PwC Sweden's TA Transformation: Human-led, Tech-powered

In today’s hiring landscape, talent teams are under more pressure than ever to deliver fast, cost-effective, and high-quality results—while navigating candidate drop-off, complex systems, and growing competition for top talent. PwC Sweden is one organisation that not only embraced this challenge but transformed it into a strategic opportunity.

In our latest live session, we sat down with Måns Liljenlov, Employer Brand & Relations Manager @ PwC Sweden, to unpack how PwC transformed its outdated recruitment process into a high-performing, human-led and tech-powered engine, and how they repositioned their people function as a strategic, business-critical partner along the way.

If you're looking to modernise your digital candidate experience, boost the quality of every hire, and position your TA team as a true business partner, this interview is for you.

Keep reading for the full summary with actionable takeaways, or watch the full recording below! 👇

Where It All Started: A Complex Hiring Journey and High Drop-Off

Måns explained that a few years ago, PwC’s application process was far from candidate-friendly. 

"Imagine you're 26, on the subway, trying to apply… 22 clicks? It just didn’t work.” The clunky digital experience caused significant drop-off rates, sometimes as high as 70–80%!"

This inefficiency didn’t just frustrate candidates, it had a real cost.

“We were wasting 80% of our recruitment budget because people couldn’t even apply!” 

Internally, the talent acquisition (TA) function was reactive. Recruiters often received instructions to simply find 100 people with little strategic conversation or input. Feedback loops were limited, and employer branding wasn’t positioned as a strategic function.

The Turning Point: Culture Shift and Strategic Enablement

The shift began with leadership, particularly Susan Simkens and Chris Newton, who advocated for moving away from “post and pray” tactics. Måns described the cultural evolution clearly: 

 “Five years ago, it was ‘find us 100 people’. Today, it’s ‘Can we align on this strategy?’

A strong enablement plan followed. The TA team was trained in self-leadership and how to position employer branding as a growth function.

“We were given the trust to define how we work!” Måns said.

As a result, recruiters moved from being order-takers to becoming integrated strategic partners. Collaboration with hiring managers changed significantly.

“It used to be that we got handed a requisition. Now we’re involved at the strategy stage.”

Transforming the Candidate Experience

One of the most impactful changes was to the application process itself. With the help of
Adway’s Social Recruiting Technology, PwC reduced the application from 22 clicks to just 5.

“We had to fix the digital journey, or we’d keep losing out on great people.”

By removing unnecessary steps and making the process mobile-first, PwC saw a major improvement in application completion rates and candidate satisfaction. This was a clear win in PwC’s broader talent attraction strategy.

“Today, we have better conversations with fewer, but more relevant, candidates. That’s what quality looks like to us.” – Måns. 

Candidates now hear back within 24 hours. Communication is timely and personal, with real humans in the last steps, often the same ones featured in job ads, engaging applicants directly.

“We clearly defined what to automate and what to keep human,” Måns noted.

Data-Driven Recruitment: Mapping, ROI, and Measurement

PwC also adopted a structured, data-led approach to assessing candidate quality. They introduced four levels of candidate mapping: not qualified, partially qualified, fully qualified, and hired. Måns explained that understanding not just who gets hired, but also who doesn’t and why, is crucial. '

“Rejection data is gold. We tag 99% of our rejections”

These insights help PwC understand gaps in expectations, job descriptions, salary levels, and even market timing.

“We’re even mapping LinkedIn campaign data against student fair foot traffic,” Måns added, highlighting their integrated approach to data collection.

Importantly, PwC now benefits from full source attribution and ROI visibility, tracking campaign effectiveness from first click to hire. This level of performance transparency helps optimise spend and maximise conversion.

👋 For more on this, explore Adway's approach to campaign tracking and social recruiting performance.

Removing Bias and Building Inclusion by Design

Bias reduction was another major focus. PwC uses AI to ensure inclusive, bias-free job ads and anonymised assessments.

