The Challenge
In recent years the volume of applications at Wiener Linien has increased significantly. Broader job profiles, growing visibility as an employer, and AI-assisted applications on the candidates' side mean that inboxes are fuller than ever. In theory, that's good news. In practice, it puts recruiting teams in a genuine dilemma.
When conversations with all suitable candidates aren't feasible, a filter is needed. Based on the information at hand, you can only filter on what's visible in the CV, which leads to a common problem in recruitment. Elisabeth explains: “We may end up selecting on certain criteria, simply because those are the ones that appear on a CV, even though we know they say very little about actual suitability.”
There's also a growing challenge: AI-generated cover letters, automatically completed assessments, interchangeable application materials. Working out who's actually behind an application is becoming increasingly difficult. As Elisabeth puts it: “We often have no idea who really completed the online assessment.”
"We often receive 200 applications and 50 of them are basically suitable. We could never conduct 50 classic first-stage interviews for efficiency reasons."
Elisabeth Krims
Leiterin Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Wiener Linien
The Solution
Wiener Linien’s response to, what we call the application tsunami, isn’t yet another filter. It’s an early, authentic impression. After an initial CV screening, candidates are invited to a structured video interview that they can record flexibly from home. The recruiting team and hiring managers review the videos at their own pace and then decide who to invite for an in-person conversation. The anonymous stack of CVs turnes into a gallery of real people with a voice and a motivation.
Here’s how the process works:
Step 01 — Application received. Entered into the ATS, automatically synchronised. Step 02 — Video interview invitation. The candidate receives a link and records their responses asynchronously from home.
Step 03 — Collaborative review. The hiring department and recruiting team assess together.
Step 04 — Live interview. Top candidates are invited for an in-person interview.
"We get a first impression without having to invest lots of time or coordinate schedules."
Elisabeth Krims
Leiterin Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Wiener Linien
The Results
Since implementation, Wiener Linien has regularly reflected on the impact. The process has become faster and more resource-efficient, decision-making is more reliable, and the candidate experience has improved.
Hiring managers now make well-informed decisions because they’ve seen candidates in advance. This shortens feedback loops and enriches the pre-selection stage with a structured, personal impression.
"Cammio has made a noticeable difference to our day-to-day recruiting. We no longer filter purely on CV. We see who’s behind the application. And in the public sector, where diversity and equal opportunity matter deeply, that’s a huge win."
Elisabeth Krims
Leiterin Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Wiener Linien
Internal Adoption
As with any change to the selection process, internal reactions were mixed at first. Elisabeth reports: “People are often sceptical at the start, but once they see the videos, they’re quickly convinced.”
Hiring managers in particular benefit from the new approach. Those who previously had to make decisions based solely on written documents or recruiter summaries now see the person behind the application for themselves. Cultural fit can’t be summarised, it has to be experienced.
Wiener Linien manages all applicants through their ATS. Cammio integrates seamlessly: invitations are sent directly from the ATS, and completed pre-recorded interviews appear automatically in the candidate profile. Recruiters don’t switch systems. They stay exactly where they already work.
"It’s not just about experience, it’s also about whether someone fits the team and whether their expectations and values match the role and the company. And that’s not visible in a CV."
Elisabeth Krims
Leiterin Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Wiener Linien
Practical Takeaways
The most obvious response to an overflowing inbox is more automation: AI scoring, algorithmic preselection, automated assessments. But Wiener Linien’s experience points in a different direction. Organisations in the public sector that need to justify selection decisions, take diversity seriously, and want to know who’s really behind the CV don’t need more filters. What genuinely helps is an earlier, authentic impression of the person.
"We know for a fact that we have the right person in front of us. That makes a big difference compared to many other methods."
Elisabeth Krims
Leiterin Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Wiener Linien
Wiener Linien is part of the Wiener Stadtwerke Group and employs over 9,500 colleagues from more than 70 nations across around 100 professions — whether in the workshops, on construction sites, in the office, or behind the wheel. Together, they keep Vienna running smoothly and get 873 million passengers to their destination every year. What drives them: climate-friendly mobility for a liveable city with quality at the heart of their daily service and a constant drive to develop urban transport further.
industry
Public sector
Location
Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
scale
5k - 10k employees
