Driving Recruitment with COTA’s Largest Hiring Event Ever
Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)
COTA quite literally moves millions of lives every year in Central Ohio. COTA approached Hunter for help solving a national recruitment shortage, asking the question, “How do we recruit strong candidates into our Operator pipeline while building positive brand sentiment?” The answer: With COTA’s largest hiring event ever.
The Challenge
When COTA approached Hunter for event support, the Operator shortage had already resulted in cuts to service over the past couple years. In order to restore some service in the fall, COTA needed to hire dozens of new Operators at their Operator job fair. They tasked us with spreading the word.
Our Solution
Before the fair event took place, we designed on-brand marketing collateral that highlighted COTA’s industry-leading benefits across a variety of mediums and engaged with community partners to reach as many potential candidates as possible and drive attendance. Our in-person hiring efforts were a smashing success — we helped drive HUNDREDS of potential applicants to the event and engaged them with actual Operators and activations — like getting behind the wheel of an on-site COTA bus — that were memorable and drove positive sentiment for all who attended.
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Ultimately, our efforts resulted in 142 contingent job offers, which allowed COTA to restore service in Central Ohio in September 2023.
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The Work