Automotive
Using Jobtrain since 2020, MAN Truck & Bus have wowed us in how they’ve transformed recruitment with our applicant tracking system! So we sat down with Catherine Wright – People and Culture Business Partner – to find out how the company cut their agency spend and made huge efficiencies in their hiring.
Before Jobtrain, recruitment at MAN Truck & Bus (MAN) was inefficient and sometimes unruly.
“We didn’t have a careers website or an applicant tracking system,” Catherine explained, with Managers needing to go to the office with a piece of paper and ask if they could recruit for a role.
Now, with Jobtrain, recruitment is streamlined, efficient and data-driven. “Everything is managed in one system, from job postings to job approvals,” Catherine said. “It’s not only simplified the process for my team but also improved the experience for hiring managers and candidates. It’s truly transformed how we work.”
When Catherine joined MAN over five years ago, she was met with a recruitment process that was, in her own words, “night and day” compared to what it is today.
MAN had no careers website, no applicant tracking system (ATS) and no centralised way to manage recruitment. “Managers would literally walk into the People & Culture office with a piece of paper and say, ‘Please can I recruit for someone?’,” Catherine recalled. “We’d have pieces of paper flying around with five or six wet signatures on them. It was difficult to keep track.”
Before introducing the ATS, MAN’s agency spend was “over a million pounds,” Catherine revealed. “We had hundreds of agreements with agencies, with fees ranging from 5% to as high as 35%!”
By implementing the ATS, MAN took control of their recruitment processes. “The minute you start using a system like this, manage processes properly and engage with the right partners, you don’t have to spend that money,” Catherine explained. By simplifying application processes and improving candidate attraction through a careers website with continuously updated content, MAN drastically reduced reliance on agencies.
In 2023, their spend on recruitment agencies had fallen to £376,000 – a saving of over 60% compared to pre-Jobtrain levels.
The savings have also allowed MAN to reinvest in other areas. “We’ve used some of the savings to regularly enhance and improve our careers website,” Catherine said.
“We now have regular photo shoots and new video content to keep it fresh and engaging. We’ve also worked with a creative agency to produce blogs and social media content, which has increased traffic and visibility. These are things we wouldn’t have been able to fund without the budget reallocation from reduced agency spend.”
The ATS has also empowered hiring managers. “Previously, managers had to run around to get wet signatures from directors to be able recruit. Now, with our job approval process in the ATS, it’s so much simpler. Managers love that they can see who a vacancy is waiting on. If it’s their boss, they’re able to chase them directly” Catherine shared.
Hiring managers’ overall feedback has been positive. Catherine acknowledges that there was some initial resistance: “At first, managers felt we’d created more work for them by asking them to input vacancies into the ATS. But over time, they saw the benefits, especially with the job approval process. They no longer need to run around the building for signatures – the system makes everything easy and transparent knowing where the approval is up to.”
Reporting has been a game-changer for MAN. “Some of my colleagues worked here for years without knowing this level of insight was possible. Now, I don’t just say, ‘I think this is happening’, I show them the data to back it up. It’s added real weight to our conversations throughout the business up to board level.”
Data-driven insights have determined several process improvements. “For technician roles, reporting showed us that candidates weren’t completing applications. That insight led to us simplifying the application process for some roles. For example, for technician roles, they only need to answer a few simple questions and they don’t need to upload a CV either. This change has resulted in improved completion rates and allowed us to fill roles without needing to use agencies” Catherine explained.
Reports helped identify the bottlenecks in the job approval process too. “Initially, we had two layers of approval before vacancies reached my team. Reporting showed us that one of these steps was causing delays, so we removed it. This wouldn’t have been possible without proving it using the data from the ATS. It’s saved time for everyone” she added.
The candidate journey and experience has been improved too using reporting. “The system identifies where candidates are sitting in the process and we use that to prompt managers to move things along. It’s reduced our time to hire and improved the experience for candidates”.
“We’ve also been able to hold managers accountable in a positive way – the data doesn’t lie so it’s allowed us to make really informed decisions.”
When asked about her favourite aspects of the ATS, Catherine glowed about several.
“The talent pool functionality has been brilliant for us,” she said. “We use it heavily for our technicians and sales roles. If we have a great candidate who isn’t quite right for a specific role, we can add them to our talent pool and stay in touch. It’s helped us re-engage with strong candidates when other opportunities come up.”
There was also praise for the system’s ease of use.
“When we were choosing an ATS, it was really important that managers – many of whom had no recruitment experience – could use it easily. The system’s simplicity – in a positive way – has been a huge win for us. It’s straightforward for managers, but it also gives my team the data and insights we need to make strategic decisions.”
Finally, the automated candidate communications stood out. “The automated responses and ability to track candidates have been game changing. Candidates aren’t left wondering what’s happening and it’s helped us create and maintain a professional and consistent candidate experience.”
Looking ahead, Catherine and her team are excited to unlock even more value from the ATS by implementing our Welcome Hub (previously known as Green Room Onboarding).
“We’ve had access to the Green Room feature for a little while, but finding the time to set it up has been challenging” Catherine admitted. “We’re a small team, and it’s a nice-to-have rather than a priority. But we know it will add real value, so we’re planning to focus on that in 2025.”
The Welcome Hub will enable MAN to create a seamless onboarding experience for new hires. “We’ve already got great content, like videos and blogs about a day in the life of our apprentices and technicians.”
“It’s about pulling all of that together into a central platform to welcome new starters and help them feel part of the team from day one. We’re excited to bring it to life and make onboarding as strong as our recruitment process.”
Through innovation and a focus on data-driven decision-making, MAN has transformed its recruitment process. With financial savings, a vastly improved candidate experience, and empowered hiring managers, Catherine and her team have set a benchmark for success.
If you’re looking to streamline recruitment in your organisation, in particular reducing a reliance on recruitment agencies, MAN Truck & Bus’ journey is a great example of how technology can make it a reality.
Explore how our ATS can help you:
With 850 employees based in the UK, MAN Truck & Bus is a leading provider of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses, vans and transport solutions, with a nationwide presence. MAN Truck & Bus is part of the global company, TRATON SE, and delivers products and services to the logistics, public transport and freight sectors.