In this interview with HR Director Deborah Del Cont and Project Manager Carole Steiner from the City of Langenthal, we take a closer look at the digital transformation in public sector recruiting. Since implementing the Refline solution, many aspects of everyday HR work have changed – from internal process optimisation to significantly increased efficiency in applicant management. How did the implementation unfold in practice? What are the benefits of location-independent working? And why would they recommend Refline to other public authorities and organisations? Answers to these questions and more insights can be found in the following article.
Digitalisation that delivers: How Langenthal is rethinking daily recruiting with Refline Refline Success Story City of Langenthal
Interview with Deborah Del Cont, Head of HR, and Carole Steiner, Project Manager for Personnel and Organisational Development at the City of Langenthal.
What were the biggest challenges in recruiting before introducing the Refline e-recruiting solution?
Deborah Del Cont: Firstly, we had a manual, time-consuming and outdated applicant management system. Additionally, our external appearance needed both visual and functional improvement. For example, we had no way of offering job alerts, and we couldn’t share job postings. Our applicant management process also prevented flexible, mobile working. On top of the many challenges came the high administrative burden of complying with data protection regulations and the fact that we couldn’t support ecological goals like sustainable use of resources (e.g., printing and paper handling).
Which tasks in the application process took up the most time?
Carole Steiner: The manual sending of confirmation emails and rejections was particularly time-consuming.
Why did you choose Refline?
Deborah Del Cont: Refline erfüllte unsere Anforderungen bezüglich IT-Schnittstellen und Sicherheit – besonders wichtig war uns die Datenhaltung in der Schweiz. Wir kannten das Tool bereits von einem früheren Arbeitgeber und wussten die Benutzerfreundlichkeit zu schätzen. Die Einführung konnte schnell erfolgen, das Kosten-Nutzen-Verhältnis war überzeugend.
“The Refline solution combines professionalism and power with simple and highly valued usability.”
How did you experience the introduction of Refline?
Carole Steiner: From the very beginning, we received excellent support. Our requests and questions were always met with openness and a solution-oriented mindset. Even after the official implementation phase, the support remained available – quick and reliable.
What is your experience using Refline in everyday work?
Deborah Del Cont: We see a noticeable increase in efficiency in the recruitment process. The ability to work remotely is a huge advantage – especially in collaboration with department heads. This has become increasingly important since the COVID-19 pandemic.
How has the recruitment process changed with Refline?
Carole Steiner: With Refline, we also restructured our internal recruitment and onboarding processes. The new digital support has led to clear process improvements and tangible time savings. For us, it’s a quick win – and at the same time, a significant step forward on our digitalisation journey.
“A quick win and a big leap in digitalisation – thanks to Refline.”
Would you recommend Refline – and if so, why?
Carole Steiner: Yes, absolutely! Refline is professional, user-friendly, quick to implement, and well supported. We were especially impressed by the fact that the solution is continuously being developed – you can tell that improvements are being actively pursued.
What is the biggest benefit for you personally?
Deborah Del Cont: The combination of professionalism, efficiency and user-friendliness. For our size and requirements, Refline’s applicant management is the ideal solution.
Thank you very much for the insightful interview!
About the interviewees
Deborah Del Cont has many years of experience as an HR Director and has worked at the City of Langenthal since 2018 in this capacity.
Carole Steiner holds an MSc in Organisational Development from Bern University of Applied Sciences and works as Project Manager for Personnel and Organisational Development at the City of Langenthal. In this role, she was also the project lead for the Refline implementation.
City of Langenthal – the diverse centre of the Bernese Oberaargau region, a small city in the heart of the Swiss Midlands. Langenthal is home to over 16,000 people and many well-known companies. The HR team consists of five people, including HR Director Deborah Del Cont and Project Manager Carole Steiner, who participated in this interview, along with three colleagues in HR consulting and administration. Around 1,500 applications are handled annually via the Refline e-recruiting solution.