Ceres’ recruitment process is optimized by OTYS’ ATS
The food and agri-sector is an international business that demands almost unique competencies in the higher personnel segment. Finding the right candidates in the current job market is a challenge that Ceres faces. Ceres is an international recruiter for positions starting from a bachelor's degree level in agriculture, horticulture, arable farming, and the food industry with offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, and Poland. About thirty consultants search for suitable candidates for Ceres' clients, and they are supported by the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) from OTYS, which allows them to work remotely, even on mobile devices.
In collaboration with OTYS, we have been able to automate and streamline our recruitment process. This has given our consultants more time for personal contact with clients. For us, the added value of OTYS' tools lies mainly in process optimization.
Website integration with ATS
The collaboration between Ceres and OTYS began four years ago with the integration of Ceres' existing website with OTYS' ATS. Emmink says, "This allowed us to use our job vacancy website as a digital working environment for all links in the recruitment process. This includes posting job vacancies, inviting candidates for interviews, intelligently storing and processing candidate data, and CRM."
Personal approach
Ceres distinguishes itself through a personal approach to clients and candidates. Clients are relieved by finding the ideal candidate. Emmink says, "We only recruit and select staff on behalf of the client. Employers have been able to find our consultants for nearly 30 years when they can't fill a vacancy themselves. To make the right match, you need consultants with special knowledge of our sectors who know exactly what competencies our clients are looking for. This makes our recruitment process both personal and labor-intensive."
We expect OTYS to build a website that is optimally tailored to our recruitment process and integrates with LinkedIn and other social media platforms that are important to us.
Smart tools
OTYS' ATS provides Ceres' recruiters and office staff with structure and overview in their work. But it also offers speed and convenience because fewer manual inputs are required thanks to some smart tools. One example of such a tool is Textkernel. This application uses artificial and semantic intelligence to recognize, compare, enter, and store data from job vacancies and candidates more quickly. The tool can be used for various parts of the recruitment process, such as posting job vacancies with the right terms and searching and comparing candidates online.
Ceres uses Textkernel to manage the candidate database more intelligently. "We like to keep searching and matching as personal as possible. The required competencies are so specific that big data-based algorithms quickly miss the mark. Our field is also too small and specialized to benefit from big data and its analysis through business intelligence (BI)," says Emmink. Nevertheless, she sees OTYS' collaboration with recruitment tool providers as a significant advantage. This makes handy and innovative solutions more easily accessible to Ceres.
Green ambitions
Ceres' ambitions in collaboration with OTYS go beyond integrating the website and work processes with the ATS. OTYS will also develop the website for Ceres-Green. Ceres-Green is a new label for Ceres' sustainability division. This label is intended for companies and governments that focus on sustainability. They may be looking for innovative specialists in areas such as energy transition, ecological agriculture, or green packaging.
