Modernizing the Hiring Process at ITW Using Spark Hire’s Video Interviews

The HR team at Illinois Tool Works, one of the world’s leading diversified manufacturers of specialized industrial equipment, consumables, and related service businesses, was looking for ways to improve their university recruiting efforts by modernizing their hiring process. Overall, they wanted to streamline it and make it easier for candidates to put their best selves forward, while improving the company’s time to hire. But they found it particularly challenging to connect with younger talent. Looking for an innovative technological solution, they discovered Spark Hire’s video interviewing platform could be used to accomplish all these goals and more. 

Connecting with Younger Talent

Sarah Thio, the Talent Management and University Relations Lead at ITW, quickly noticed how difficult it was to connect with younger talent at colleges and universities. ITW still took the traditional approach with their recruiting efforts, which was no longer connecting with some of their younger prospects. Thio realized they’d need to adopt a more modernized, tech-forward approach to their hiring process in order to more effectively engage with younger talent. Thio and her team discovered Spark Hire’s video interviewing was the solution they were looking for. Candidates loved the updated approach, particularly the flexibility and personalization. And with the one-way video interviews, the team was able to gain more insight into who the candidates were, and feel more confident with their overall selections.  

Working with Spark Hire

It took about a month for Thio and her team to be up and running with the new software, and the transition couldn’t have gone smoother. Thio found her account manager at Spark Hire was on top of everything, providing thorough walkthroughs to set up jobs and interviews on the platform, how to make things more customized to ITW, and extensive training sessions for the team members working in the field. Most importantly, Thio felt her team was properly supported and equipped with all the training and resources needed to leverage the software effectively. 

Seeing the Results

When Thio first started looking into video interview solutions, she knew she wanted something budget-friendly and easy-to-use. She found that Spark Hire delivered on all fronts. Beyond the platform being user-friendly, Thio also saw outstanding results with the candidate experience, customer service, and ROI. Now that Thio and her team have implemented the software into their recruiting and hiring process, she can’t imagine going back. 

An Essential Hiring Tool

Video interviewing is now an essential part of ITW’s candidate recruitment process. By modernizing their hiring process with video interviews, Thio and her team have been able to reach a younger talent pool. Beyond that, they’ve discovered all the added benefits of Spark Hire’s platform, including top-notch customer service. Thio sees video interviewing remaining a staple of their hiring process, as it’s improved nearly every stage of their recruitment process and helped her team to more effectively engage with younger talent.