Public sector · New Zealand · Customer story

Making recruitment more human and responsive

In a workforce shaped by election cycles and complex public sector requirements, Parliamentary Service uses Humanforce Talent to reduce recruitment administration, improve candidate communication and give recruiters more time for the people behind each application.

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Humanforce TalentNew Zealand1,000 employees

Parliamentary Service staff discussing work together in an office

Customer

Parliamentary Service NZ

Solution

Humanforce Talent

Industry

Public sector

Recruitment rhythm

50 to 300 roles in 4 to 5 months

01 / Customer snapshot

Recruitment shaped by an unusual rhythm

Parliamentary Service provides administrative and support services to members of Parliament, manages the Crown’s buildings within the parliamentary precinct, and provides free tours, education and information services to the public.

Its operating rhythm is shaped by election cycles, changes in parliamentary representation and the needs of all parties across the political spectrum. Recruitment demand can range from 50 to 300 roles over about four to five months, and as many as 10,000 candidates when election outcomes create greater movement driven by events-based contracts.

This calls for recruitment processes that can flex with demand while maintaining a consistent experience for candidates and hiring teams. It also places a premium on clear communication, reliable data and the ability to respond quickly.

02 / The challenge

Too much time administering the process. Too little time with people.

Before Humanforce Talent, the recruitment process was hard-coded with limited functionality and rigid stages. Candidates described the application process as ‘too much’, while recruiters had to move applicants manually between each stage.

The issue was not simply recruitment volume. It was the time and attention consumed by administration. The process could create friction for applicants, make recruitment harder to navigate and take capacity away from the conversations that help people make informed decisions about work.

What was needed

A more intuitive candidate and recruiter experience
Less manual movement between stages
Meaningful candidate notifications
Visibility of notification rate, time to hire, time to fill, cost to hire and NPS
A practical way to search the talent database and Talent Community

“I want my recruiters to live in the moments that matter.”Tim Bush, Parliamentary Service

03 / The solution

Humanforce Talent gives the recruitment team a more direct workflow

Parliamentary Service uses Humanforce Talent, including Talent Community and the Live Onboard module, as part of its recruitment process. The team can move suitable applicants through the process more directly, communicate with candidates through email or text, and use the talent database when new roles arise.

The platform supports a clearer path from application through to onboarding. Technology handles more of the process flow, while recruiters can focus on communication, context and care. The approach is designed to remain useful during everyday recruitment and sharper periods of demand around elections.

Make the candidate experience more intuitive

The Talent Community experience gives candidates a more straightforward way to engage, while the team can prioritise a response whether an applicant is successful or not.

Give recruiters time for human conversations

Reducing manual movement between stages gives recruiters more time to speak with candidates, hiring managers and stakeholders.

Connect workflow with visibility

The team uses its database as a source of potential candidates and measures performance through cost, speed and candidate experience.

04 / The results

A faster hiring cycle, with more room for candidate care

The interview indicates improvements across operational efficiency and candidate care, including a shorter hiring cycle, clearer recruitment measures and a lower cost to hire than the previous position.

For candidates, the practical impact is more consistent communication. For recruiters, it is more time for conversations that require judgement, empathy and human connection. The change also supports a stronger in-house hiring model and helps reduce agency cost.

36Days to hirePreviously about 70 days

40Days to fillPreviously about 80+ days

10kPotential candidatesAcross a future recruitment period

“What I was finding is that we were too heavily skewed towards trying to administer the administration of the job itself, instead of being able to free up that time to spend on the candidate, or the hiring manager, or other stakeholders.”Tim Bush, Parliamentary Service

05 / Looking ahead

Ready for the next surge in demand

Parliamentary Service is preparing for a major recruitment period that could involve more than 10,000 candidates and 300 jobs over five months. The team next plans to assess how to connect more of the employee lifecycle, from acquisition through to exit.

With clearer measures and a more accessible talent pool, Parliamentary Service has a stronger foundation for the next period of change.

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Image credit

Photo: Parliamentary Service. Cropped from the original. Licensed by the Clerk of the House of Representatives and/or the Parliamentary Corporation on behalf of Parliamentary Service under CC BY 4.0.