Company: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, Orlando, FL
Company Division/Group: Lynne Hildebrand
Company Description: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is a leading global pure-play vacation ownership company, offering a diverse portfolio of quality products, programs and management expertise with 58 resorts and approximately 415,000 Owners and Members and nearly 10,000 associates. Its brands include Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and Grand Residences by Marriott.
Nomination Category: Human Resources Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Human Resources Team of the Year

Nomination Title: Marriott Vacations Worldwide - The Important Business of Talent Acquisition

Tell the story about what this nominated team has achieved since January 1, 2014 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms.

In 2013, Marriott Vacations Worldwide Global Human Resources launched an organizational and technology transformation, delivering a 30% reduction in annual departmental operating expense. MVW HR transitioned from site-centric HR management to regional HR teams in the U.S., centralized global HR services, and new technology. The Talent Acquisition (TA) team, comprised of eight HR professionals, including regional and sales recruiters and a centralized TA team, came together for the first time in 2013, and delivered the following exceptional results in 2014.

(1) Thanks to TA’s recruiting leadership, applicant flow-through was 80,000 for 4,000 open positions in the U.S., a 34% increase in applicant flow-through, and a savings of more than $1 million in annual expense, when compared to 2012. Applicant quality has remained very high. When assessing the quality of hourly hires, 88% of Resort Operations and 91% of Corporate managers, respectively, stated they would hire the associate again. The average “days to fill” open hourly positions was 26.2 days vs. the 2014 goal of 30 days.

MVW’s TA leaders handled every aspect of management hiring and filled more than 600 management positions during 2014. 98% of hiring managers stated they would hire the new manager again after he/she had been in the position for six months. Random audits also confirm the team’s process excellence with consistent scores of better than 94% for accuracy and timeliness. The average “days to fill” open management positions was 30.6 days vs. the 2014 goal of 45 days. In, 2014, 25% of our management positions were filled with hourly associates receiving promotions.

In 2014, MVW HR managed a robust college recruiting program with 29 colleges and universities. Our internship program is the backbone for the company’s very successful Management Development Program, described below. More than 1,200 students applied for internships, and 234 intern hires were selected to work in resort operations and corporate departments. Based on surveys, 94% of our interns state they would recommend our internship program to others, and 93% are interested in joining MVW upon graduation.

Our Management Development Program provides new managers with in-depth resort operations experience. We hired 14 new managers through this program in 2014, and they rated the program 4.73 on a 5.0-point scale when evaluating the program’s value and contribution to their management development; 100% indicated that they would recommend the MDP program to others.

We believe applicants who have been referred by existing associates are among our most effective and efficient talent acquisition sources. We are especially proud that more than 40% of our new hires in 2014 were referred by MVW associates.

In 2014, the TA team assumed the leadership responsibility for Talent Acquisition Technology, and immediately addressed improvement to the company’s online application processes. As a result of the team’s effort, 90% of our applicants gave a positive response to the question “How easy/difficult it is to use our electronic application system?” through our 2014 TA survey. To the same question, 93% of our hourly hiring managers gave high ratings to the notable 2014 improvement in online application performance.

The TA team introduced MVW’s new college recruiting branding in January 2014, including new marketing materials, college booths and a very well-received college recruiting presentation. Based on the company’s Applicant Satisfaction Survey, 93% of 749 applicants gave us a very positive response to the branding question, providing an average rating of 5.32 on a 6.0-point scale.

During 2014, the TA team identified more than 20 meaningful technology projects for completion by the company’s TA technology partner. Thanks to the dedication of the TA team, our outsourcing partner was provided these detailed requirements by 2014 year-end and has committed to delivering “TA 2.0” no later than the end of 2015. In anticipation of the roll-out of these projects, the team began the development of the “TA 2.0” change management plan in early 2015.

Thank you for this opportunity to share our TA Team’s 2014 accomplishments.

In bullet-list form, briefly summarize up to ten (10) accomplishments of the nominated team since the beginning of 2014 (up to 150 words).

Team Accomplishments:

• 80,000 applicants for 4,000 openings -- a 34% increase over 2012;
• A savings of $1M in recruiting costs over 2012;
• “Days to fill” open hourly and management positions was 26.2 and 30.6 days, respectively, and well below goals;
• Excellent applicant quality - 88% of Resort Operations and 91% of corporate managers stated they would hire the associate again;
• The hiring of 600 managers;
• 98% of hiring managers stated they would hire the new manager again after he/she had been in the position for six months;
• A robust college recruiting program, delivering more than 1,200 student intern applicants;
• 234 student intern hires; 94% said they would recommend our internship program to others, 93% are interested in joining MVW following graduation;
• 14 new managers for MVW’s Management Development Program – 100% stated they would recommend the program to others;
• Significant technology improvements; delivered comprehensive 2015 TA Tech plan to vendor.