ORVIS: Explore the Integration of eSkill Online Tests with Taleo

The Orvis Company started out in 1856 as a mail order company specializing in hunting and fly-fishing gear, expanding to include sportswear for men and women, luggage, home furnishings, and pet products. The company also operates fly-fishing and hunting schools, as well as Orvis Adventures, a travel service, and their international operations totaled more than $340 million in sales in 2012, with 1,700 employees in 70 retail stores across 30 states, as well as the UK.

The company’s biggest hiring challenge was staffing up for their busiest period, from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. Also, they used canned tests, but these were not integrated with Oracle Taleo Business Edition Cloud Service. Tests were sent and processed manually, a time-consuming additional step in an already complex recruiting process. The main goals for Orvis were the following:

• Use relevant assessments in order to weed out the people who weren’t a good fit.
• Integrate online assessments with Taleo.
• Simplify the hiring process.
• Reduce time wasted on follow-ups due to open loops.
• Decrease the percentage of negative feedback related to test relevancy.

The quality of hire has improved so much that Orvis was able to place some new hires in leadership positions immediately. After a successful season in call center staffing, they look forward to extending their use of eSkill assessments to cover more staff areas.

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After partnering with eSkill, Orvis achieved outstanding results:

• Time-to-hire cut by 50%.
• Closed the open loop in the hiring process.
• Saved extra work in the recruiting & training phases.
• Increased quality of hire.
• Received 100% positive feedback from managers & job applicants.
• Eliminated the time spent on follow-ups.