Octavius - PageUp

Three standout metrics

57%

increase in applications per vacancy

41%

reduction in agency-recruited hires

Halved

time to authoriseauthorize vacancies

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What wasn’t working

Octavius Infrastructure Ltd is a UK construction firm specialisingspecializing in UK Rail and Highway projects. With a huge opportunity to grow the business following forecasts that the UK would 225,000 construction workers by 2027, Octavius needed the right talent in the right roles as a matter of urgency. But significant challenges stood in their way:

Lack of tailored ATS made it hard to attract qualified candidates;
Poor candidate retention throughout the hiring process and no analytics to understand why candidates dropped out;
High dependency and spend on recruitment agencies.

The turning point

In March 2023 Octavius reviewed their recruitment to identify what needed to change. Through input from employees, hiring managers and external market intelligence, they realisedrealized they needed an in-house recruitment team supported by the right processes and technology. They also saw that both hiring managers and candidates needed a better experience than the current hiring process.

Octavius partnered with PageUp to introduce a next-generation ATS that would streamline processes, improve candidate management and create better experiences for everyone involved.

The shift began in three phases:

In-house centre of talent expertiseexpertize

Using PageUp ATS to support the in-house recruitment team helped Octavius establish internal capability and reduce reliance on expensive agencies.
Real-time insights

Accessing PageUp’s real-time insights and analytics enabled the team to see what was working and what wasn’t, using data for better decision-making.
Streamlining approval and offer processes

Automating vacancy authorisationauthorization and offer management helped Octavius reduce delays and improve the candidate experience throughout the hiring journey.

The solution in action

Octavius used PageUp to transform its recruitment process into a robust in-house model, dramatically improving efficiency, candidate experience and cost-effectiveness.

Key initiatives included:

Streamlined approval processes

Vacancy authorisationauthorization dropped from 3-4 days to under 2 days, while time to send offers decreased from 5-6 days to 3-4 days.
New careers website

A dedicated careers site also improved the candidate experience and contributed to a 57% surge in applications, averaging 42 more applications per vacancy.
Better candidate experience

Better candidate management tools and talent pools helped keep candidates engaged and retained throughout the hiring process.
Better hiring manager experience

Hiring managers and in-house recruiters were able to work together easily through PageUp’s internal portals, driving a better, more collaborative hiring experience for all involved.
Reduced agency spend

A holistic, tailored recruitment approach, led by the in-house team and supported by PageUp, significantly diminished agency costs.

The impact

Hard ROI

41% reduction in agency-recruited hires
57% average increase in applications
50% reduction in time to authoriseauthorize vacancies
40% reduction in time to offer

Soft ROI

10% uplift in positive feedback from new starters.
Reduced agency reliance saved costs and showcased in-house recruitment team’s value.
Enhanced collaboration between recruiters and hiring managers.
Better candidate retention throughout hiring process and better overall candidate experience.