CIFOR-ICRAF
How CIFOR-ICRAF used ZOHO RECRUIT to streamline their multi-location, multi-country recruitment pipeline.
THE CLIENT
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit scientific research organization that conducts research on the use and management of forests with a focus on tropical forests in developing countries.
World Agroforestry is an international institute headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and founded in 1978 as "International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)". The Centre specializes in the sustainable management, protection and regulation of tropical rainforest and natural reserves.
The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) harnesses the power of trees, forests and agroforestry landscapes to address the most pressing global challenges of our time – biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, livelihoods and inequity. CIFOR and ICRAF are CGIAR Research Centers.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
"Hiring without a proper system felt like navigating a maze blindfolded—scattered applications, inconsistent processes, and missed opportunities made finding the right talent an uphill battle. However, with Zoho Recruit, we’ve transformed our hiring process into a seamless, data-driven powerhouse. Our HR teams are now more connected, efficient, and impactful, enabling us to build a global team that drives our mission forward with precision and passion."
- Linus Kabutha, Manager FIS, ICRAF
PROBLEM STATEMENT
CIFOR ICRAF had a mega challenge aligning its multi-location, multi-country recruitment pipeline. From the Requisition for Personnel (RFPs) that originated from it’s back-end system, there was no clear way of standardizing the recruitment experience across multiple geographies and jurisdictions. CIFOR-ICRAF constantly faced the enigma of multiple candidates, applying for multiple open jobs and managing the eco-system of applications was strenuous and with duplicated tasks of evaluating candidates manually and in compliance with company policy.
This led to hiring gaps, non-communication to candidates, mix-up of candidates and roles, effectively increasing the chances for a bad hire. And the HR teams in Nairobi, Singapore, India and Vietnam had no way to adopt a truly uniform hiring structure.
PROPOSED SOLUTION(s)
To resolve the endemic issue of hiring pipeline, Mediacent Interactive proposed ZOHO RECRUIT because of:
End-to-End Recruitment Management - Streamlines the entire hiring process from job posting to onboarding. Customizable workflows to adapt to specific recruitment processes.
Multi-Channel Sourcing - Integrated job board postings and social media recruitment. Careers page customization for seamless branding.
Collaborative Hiring - Centralized platform for team collaboration and real-time feedback. Role-based access ensures secure and efficient information sharing.
AI-Driven Candidate Screening - Resumé parsing and AI scoring for quick shortlisting. Automated ranking of candidates based on relevance to job descriptions.
Advanced Reporting and Analytics - Recruitment dashboards with actionable insights. KPIs to track time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and source effectiveness.
Global Compliance Support - Ensures adherence to regional labor laws and data privacy regulations, including GDPR. Localization options for multi-country operations.
Automated Communication - Email templates and candidate reminders. SMS integration for quick updates.
Mobile App Access - Manage recruitment on the go, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness.
IMPLEMENTATION
Duration it took to implement the solution(s):
The project took a total of 7 Months (ordinarily, this should be 2 months) owing to the below major bottleneck.
Bottlenecks, and how they were mitigated
CIFOR-ICRAF had a ZOHO RECRUIT instance that was opened and registered under the Zoho Singapore office. This older version of recruit was not updated to the latest version and therefore lacked the crucial “Applications Module”. It took a while to figure this out (5 months) as the earlier “Candidate Module” carried mixed-functionalities for the Candidates as well as the Applications Modules. In the usual and periodic platform upgrades by ZOHO , a separation of the two modules was done to make functionality better and support needed to enable the separation on the back end. Once enabled, 70% of the pending scope auto-resolved and we completed the project within a month and half thereafter.
Additional services provided- e.g. migration, customization & integration
1. CIFOR-ICRAF required API integration with their back-end system so that Requests for Personnel (RFPs) can be automatically logged onto ZOHO RECRUIT to make the process seamless.
2. CIFOR ICRAF also required a total migration of their ZOHO RECRUIT instance from the Singapore office to the Kenya office, so that they can benefit from preferential KES pricing (as opposed to Dollar $ pricing in Singapore), making their payments less susceptible to Forex Fluctuations and Shocks. Mediacent Interactive liaised with the ZOHO Kenya office to actualize this instance migration and pricing currency change.
RESULTS: BENEFITS & ROI
The Business Impact for CIFOR-ICRAF after Moving to Zoho Recruit is as follows:
Scalability for Multi-Country Operations: Zoho Recruit supported CIFOR-ICRAF’s multiple locations and languages, making it ideal for the NGO which operating across borders.
Centralized Recruitment Hub: CIFOR-ICRAF acquired a unified platform that consolidates applications from multiple channels, ensuring no candidate slips through the cracks.
Customization to NGO Needs: Zoho Recruit was easily adaptable to NGO-specific roles and processes, ensuring efficiency.
Cost-Effective Solution: Zoho Recruit provided CIFOR-ICRAF with premium features at competitive pricing, aligning with budget allocations at the NGO.
Improved Efficiency: Automated workflows reduced CIFOR-ICRAF’s recruitment time, allowing the HR teams to focus on strategic tasks.
Enhanced Team Synergy: Centralized collaboration and role-based access streamlined decision-making across multiple locations that CIFOR-ICRAF operates from.
Better Candidate Experience: Faster communication and personalized engagement have resulted in a better experience of CIFOR-ICRAF by potential candidates, thereby boosting offer acceptance rates compared to before.
Higher Lead-to-Hire Conversion: AI-driven tools improved candidate matching, increasing conversion rates.
Cost Savings: Optimized hiring processes led to a reduction in recruitment overheads for the CIFOR-ICRAF HR Teams.
Data-Driven Decisions: Real-time analytics enabled smarter hiring strategies, aligning talent acquisition with organizational goals.
Global Compliance: Ensured adherence to regional laws, minimizing risks and enhancing CIFOR-ICRAF’s brand reputation.
Client Team Onboarding & Training: We believe ultimate success when it comes to systems is "not in implementation, but rather in adoption of the system". As such, Mediacent Interactive, through its mantra of "walking with the client team every step of the journey", provided thorough team training to relevant system users, ensuring they not only grasped, but became prolific in the use of the implemented solutions.