“We start inclusivity from the first word in the ad,” said Måns. Abel pointed out that social recruiting naturally avoids exclusionary filters found in some traditional sourcing methods.

“By design, social doesn’t allow biased targeting”

Despite automation, PwC ensures human interaction stays central, especially during interviews and candidate engagement.

Aligning TA, Branding, and the Business

One of PwC’s key insights was the importance of unifying employer branding with the corporate brand.

“Our people are in subway ads, on our careers site, and featured in campaigns,” Måns said. “They feel proud to be part of it.”

Cross-functional collaboration is now routine: TA, Employer Branding, Communications, and Social Media work from shared KPIs and messaging frameworks.

“The TA team is no longer just a support function, we’re a critical part of the business.” – Måns

Looking Ahead: Balancing tech, human empowerment, and authentic employer branding

The focus now is on long-term sustainability: integrating CRM and ATS systems, keep building qualified talent pools, and improving candidate conversion.

There’s no obsession with flashy new tools, just a continued commitment to optimising what works.

“This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Måns said. “And we’re in it for the long game.”

🔥 Hot Takes: Quick Real Answers from PwC & Adway

• What’s the biggest recruitment myth that companies still believe in 2025?

“That candidates only care about salary and benefits. It’s about the full experience—where you’ll spend the next chapter of your life.” – Måns

“Gated application processes. If candidates don’t finish your long application, it doesn’t mean they don’t want the job— they just have better things to do.” – Abel

• Is employer branding still underrated, or are companies finally getting it?

“It’s getting better. Some companies are ahead, others still think they don’t need to do anything.” – Måns

“We saw teams reprioritise branding after 2020, and that’s how you stand out.” – Abel

•  What’s one thing every recruiter should stop doing immediately?

"Generic job ads that you could tell had zero soul" - Måns

“Yeah, I agree. I saw a cool webinar where someone compared job descriptions to the ingredient label on a Coke bottle. That’s what a lot of job ads feel like, just internal corporate fluff” - Abel

• Is AI making recruiters better—or lazier?

“Better, if you know where and how to use it.” – Måns & Abel

• What’s the most overrated ‘best practice’ in talent acquisition?

“That harder processes mean better candidates.” – Måns

“Waiting until everything’s perfect before you start. Iterate and test instead.” – Abel

• What’s harder: finding the right candidates or getting hiring managers to make a decision?

“Finding candidates. Now that we’ve invested in hiring manager relationships,
that part’s easier.” – Måns

•  If you could automate one part of recruitment forever, what would it be?

“Screening.” – Måns & Abel

• What’s one hiring trend that needs to die already?

“Generic job ads, and maybe references. They’re often just old friends vouching.” – Måns 

• Some people say Employer Branding isn't business critical—what's your take?

“It’s not popcorn and balloons. It’s insight, leadership buy-in, and strategic investment.” – Måns

“Would you stop branding for sales? Same logic applies.” – Abel

•  What’s the one recruitment strategy that PwC swears by—but most companies ignore?

“Preboarding. Onboarding starts the moment a contract is signed.” – Måns

“Tracking rejection reasons—99% of PwC's are tagged. It unlocks so many insights.” – Abel

Final Takeaways for Talent Teams Everywhere

• Simplify the candidate experience to attract more qualified candidates.
• Empower recruiters with self-leadership and internall selling skills.
• Use automation to reduce friction, not remove humanity.
• Map candidates by quality and learn from rejection data.
• Track campaign performance from click to hire to optimise ROI.
• Align TA, Employer Branding and marketing to speak with one voice.

“Be curious. Be transparent. Build partnerships. Stay persistent.” – Måns

Ready to Boost Your Candidate Quality?

Want to activate your employer brand on social media to attract more qualified candidates and optimise your recruitment ROI?

📩 Get in touch with our team to see how Adway helps companies like PwC target untapped talent and turn hiring into a strategic advantage.