only reach people who are currently looking, and those who are looking don't search for this specific title. Furthermore, the region is a factor: the Bernese Oberland is not a major metropolitan area, so the candidate pool is correspondingly small. Shift and weekend work also exclude a portion of interested applicants, a fact that often only emerges during an interview, wasting time in the recruitment process.
Emarket reversed the logic and targeted passive job seekers. Instead of a job posting, we created on-site videos from the control center and the tracks that show the job content and work environment rather than just describing them. These were deployed as story ads on Instagram and Facebook with a clear opening message and the note "Perfect for career changers!", as prior experience in railway operations was not a requirement.
The second intervention involved the application path. Interested candidates do not apply via a career portal, but directly within the platform by clicking, filling out, and sending. The form asks the crucial questions in advance, including attitudes toward weekend and shift work as well as existing professional experience, thereby handling the initial screening. The Jungfrau Railways recruiting team accessed incoming applications live via a link, allowing them to review the pre-screened information and make contact immediately. A multi-stage application process was transformed into three steps on a smartphone.
Story ads on Instagram and Facebook with direct applications via instant forms generated applications and filled the position that had remained vacant through traditional channels, while simultaneously shortening the time-to-hire and reducing recruitment costs.
