Boots is to implement an online recruitment tool for use by store managers by the end of June, as part of a wider roll-out for all recruitment.

Provided by StepStone, the system will be used to recruit store staff online for the first time. Boots said that it would be used for all its stores.

It will also replace a system from Jobpartners, which is used to recruit head office and specialist optician and pharmacy positions, to create a common platform. Recruitment for head office, logistics and manufacturing positions will be live by the end of August.

In stores, the system will replace labour-intensive recruitment administration and highlight pre-screened candidates. Boots will also introduce online psychometric testing for candidates and said it will benefit from allowing the technology to sift the applicants.

Boots project manager for the transformation programme Dave Taylor told Retail Week that the changes were being made for three reasons. He said: “The first and most important is to ensure that we get the right quality people and that they fit into the organisation well.

“Secondly, we are very conscious that those who apply for jobs are also customers and so they should have a positive experience, whatever the outcome of their application. Thirdly, we will be able to deliver some process efficiency.”

The system is web-based, so no changes to store IT are necessary, although staff require training.

Boots has a careers web site already, which is linked to the existing Jobpartners system. Between June and September this year the site will also link to the StepStone system, before the final switchover.

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