'It's a way for us to dip our toe into different technologies': HR exec
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By John Dujay
For anyone keen to work at the Golden Arches, it’s now as easy as saying: “Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s” or “OK Google, talk to McDonald’s Apply Thru.”
That’s because the restaurant giant recently partnered with Amazon and Alexa to simplify the hiring process for jobseekers.
“We want to be engaging differently with potential jobseekers and certainly knowing how youth of today interact with their technology and [youth] being a huge part of our work demographic, it was a way for us to dip our toe into different technologies,” says Stephanie Hardman, senior vice-president and chief people officer at McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada in Oakville, Ont.
“It’s a really a global initiative designed to drive attention to working at McDonald’s; driving our employer reputation, not unlike the way that we’ve engaged differently with our guests in ways like our global mobile app with the kiosks.”
Incorporating voice technology is a new and convenient way to engage candidates and for them to learn more about the different career opportunities available at McDonald’s, she says.
“It’s a world first in recruiting.”
In using the new approach, jobseekers must provide basic information, in English or French, and then they’ll receive a brief text message with a link to continue the application process.
“It’s about ease of application. If you’re thinking about working, we want McDonald’s to be one of the first places you think and so if you’re looking for work, simply saying, ‘OK Google, help me get a job at McDonald’s’ certainly makes it easier,” she says.
The service is also available in eight other countries (the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.).
Recruiting a younger demographic
For McDonald’s, the campaign is designed to show that the fast food chain is a cool place to work for younger people who are attracted to technology.
“We’re becoming a much more technically engaged organization and I believe this, in and of itself, demonstrates that to anybody who wants to join us,” says Hardman.
“It’s a testament to who we are as a brand, evolving and growing our technology both for our guests but also potential jobseekers and certainly for our team members.”
This is not the first time the company has used leading-edge tech tools to drive engagement, she says, citing Canada’s use of Snapchat applications in the spring.
“For us, it’s just an ongoing demonstration of McDonald’s as a modern, progressive employer for potential jobseekers.”
The “snaplications” effort allowed users of Snapchat to see a 10-second video of an employee talking about their experience working at McDonald’s. The user could then swipe up inside the app, which would automatically direct them to apply.
Career opportunities
But it’s not only younger potential workers the company is seeking, says Hardman.
“With snaplications, certainly the demographic was a much younger demographic, [but] with the smart speakers with Alexa and Google, we’re looking to attract the youth but we’re looking to attract also career seekers and more mature workers because we know that technology is much more widely adopted than just with youth.”
Employees have used a job at McDonald’s as a stepping stone to greater heights, according to Hardman.
“We have actual evidence to demonstrate that both friendships and careers are made at McDonald’s,” she says.
“Fifty-thousand McDonald’s crew members have gone on to become IT professionals, 35,000 of them have made a career in teaching, and 59,000 are running small businesses.”
It’s all part of the employer’s new “Friends are Made at McDonald’s” campaign, which is already paying dividends, she says.
“We did see a significant increase in applications surrounding the Made at McDonald’s campaign and the Alexa Google activation. Driving applications to restaurants means that our owner operators and our corporate managers are able to select the best talent who can serve our guests.”
