Du kannst Dich ohne Anschreiben bewerben: OTTO setzt neue Maßstäbe im Recruitment

In July 2015 OTTO relaunched its online presence as an employer with its ROT4 campaign – and now goes a step further. On the company’s Careers webpage a host of new functions make it so much easier for candidates to apply, as Nicole Heinrich, Head of of Training and HR Marketing explains: “We have significantly improved the Candidate Experience with these new functionalities. We aim to make it as convenient as possible for applicants.” Keeping the application process simple creates genuine value for OTTO, in the online retailer’s ongoing drive to hire specialists at its Hamburg location as it seeks to fill over 300 new expert positions in its IT, BI and E-Commerce divisions in 2016 alone.

Applying via XING and LinkedIn

The option of submitting a mobile short-form application via XING has existed since 2013, in which candidates can communicate their interest in a job. With immediate effect they can now also register on the Careers webpage via XING and LinkedIn. Interested applicants can see the status of their application at any time on their own online profile – just like a parcel-tracking system. They receive suitable job recommendations and can get in touch with the responsible OTTO recruiter at any time if they have questions. All this is aimed at making the application process simple and above all as transparent as possible for the applicant. Julia Rohleder, Head of Recruitment, comments: “Job-seekers can now browse the vacancies more conveniently than ever, start a watch list, or receive notifications about new jobs in the specialist areas that interest them.”

The Careers webpage has also been optimised for mobile users. Students can even ask questions via WhatsApp regarding internships at OTTO. The redesigned OTTO trainee blog is authored by the trainees themselves and offers application tips and genuine insights into the world of work at OTTO, among other content.

Dropping the Letter of Application requirement

OTTO aims to make the process as convenient as possible for applicants and has dropped the requirement for the Letter of Application. Instead, applicants can answer a question on motivation and add a personal touch to their application this way. Any unanswered questions can be answered in the first telephone or Skype interview.

Optional ‘Du’ in the application interview

With immediate effect, OTTO offers all German-language applicants the option of using ‘Du’; if everyone agrees, the discussion partners can switch to this familiar form of address in German. There are advantages for both sides: it eases the applicant’s nerves, so the interviewing recruiter can talk to a relaxed candidate. In this dialogue, candidates get to know their team colleagues within a more informal context in the workplace itself. Following this, the candidate receives a link via e-mail which invites them to give anonymised feedback on their interview. This information contributes to the ongoing optimisation of the Candidate Experience.

Employees participate in the search for talent

OTTO employees can also lend a hand in the hunt for new colleagues – and are rewarded for this by the company with a bonus ranging from 500 to 5,000 euros for recommendations that lead to the hire of a new employee. For this the online retailer uses a digital platform that enables job ads to be forwarded and posted across all digital channels.

This raft of innovations makes OTTO a pioneer nationwide across Germany, giving it a rapid, value-orientated job-application process and the best-possible Careers webpage to support this.