Bangalore: When was the last time you were recruited over the phone or perhaps given an ipod during the final round of interview just because you failed to make it to the final selection? Organisations are now laying more emphasis on recruiting people with stronger on-ground understanding and at the same time, those who come up with innovative ideas.

Take for instance Wells Fargo India. Its Fuelling Assertive College Talent (FACT) program, started in 2008, is an innovative technology based campus recruitment process, reports The Network Network. While typically, a campus recruitment process starts with recruiters going to the campus, conducting Pre-Placement Talks (PPTs), followed by tests, group discussions and face-to-face interviews, Wells Fargo chose not to go to the campus. Instead it selected five campuses across India, namely, BITS Pilani, BITS Pilani Goa Campus, MNNIT Allahabad, SMIT Majitar and NIE Mysore, and had a specially designed web-based quiz contest which tested the applicants' awareness of Wells Fargo.

One winner was selected from each campus and was handed over the grand prize, which was a premium motorbike. The second step was the actual candidate selection process. Eligible students were asked to prepare a video lasting not more than three minutes, wherein an introduction and reasons explaining as to why they would like to join the company, was captured.

Aviva has adopted a non-traditional hiring approach wherein they take on 'Creative Behaviour Evaluating Interview Process' to attract the best talent. "Our hiring process involves a wide range of selection tools such as competency based interviews, ability and personality tests and role-plays to ensure that assignments are awarded to the right candidate for the role. An important aspect of the internal recruitment process is that all applicants are given the opportunity to receive feedback on their evaluation after the selection process has been completed," asserts Mohammed Shahber, Director - HR, Aviva Life Insurance (India).

Aviva has also introduced a new dimension whereby candidates will be assessed on certain competencies based on the Aviva Competency Framework which is further aligned to the five core values of Aviva. The objective behind such an exercise is to ensure that the candidate is not only a good job fit, but also is an excellent culture fit.