Dnata specializes in international ground and cargo handling, catering and travel services. With more than 41,000 employees around the world, they keep the world in the air. Dnata USA has ground handling operations in 26 cities and serves more than 50 international and domestic carriers. The cargo group operates two dedicated perishable warehouses, and serves more than 20 airlines, providing customs, inspection, and last mile distribution. Catering currently operates at four US airports and is rapidly expanding. Dnata was named Airline Caterer of the Year, North America, 2019.
Rapid Expansion
Dnata USA is a fast growing company with multiple regions and a wide range of jobs with differing requirements. The hiring process involves regional HR managers, national and local recruiters, hiring managers, and executives (VPs and Directors). Applicant volumes vary by job, location, and season—year- end is peak time for postal, while mid-summer is peak for commercial airlines.
On average, there are 4-5 job openings per location at any given time. The applicant pool is smaller in locations like Kansas but swell to 1,000 or more in California and New York. Most workers are hourly, and turnover in the industry is high.
Flexible Applicant Tracking
Dnata needed a solution that would allow each location to act on its own, with a roll up to region and national level. “Each location has its own process,” explains Dufresne. “JFK can be a beast, with 2,000 employees.
New York City and California have a lot of requirements. Atlanta and Chicago are very different from Wichita.”
To support local processes, Dnata has on average one recruiter and four hiring managers per location. Each location has its own job board and each job has a unique link, making it easy to identify.
Directors and vice presidents have a consolidated view of the locations in their area of responsibility. Two admins have access to all jobs in all locations. “This tiered system provides both local control and the regional and national oversight we need,” says Dufresne.
The Recruiting Process
All jobs are posted to popular job boards including LinkedIn and Indeed. Dnata also sponsors ads on Indeed. When applicants respond to a job posting, they complete a short questionnaire focused on local requirements. “We always ask if applicants are authorized to work in the US,” says Dufresne. “We may also ask if they have a driver’s license, meet TSA requirements, or have a commercial driver’s license depending on the specific job.”
The system automatically scores the answers, helping Dnata identify applicants that do not qualify. “Having this ‘knockout’ capability lets us skip over candidates we cannot hire,” says Dufresne. “This is a big time saver.” National recruiters also use the built in rating system to score candidates against the job description.
Dnata uses email to communicate with applicants as they move through the review process. These emails are triggered automatically at specific stages. “We thank all candidates for applying,” explains Dufresne.
“After the initial review, they receive an email that someone will call for a screening interview. We also notify when we want to setup a hiring manager interview and drug test.” Anyone who is disqualified gets a notice as well.
Integrated Onboarding
“Integrated recruiting and onboarding is a big time saver for us,” says Dufrense. “As soon as we have an offer letter, we move to onboarding.” All candidate information directly transfers from recruiting.
Onboarding generally involves both badging paperwork and new hire paperwork. Badging paperwork includes airport authorizations, customs, and perhaps port authority. “We gather all the required paperwork digitally, then print and send to the authorities,” says Dufresne. “This speeds the process dramatically on our end.” New hire paperwork is more standardized across locations and includes tax documents and direct deposit details for entry into payroll. Any required reading such as the employee handbook and updates are provided through the online onboarding process. “We also allow employees to update their personal information in the future,” she says. Dnata uses a forms library to make it easy to publish content to employees.
“A great example of the efficiency this gives us is the new W-4 for 2019,” says Dufresne. “All we had to do was add the form to the library, notify employees and monitor submission.”
Ongoing Efficiency
Dnata continues to reap benefits throughout the recruiting and onboarding processes. Dufresne sees integrations as having particular opportunities for adding new value. They already leverage calendar invites that integrate with both Outlook and Google.
To assist in your hiring outcomes and processes, both from professionalism and efficiency perspective, contact one of our HR specialists to learn more.
Consider a Professional Employer Organization for HR Outsourcing
If you have questions about working with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) contact a specialist with Zamp HR to learn more. Experience the Zamp HR difference for yourself. For additional questions, please contact us online or by phone.
