Modernizing recruitment at Howden: from black box to insight and impact

The collaboration came about through an executive search partner who brought Howden and Matchlab into contact with each other. After a series of exploratory discussions, it quickly became clear that there was a strong connection. Matchlab drew up a plan that seamlessly aligned with Howden's ambitions — and was entrusted with taking the lead.

Complete teams from both sides worked together: recruitment, HR, marketing communications, development, and implementation. Strategy, technology, and execution were brought together in a co-creation process. Once the foundation was in place, the collaboration expanded to include operational support: Matchlab colleagues spent a period of time working within the Howden team to transfer knowledge and further strengthen processes.

Matchlab started with a thorough assessment of the existing recruitment process. The key question: what is needed to work in a modern, efficient, and measurable way?

This resulted in a broad process:

• Implementation of Recruitee as the new ATS, including setup and optimization.
• Integration with AFAS for streamlined data flow between HR and recruitment.
• New careers website within the Matchlab Careers Hub, designed to reach latent job seekers as well.
• Automation, dashboards, and reports for insight into every step of the candidate journey.
• Employer branding and recruitment marketing to position Howden as a modern employer.
• AI advice to further accelerate processes and collect information more intelligently.
• And through RPO support, Matchlab assisted in the implementation—including sourcing, selection, and on-the-job training.

After completion of the project, recruitment at Howden was no longer a black box. All processes—from campaigns to interviews and hires—became measurable in a single system.

Time-to-hire decreased significantly, while internal speed also increased: job openings were posted online more quickly and follow-up became more transparent. Managers and recruiters finally gained insight into what was working and where improvement was needed.

In addition, Howden's visibility as an employer grew. Thanks to consistent employer branding and targeted campaigns, the brand became visible to both active and latent target groups — a major step forward in a competitive labor market.

The combination of technology, insight, and collaboration enabled Howden's recruitment team to work stronger, faster, and with greater enjoyment.

Howden proves that technology only really works when people and brands are at the heart of it. With the right tools, content, and co-pilots on board, recruitment became not only more modern, but above all more effective.