Omnicom Media Group Cuts Entry-Level Attrition From 42% to 8% With Competency-Based Hiring

The challenge

OMG’s most frequently recruited roles could draw up to 100 candidates per opening. The existing process, screening CVs for experience, phoning a shortlist, then testing top candidates, worked but didn’t scale and screened out capable candidates too early. National Talent Manager Daniel Stockdale spent two years looking for an online platform that could issue and automatically grade OMG’s own tests.

The approach

OMG chose competency-based assessment over psychometric or cognitive testing, since a candidate’s emotional state on the day can skew those results. Core competencies are mapped to each role so candidates are tested on the skills they’ll actually use day to day, with the relevant tasks shown up front so candidates can self-select out if the role isn’t right for them. Vervoe’s customizable, scalable pricing let OMG screen every candidate with skills-based testing rather than reserving deeper assessment for a shortlist.

The results

OMG reports four concrete advantages from the shift: automating candidate communications, doing more with less by bypassing manual screening, reducing face-to-face contact to speed up hiring, and customizing assessments to each role.

• Entry-level attrition fell from 42% to 8%.
• Hires made with Vervoe were 80% less likely to leave.
• Hires made with Vervoe were promoted 44% faster.