"The impact of candidate experience on a company's image can be enormous," says Marek Černák, who has been managing HR at OKTAGON MMA for more than a year. Although he has entered a completely different world, his principles regarding recruitment and communication with candidates remain the same. What does Marek do to make the recruitment process as pleasant as possible for candidates? What are his tips for improvement? And what has won him over at OKTAGON? We also asked Marek about this in this interview.
After two years in a strategic HR position in a bank, you moved to a company from a completely different industry, OKTAGON MMA. What motivated you to make this change?
More freedom. I had already tried corporate work, now I was tempted to return to my roots. Smaller company, more responsibility and more freedom in what I do. I promised myself that I would be able to be more creative, that no one would throw sticks under my feet, and that I would be able to do HR the way I wanted. And that's coming to fruition perfectly. That's also why OKTAGON MMA won me over.
What does your day look like as Head of HR in OKTAGON MMA? What do you enjoy most about this job?
Every day is different, you can't generalize like that. Being a small company it's very diverse. There's a bit of recruiting, employee care, setting up new processes and procedures, culture, business, etc. I travel a lot between Prague and Bratislava, as well as alternating between working in the office and from home.
The biggest challenge is to set up processes and apply them to the company so that it feels natural to all colleagues. I enjoy the freedom mentioned above and the fact that people are open to new ideas.
If you were to compare, how is HR different in a banking environment compared to an OKTAGON environment?
HR itself is not that different, after all the field is the same. Recruiting, processes, satisfaction, culture, etc., but it differs in the size of the company. We're not a corporation, we don't have a union, we don't have to adhere to all the standards that were in the bank. We are a privately owned company, decisions are made extremely quickly. We're much more flexible, that's probably the biggest change.
How do you work with the departments that are directly involved in organizing tournaments? What about the fighters? Do you come into contact with them?
As HR, we don't have to actively participate in tournaments, but we cooperate with other departments. At the tournament, we have to sign contracts with the temps who are helping out that day, so we are already moving behind the scenes from the morning.
Well, sometimes colleagues need help with whatever work is needed. This is an advantage both for them, because they know they can rely on us, and for us, because we get a good look under their hands and thus get to know each position perfectly. And that's how we sometimes get in contact with fans or even fighters.
OKTAGON MMA is growing rapidly and expanding abroad. This must also have an impact on HR processes. What do you struggle with the most?
I wouldn't say it's any particular process. We are growing relatively fast, so the biggest challenge is to unify processes and ensure that they are followed across all countries. Each country has its own specificities, especially in terms of legislation, so it is fine that different rules will apply to each country.
But with recruitment, for example, it is important that managers learn that the process should be the same in all countries. So that the company culture is not fragmented into 4 smaller units, but is the same for the whole organization. So that we pull together and don't each do our own part on our own turf.
The company culture cannot be fragmented into smaller units, the processes should be the same for the whole organisation.
You also let people see behind the scenes of HR in OKTAGON through your LinkedIn. You meet a lot of interesting positions that you have to fill. What is the most interesting role you have filled so far? And what is the most frequently filled one?
I think it was the headliner position. That's something I've never encountered before and I know that such positions don't even exist. That was very interesting.
We have a lot of different positions, so the positions don't repeat themselves that often. About a year ago, however, we decided that management needed executive assistants, so we have since recruited about 4 colleagues for those positions. This has probably been the most frequently filled position. And I have to say that these positions have been extremely successful in the operation of our company.
You communicate very openly on LinkedIn. You write about the mischief in HR as such, but also about the recruitment of people for OKTAGON MMA. You even created an 8-part series about the search for an HR partner, which did not go down well with everyone. What do you think caused the criticism?
I think the criticism was due to the length and the way the recruitment was done, but I have to say that I expected such reactions. I want to show people the reality, not hide behind tinsel. And that may not be to everyone's liking.
As part of this selection process, I wanted each candidate to make a video, plus I met the winning candidate twice, once with the recruiter, and then with the Managing Director. She was doing an assignment and we had a couple of calls in between. The selection process wasn't the shortest or easiest. Some people couldn't relate to the approach.
For me, on the other hand, it was a key position for which many candidates applied. I needed to do a longer selection process, but I couldn't meet everyone. If anyone asks me if I would do the same selection process next time, I would unequivocally say yes! The winning candidate has been working for us for several months and is perfect.
You also often write about the importance of candidate experience. How do you feel about the argument that HR specialists don't have enough time to approach all candidates individually. What impact can their experience have on the company's image?
If someone says they don't have time for candidates, they should nail the HR job. Really! I'd rather these people not work in HR than spoil our wonderful industry. Sure, I know everything is not black and white and I too worked in a company where there was extreme pressure to perform and no time for everything. On the other hand, it's about priorities. Nowadays you can automate so beautifully that you can reject candidates at lightning speed while maintaining a high candidate experience.
The impact on a company's image can be enormous. I know this from my own experience. I liked a big tech company, went through their selection process, which was terrible, and got kicked out after the 3rd round. How much did my opinion of this company change after that experience? Dramatically. My dream company turned into a company I would never recommend to anyone again.
Nowadays, everything can be so automated that you can reject candidates at lightning speed and still maintain a high candidate experience.
What is unacceptable to you in communication with candidates? Is there anything that can get you out of your chair as an HR professional?
A lot of things can get me out of my chair. 😃 It's an absolute no-go for me when a candidate lies. But that doesn't just apply to candidates, it applies to everyone else in general. Because trust comes first. I can't imagine offering a job to someone who is already lying in the interview.
What does the recruitment process look like at OKTAGON? What do you do to make the candidate experience the best it can be?
It's not that different from other companies. The candidate applies and we try to respond to everyone within 4 working days. There's a 2 to 4 round selection process interspersed with an assignment. We know that selection processes are not the shortest or easiest at our company, but we make candidates aware of this in the advert so everyone knows what they are getting into.
In order to maintain the highest possible candidate experience, we strive to be as transparent as possible, very fast and human at the same time. Our NPS (net promoter score) has increased by about 40 points in the last year. On the other hand, nobody is perfect. We still have gaps in the process and we still have room for improvement.
If you had to summarise, what do you think are the key elements of a great recruitment process? What tips would you give to other HR professionals looking to improve the candidate experience at their company?
For me, it's definitely speed, transparency and authenticity. Quality and fast communication is the key. If you follow just these two rules, the candidate experience will increase dramatically.
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