Challenge: fragmented and inefficient recruitment process
Royal SMIT faced the challenge of professionalizing its recruitment process. The existing setup, based on Excel, resulted in fragmented information and poor collaboration between HR and recruiters. In addition, the process was largely manual, error-prone, and user-unfriendly, which created risks related to data breaches and privacy. Royal Smit needed a professional, scalable, and centralized system to support its future growth.
Strategic shift: from CV-based hiring to potential and fit
Royal Smit wanted to align its recruitment approach more closely with the unique nature of the work. New employees didn’t necessarily need prior experience, but had to demonstrate potential, learning ability, and the right mindset. The company therefore chose to focus on developability, intrinsic motivation, and cultural fit moving away from hiring based on CVs.
The solution: a collaboration with Selection Lab, Matchlab, and Recruitee
To bring this vision to life, Royal SMIT partnered with Selection Lab, Matchlab, and Recruitee.
The first step was a collaboration with Matchlab, who advised Royal SMIT on setting up the most effective (internal) recruitment process. Next, to centralize all candidate data in one system, Royal SMIT chose the user-friendly applicant tracking system from Recruitee. Lastly, Selection Lab provides scientifically validated assessments that measure cognitive ability, personality traits, motivations, and cultural preferences. Furthermore, Selection Lab created custom job profiles for Royal SMIT based on a library of 120 pre-built job profiles. Therefore, Royal SMIT can now select the exact competencies and cultural markers they’re looking for and match candidates accordingly.
Because Selection Lab is integration-first by design, all assessment data flows directly into Recruitee, creating a centralized source of truth. The result: clear dashboards, fast decision-making, and full grip on the recruitment process.
To further enhance the candidate experience, all assessments are optimized for mobile making the process fast, modern, and accessible.
Results of the new approach
Efficiency and speed
- Time-to-hire: reduced from 12 weeks to just 5–6 weeks
- Recruiter response time: improved from 1 week to <24 hours
- Hiring manager response time: improved from 3 weeks to <48 hours
- Admin workload: reduced by 50–60%
Cost savings
- Cost per hire: reduced by 66%
- Dependency on external recruiters: drastically reduced
Due to competency-based recruitment, the quality of new hires has improved.
- 2024: turnover rate: 70.4%
- 2025 (up to May): turnover rate: 35.0%
Better insights, stronger control
Thanks to the seamless integration between Selection Lab and Recruitee, Royal SMIT now has real-time visibility into their hiring pipeline. With clear dashboards and automated workflows, HR and hiring managers are always aligned enabling faster, more consistent hiring decisions.
Conclusion
With Selection Lab and Recruitee, Royal SMIT has built a scalable, future-ready recruitment process that’s not only faster and more efficient, but also human-centric. By focusing on who someone is rather than what they’ve done, the company attracts better-fit candidates, reduces turnover, and builds a workforce ready for long-term success.
