WAYNE, PA--(Marketwire - February 2, 2011) - Kenexa (
With cosmetics accounting for approximately 13% of Bon-Ton's revenue and generating some of its highest store margins, Bon-Ton needed to improve the overall performance and sales of Bon-Ton new hires, particularly Cosmetic Beauty Associates (CBAs) and Sales Associates. Kenexa's custom-built CBA Selector identifies the critical factors for success in the position and enables an improved screening process that helps Bon-Ton quickly select the most talented candidates.
"Since implementing the Kenexa assessments in February 2009, we have assessed 35,000 candidates and have hired 1,500 Cosmetic Beauty Associates. On average, associates scoring in the top 25% of the assessment achieved annual sales that were 3.3% higher than associates scoring in the bottom 25%," stated Kaye Miller, director of Stores Recruitment for Bon-Ton. "What's even more impressive is that on average, each associate hired using the CBA assessment in 2009 achieved 2.1% more in total sales per hour than associates in 2008 who had been hired without the CBA assessment. While at first glance a 2.1% difference may not seem like a lot, when you take into account the hours worked annually per associate and the number of hires we made in 2009 with the assessment, this number is truly remarkable."
The Bon-Ton assessments are integrated with Kenexa 2x Recruit™, the solution that empowers recruiters to achieve optimal recruiting and hiring results. This allows for candidate assessments to happen within Bon-Ton's workflow, eliminating the need to switch between applications. The integrated solutions provide Bon-Ton with cost-effective recruitment processes by tracking recruiting costs and time, as well as measuring individual performance scores, commission per hour and sales per hour.
Tiffany Green-Shortridge, Ph.D., Kenexa consultant, commented, "Our deep expertise in developing tailored assessments for a wide variety of industries enables us to deliver recruiting solutions that help our companies identify top talent and drive ongoing success. Bon-Ton now has hired a sales force that capitalizes on every opportunity and continues to deliver innovative sales practices. What's more, Bon-Ton's cosmetics sales force has experienced a lower turnover rate than the rest of the company, enhancing overall business productivity and performance."
About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. operates 277 department stores and 11 furniture stores in 23 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, Carson Pirie Scott, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, Michigan area, under the Parisian nameplate. The stores offer a broad assortment of brand-name fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics, home furnishings and other goods.
About Kenexa
Kenexa® provides business solutions for human resources. We help global organizations multiply business success by identifying the best individuals for every job and fostering optimal work environments for every organization. For more than 20 years, Kenexa has studied human behavior and team dynamics in the workplace, and has developed the software solutions, business processes and expert consulting that help organizations impact positive business outcomes through HR. Kenexa is the only company that offers a comprehensive suite of unified products and services that support the entire employee lifecycle from pre-hire to exit. Additional information about Kenexa and its global products and services can be accessed at www.kenexa.com.