0205 Bernard Hodes

K*B Toys is the nation’s largest combined mall-based and online specialty toy retailer, operating more than 1,300 stores in all 50 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Like many high-profile retail brands, the company created a “Career Opportunities” area on its corporate site (www.kbtoys.com) to attract applicants. Candidates were able to view jobs that were available at their corporate location, but not jobs available from their network of stores. K*B Toys sought to improve the recruiting process on the corporate site and to provide ample, fresh resumes to hiring managers.

Strategy/Solution
It was necessary to change the method of marketing open positions, including the way in which candidates were screened. This also entailed managing responses in a fast and flexible way. The Hodes iQ application was used to create a new career center, complete with a searchable jobs database, an “Apply Online” form with screening questions created by recruiters, and candidate tools such as “Job Cart” and “Refer-A-Friend.” These were all conceived within the look and feel of www.kbtoys.com. This was combined with an Internet job posting strategy, which began to funnel traffic through to the corporate career site.

Hodes iQ began to manage responses for all divisions of K*B Toys. The system also helped to classify and manage incoming resumes. Importantly, the application also “sensed” which position belonged to which hiring manager and contacted the hiring manager immediately with a new resume and a copy of the candidate’s screening questions.

Result
According to John Keats, Manager, Field Recruiting, “Upon implementing Hodes iQ, we have been able to offer potential candidates a flexible avenue for applying at K*B Toys. We have certainly capitalized on the flow of traffic to the www.kbtoys.com Web site.” With thousands more resumes in the hands of hiring managers, along with an e-recruiting management system in place, the K*B Toys career site now effectively services corporate, distribution centers, Internet, and store positions, thereby providing enhanced value to the company’s hiring needs.