Heathrow
1,000 Security Officers. Six months.
How we re-engineered Heathrow Airport’s security officer recruitment process with an entirely bespoke virtual assessment platform, which led to reduced costs.
The challenge
Heathrow Airport is a major international airport in London. With over 80 million travellers passing through annually, hundreds of staff are required to support operations 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Security officers play a crucial role at the airport, screening baggage, engaging with passengers and patrolling the runways and terminals.
What started as an recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partnership for 400 security officers sourced over six months, quickly grew to 1,000 vacancies in the same amount of time as travel restrictions loosened throughout the pandemic.
Due to the nature of the role, all offers for the security officer role at Heathrow were contingent on the candidate passing a thorough background screening and counter terrorism check, which can take up to 16 weeks. This stage requires the candidate to complete a lot of paperwork which can’t be cut back, so Heathrow needed PeopleScout to create a recruitment process that was fast and easy. Plus, we needed to find a way to keep candidates engaged during the long security check period to minimize drop-off.
Previously, candidates completed a telephone interview and then an in-person assessment centre event at hotel by the airport. But the quality of candidates was inconsistent. And as the hotel incurred costs for Heathrow, they needed to ensure that only candidates with the right skills for the role were getting to this stage. Plus, during covid restrictions, the hotel wasn’t an option.
The solution
PeopleScout reengineered Heathrow’s security officer recruitment process to get candidates through the screening, interview and assessment stages in a matter of days—all done in a COVID-safe, virtual way.
One Experience Assessment
We introduced a completely bespoke virtual testing platform called One Experience Assessment (1XP). Tests were engaging and video-based: an immersive insight into airport work. Scenarios evaluated spatial awareness and ability to identify potential hazards, hidden weapons or unattended suitcases. Heathrow could evaluate 52 candidates per day (up from the previous 30).
Audio screening
Candidates who passed the virtual assessment centre were immediately prompted to either schedule a telephone interview with one of our recruiters or to submit an audio recording of themselves answering pre-determined questions which were then screened.
Live virtual interview
Successful candidates participated in a live virtual interview facilitated by our team, which we were able to expand to accommodate their high-volume recruiting.
Keeping candidates engaged
To support offer holders during the background screening process, we created a video for candidates on what to expect. Recruiters checked in with candidates, ensuring that they completed paperwork in a timely manner. Once the background checks were underway, we kept in contact with candidates to prepare them for onboarding.
Results
We not only filled the 1,000 security officer positions for Heathrow in the allotted six-month period — we exceeded the goal. By shifting the assessment stages to earlier in the journey, we were able to improve candidate quality and test more people at a faster rate — a 73% increase — with less expense for the client in the long run.
Candidates loved the immersive assessment experience, giving an NPS score of 70+ out of 100.
In addition, we were able to improve diversity amongst new security officers—48% of the hires were women. Our partnership with Heathrow continues to expand through our always-on RPO approach.
PeopleScout was named the Supplier of the Year at Heathrow Airport’s Supplier Awards. We were also the winner of the Candidate Experience Award at the 2023 Personnel Today Awards for our work in partnership with Heathrow.