Dia at the forefront of innovation, applying AI in its selection processes

According to a report from the National Supermarket Association, more than 200,000 job offers are published every year for essential positions such as cashiers, butchers and stockists. These roles are crucial for the daily operation of supermarkets.

The pandemic highlighted the importance of this sector in our lives, underlining the need to maintain its operability and efficiency at all times. Therefore, Human Resources teams must be prepared to fill vacancies available throughout the year, as well as those that arise due to seasonality, always ensuring optimal customer service.

We analyze how they manage their selection processes in Dia, the leading network of local stores. With its purpose of being the neighborhood store, Dia provides an easy, fast and complete shopping experience, close to home and with high quality products at an affordable price. In this way, the DIA group has in Spain more than 2,300 stores and more than 14,000 employees.

With this purpose of closeness and the quantities handled by the HR team, the need to introduce a digitized solution for selection processes became evident. Thus, Dia decided to invest in the automation of these processes, implementing recruitment chatbots with the support of HR Bot Factory: “What we want is to be able to serve the candidate in any situation. Obviously, you can't be available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and the chatbot allows you to be present whenever the candidate wants, wherever he is and at any time”, comments Marina Gomez, Director of Selection and Talent at the company.

What changes have you noticed with the automation of selection processes?

‍“The chatbot allows us to manage very large volumes of candidates quickly and very easily. It has had an impact on the quality of the work of the selection team, because what it has allowed is that they can dedicate more time and with greater quality to the experience of the face-to-face interview with the candidate”, explains Marina Gomez.

Thanks to the incorporation of AI in resume screening, professionals involved in the selection process can manage a large number of applications in an agile and efficient manner. This not only speeds up the process, but also allows the time saved to be invested in subsequent steps that enrich the candidates' experience.

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How is the candidates' experience with Diane, your recruitment chatbot?

‍“It's curious because Diana, our recruitment chatbot, is considered to be just another member of the recruitment team. The truth is that she manages to be very close, people feel like just another member of the team, that was our goal”, says Marina.

Recruiting chatbots not only simplify processes for professionals, but they also significantly improve the candidate experience. This is especially beneficial in a sector with high turnover, where it is crucial to retain talent from the first contacts with the company.

What assessment do you get from the introduction of this tool in the selection?

‍”We seek a balance between technology and humanity. I think that with the chatbot we have succeeded because facilitates this first screening of candidates at the competence level and then, based on that database, we have already carried out the personal interview and therefore the technicians can go deepera: I think we have achieved that perfect tandem”, comments Marina.

Ignoring the tools available in the market to optimize selection processes is the first obstacle to a company's growth. The introduction of AI in selection allows recruiters to focus on the more human aspects of the process, deepening the knowledge of candidates who meet the requirements of the vacancy and ensuring successful hires.

With the introduction of Diana, Dia's Human Resources team effectively manages the high volume of candidates they receive for store staff vacancies, such as cashiers, restockers and warehouse staff. In this way, frees you from administrative tasks, allowing you to invest your time in the aspects that really add value to the company. 

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