Blue Octopus has been shortlisted in three separate categories for the Onrec Awards 2023: Best Online Candidate Experience (in conjunction with not-for-profit housing association Stonewater), Technical Innovation Award for the new Octo Platinum recruitment software, and Personality of the Year for Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director Chris Coleman.
Blue Octopus provides an end-to-end recruitment process for Stonewater, from sourcing applicants, through to hire. From the start of the relationship, Stonewater has put candidate experience and the building of relationships with applicants at the forefront of their recruitment strategy.
Kam Shergill, People and Places Advisor at Stonewater, explained:
“We are constantly working to ensure our recruitment strategy remains competitive, streamlined, and digitally enhanced. My role at Stonewater began in October 2022 with a focus on managing daily recruitment needs across the organisation directly with Blue Octopus.
Organisations and hiring managers must have strong relationships to recruit and on-board new colleagues. In our discussions, we analyse the current market as well as the challenges of the modern day. By working together, we can overcome these challenges and still provide exceptional on-boarding services. We strive to build a relationship built on respect, honesty, transparency, and a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion that is truly customer-driven.
Taking this approach is part of our unique approach to hiring, since we want to be transparent and make sure the values of the candidate align with our own. Recently, we have started creating personalised videos on LinkedIn to reach out to like-minded individuals seeking new opportunities.”
Jenny Sawyer, Stonewater’s Director of People, Culture and Change, added:
“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for The Best Online Candidate Experience Award 2023 with Onrec and our recruitment partnership with Blue Octopus. Stonewater strive to be an exceptional employer, and we understand that the journey of our colleagues is important right from the day they decide to submit an application with us. Stonewater’s focus on recruitment is led by ensuring a positive candidate experience and we are so pleased that this is recognised.”
The Technical Innovation Award shortlisting recognises Blue Octopus’s next-generation talent acquisition system, Octo Platinum. While the previous version was already industry-leading, the brand new Octo 2.0 was released in November 2022, and has cemented Octo’s position as the most flexible, versatile, and technically innovative applicant tracking system available on the market today.
The technical innovation focuses on Octo’s new Marketplace feature. From within the ATS, users can seamlessly integrate dozens of third-party features and services. These include blind recruitment tools, candidate assessment software, e-signature services, SMS services, and identity verification. Furthermore, Octo can fully integrate with all of the most popular HR systems in use in the UK, as well as dozens of job boards, from big, well-known names like Indeed and Reed, to industry-specific job boards like Inside Housing and Jobsgopublic. Unlike many applicant tracking systems, Octo does not charge for integrations with third-party products and services.
Speaking of Blue Octopus’s shortlisting for the Technical Innovation Award, Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director Chris Coleman said:
“Being shortlisted for the prestigious Technical Innovation Award acknowledges Blue Octopus’s relentless pursuit of excellence in recruitment software. With the launch of Octo Platinum 2.0, our next-generation system back in November 2022, we have propelled ourselves to new heights of flexibility, versatility, and technical innovation. This recognition of our technical prowess further fuels our drive and determination to revolutionise recruitment software and deliver unparalleled value to our client partners.
I am truly humbled and deeply honoured to be shortlisted for the Personality of the Year award too. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to those who have nominated me, and wish to congratulate each and every one of you, and wish you the best of luck for the 14th September.”
The finals of the Onrec Awards 2023 will take place on Thursday 14th September at the Leonardo Royal London St Paul’s.