Founded in Liechtenstein in 1941, HILTI is a multinational corporation and a global leader in providing innovative tools, technologies, and services for the construction industry. Operating in over 120 countries with a revenue of €6.7 billion, Hilti has established a strong global presence. In Italy, the company supports professionals across various sectors, including construction, engineering, and infrastructure. HILTI is renowned for its cutting-edge solutions, exceptional customer service, and commitment to sustainability.
Initial situation
The objective of the project was to provide the Client with recommendations on how to improve their HR strategy, particularly the “Young Talent Program” graduate recruitment initiative, which had been facing challenges in attracting enough candidates.
The Client asked JEME to examine the evolution of the Italian job market for a specific target group — young graduates in economics and engineering with good English and Italian skills, a driver’s license, and work experience. In particular, Hilti requested special attention to be given to the mobility aspect, as they have faced significant challenges in finding candidates willing to relocate since the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to this, the Client asked to design a new HR strategy tailored to the needs and expectations of the target audience of their graduate program.
One of the main reasons Hilti chose to work with JEME on this project is that its members are part of their target audience and are therefore able to provide direct and applicable insights.
JEME’s Contribution
The Team utilised both primary and secondary sources to ensure a comprehensive and well-documented Italian job market analysis. Eight JEME consultants developed the project through four main phases:
1. The preliminary analysis focused on understanding the main issues of the recruitment program and the factors hindering its success. In this phase, JEME understood the characteristics of Hilti’s “Young Talent Program” to comprehend how to move ahead.
2. The initial phase of the offer analysis was done on secondary sources and involved creating five case studies of successful graduate recruitment programs of comparable companies and designing matrices in order to visualize Hilti’s current standing in the market. The primary criteria that were taken into account were that these companies are multinational organizations with HR programs similar to Hilti’s, aimed at professionals with characteristics comparable to those the Client was seeking. After that, the Team turned to primary sources by interviewing selected HR personnel to gain deeper insights into the graduate programs offered. Both case studies and interviews allowed JEME to gain an insight of these types of programs and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This analysis enabled JEME to identify the qualities as well as the areas of improvement of the Client’s offer.
3. In the demand analysis, the team created a questionnaire targeted at economics and engineering students, which was subsequently distributed to a diverse group of more than 120 people from 10 Italian universities, including Università Bocconi, Università di Bologna, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino. The collected data were analysed to identify trends and key insights, which were then compared with the findings from the offer analysis to initiate the structuring of the HR strategy in the following phase.
4. Finally, JEME played a key role in developing an HR strategy based on the insights gathered from prior analyses. This phase was structured around three main steps: identifying a customer persona, defining the program structure, and realising a product promotion strategy. The Team went beyond simply evaluating the program by also considering potential benefits and candidate management—areas highlighted as crucial by the trends in our research. Additionally, it became evident that clear and detailed communication is vital to the program’s success. Therefore, the Team focused on crafting a communication plan to effectively convey the program’s characteristics and benefits, ensuring it appeals to the target audience.
JEME’s Impact
The Team conducted tailored research to meet the Client’s needs, providing them with the necessary tools to develop an effective recruitment strategy and make their graduate program attractive to the target audience. This marked JEME’s second collaboration with Hilti’s, building on the success of the previous partnership. Hilti’s new graduate program has indeed been published, and it includes the suggestions of JEME’s consulting work. The Client has expressed great satisfaction with the results further solidifying the strong, ongoing partnership with HILTI, paving the way for potential future projects.