For huge numbers of workers across the UK, working life now looks dramatically different to how it did before. Working remotely has now become the new normal, meaning that not only is the way we are working different – the way we are communicating is too.
As a result of the shift to working from home, companies like Zoom, Slack, Google and Microsoft have seen huge increases in user numbers, new registrations and share prices – and outages too, with their servers busier than ever.
In the world of recruitment, we’ve needed to make big changes. Face-to-face interviews are no longer possible, but with video interviewing already on the rise before lockdown began, it’s likely to be the start of a new normal for many. The coming months are likely to herald plenty of change for recruitment and staff management, but what exactly does virtual recruitment mean for the industry?
To recruit or not to recruit?
For many businesses, recruitment is far from the current focus. In the worst cases, staff are being laid off and companies dissolved completely. In some of the best cases, furloughs are the norm, and there is a great deal of uncertainty as to what the future will hold.
“It’s not all doom and gloom.”
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Certain sectors – retail, pharmacy, logistics, customer service and others – are increasing the number of new hires to deal with Covid-19-related demand. And let’s not forget the number of companies who were already recruiting before the change in working practices struck – many for roles that are vital to company survival.
Many of the roles that we cover can certainly be considered vital in this climate. IT and cybersecurity professionals are needed to successfully manage remote working, while HR teams will be busy pulling together new working practices and putting government offerings in place. Marketing and sales teams may be figuring out new sales channels, while procurement and supply chain workers could be adapting to the challenges of sourcing parts or stock in a world that currently looks very different.
It is also worth bearing in mind that many employees will be working to a three-month notice period, while onboarding processes and periods can also be lengthy for many roles. What this means is that while a company may not be looking for a new hire to start immediately, they could well need someone to start in three to four months’ time.
Which means that many will be hiring now, and will be needing the right tools in place for it to happen.
How to navigate this new world of recruitment
Virtual recruitment can be hugely successful – if done the right way. Without the face-to-face interview experience – being able to look a candidate square in the eye, read body language and get a feel for who they really are – you need additional checks and balances in place to get the process right.
The following are things that we believe are vital to any recruitment process, virtual or otherwise, but even more so in the current climate.
Using the right video call product
This is crucial not only for video interviewing during the recruitment process, but also for managing your team in the virtual world. Choose a platform that offers a high level of security, that is easy to use, that can be customised where needed to meet your company’s needs, that allows screen and media sharing, and that has all the additional features – call recording, auto transcription and so on – that you require. While Skype and Zoom are commonly used, they can also be tricky to boot up as well as fiddly, so compare other alternatives before you decide.
Online psychometric tests
Not all psychometric tests are created equal. Instead of type-based assessments that offer a generic view of an individual’s personality and approach, opt for more detailed personality profiling that’s specifically geared towards finding the candidate who is the best fit for the role and the company.
Online cognitive ability tests
These tests assess a candidate’s likely performance in certain work-based situations and tasks, giving a good indication of how well they will actually perform in the role, as well as providing you with insight into how well they can process information while working to a strict time limit.
Background screening
Background checks – for criminal records, credential verifications, Right to Work checks and more – are vital. Not only will they help you hire with confidence, they also keep you compliant – and we have a range of screening tools that will help.
Competency-based interview tools
Asking the right questions at an interview is a crucial factor in hiring the right candidate for the role. These tools will ensure that you ask the questions that really matter: questions that relate to the specific job requirements for which you are hiring.
Remote onboarding
Does your company have a formal onboarding process? If so, have you thought about how this can be managed remotely? If not, how do you plan on managing the process when we will be working remotely for the foreseeable future?
The role of recruiters
For us and other recruiters, it’s more important than ever that we source great candidates – and that we qualify their suitability for a role as deeply as possible.
- You may like: Why it’s high time we improved the candidate experience
Sending on a CV and hoping for a response isn’t the way we work at the best of times, and it’s certainly not something we will be starting now. It’s vital that any recruiter has a full understanding of the roles they are tasked with filling and that they have a good knowledge of the company that is hiring: their values, their business model, their problems and needs. It’s also key that this information is passed on to candidates, so they have all the detail they need to make a decision as to whether a role and a company are right for them.
One of the ways in which we share this information with our candidates in the current climate is by directing them to online resources that give a clear insight into the company ethos. If a company doesn’t have a compelling online proposition, it can be hard for us to convey a true sense of a company and its working environment to be able to fully sell the client and the opportunity.
Our guides to virtual recruitment
If any of the above tools are not currently on your radar, don’t worry. Over the coming weeks, we will be producing a series of guides to talk through each of the above areas in detail, giving you insight into how best to manage recruitment and staff management in our new, virtual world.
Looking for a video interviewing tool you can trust? Find out more about Identifi partner, Mea : Connexus. Or if you’d like to talk to us about virtual recruitment, get in touch here.
Images via Pixabay and Pixabay
