Case Studies Janico Adopts a Mobile-Friendly Assessment Process to Find Candidates Where They Are

The Challenge

Janico Building Services wanted to design a hiring process that could help them attract and retain their staff within an industry known for high turnover.

Janico is a commercial building service contractor that hires janitorial staff to service businesses across the Sacramento region and San Francisco bay area. The majority of Janico's janitorial applicants are entry-level. These applicants primarily rely on their mobile devices to access the internet and, according to Lorenzo Harris, President of Janico, "most of our applicants are just not consistent email users." This created a challenge in how to interact with these candidates throughout the hiring process in an effective way.

The Solution

To reach the candidates where they are, Janico transitioned to a mobile-first hiring process. The goal was for candidates to be able to successfully navigate the entire process on a mobile device prior to the interview. To make this possible, the company made a few key changes: they incorporated text messaging and mobile-friendly assessments.

Text Messaging:

Janico switched to Breezy HR, an applicant tracking system and one of Criteria's integrated partners, in order to take advantage of Breezy's text messaging feature. This enabled Janico to conduct most of the early interactions of the hiring process all on a mobile device.

Mobile-Friendly Assessments:

One of these early interactions included the assessment phase. Candidates receive a text message with a link to take the assessment. From there, they can complete the assessment right on their mobile device. The seamless mobile experience made it possible for Janico to administer assessments early in the hiring process.

Janico used a combination of assessments. For janitorial staff, they used the Workplace Productivity Profile (WPP), an integrity assessment. For supervisors, they used the Employee Personality Profile (EPP), a general personality inventory; and the Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST), a test that assesses job-readiness and trainability.

The Results

Lower Turnover

Janico Building Services was no stranger to high turnover. The industry benchmark for turnover within the janitorial services industry was around 200%. In contrast, Janico's mobile-friendly assessment process enabled the company to achieve a turnover rate of around 85%. In other words, they achieved a turnover rate that was 80% lower than the industry benchmark. While Harris hasn't quantified the exact ROI stemming from the improvements in retention, he asserts that "it's certainly saving us both time and money."

One Less Step in the Hiring Process

With assessments being delivered via text message right to an applicant's device, Janico was able to eliminate one step in the hiring process: the phone screen. For Harris, the assessments were better able to identify "individuals who were a good fit. The phone screen didn't really do that for us." By eliminating an unnecessary step in the funnel, Janico saved time that was better spent getting to know the candidates who were most likely to succeed.

Time to Hire

For Harris, the biggest benefit of using assessments was that "it helped us to streamline our process and find better fits," enabling Janico to prioritize which candidates to invite to the much more time-intensive interview stage. Switching to a mobile-friendly process amplified the efficiency even further. According to Harris, the mobile process "has definitely improved the speed through which candidates get through the pipeline, and the speed in their responses."

Stronger Company Image

As a small business, Janico experienced a boost in their employer brand after incorporating the assessments into the process. According to Harris, "the main benefit is the candidate perception of our company. I think it creates a more professional image."

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