Every industry and individual have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, changing not only the way we interact with one another but also incorporate more technology into our daily lives. The recruitment landscape saw a huge shift in 2020, with working from home and hybrid workplace becoming the “new normal” and the need for virtual recruitment accelerating exponentially.
The truth is that those changes were expected to rise steadily over the coming years, instead, they happened in just a few months, with recruiters having to adapt quickly to a new reality. Yet, more is to come.
Virtual Recruitment: New Reality
In short, virtual recruiting describes a hiring process that takes place remotely, without meeting the candidates face-to-face, with recruiters relying on technology to host video interviews, events, and assessments to evaluate their applicants remotely. While virtual recruitment boasts plenty of advantages, it also brings its share of challenges for recruiters.
For starters, recruiters are enabled to screen more candidates in a shorter amount of time and can reach, engage with, and hire candidates from various cities across the country with more diverse backgrounds. Virtual recruitment and automation tools also present the opportunity to standardise the hiring process helping assess the candidate more objectively.
However, there are valid reasons why some recruiters still prefer face-to-face interviews. Indeed, the candidate experience might suffer when the virtual recruiting is perceived to be impersonal and unengaging. Besides, without candidates coming into the office, introducing them to the team, and gauging whether they complement the company culture can be a challenge.
If recruiters have successfully adapted to the challenge they were faced with, it is not over.
The Hybrid Workplace Uncertainties: Future Challenge
Many companies are talking about adopting a “hybrid working” model, where some people are in the office and others at home, the recruitment industry can and must adapt.
One of the challenges that may take time to sort out is how to address the gaps that exist in employer and employee attitudes. A recent PwC research found that 68% of the executives believe that “it’s ideal for workers to be in the office somewhere between three and five days in order to maintain company culture “, whilst 55% of employees want “to work from home between three and five days per week”.
We’ve reached a transitional time when options are being tested and evaluated by corporate leaders but in the meantime, it comes down to recruiters to increase talent attraction amid this uncertainty.
As countries gradually reopen and companies developing their post-coronavirus working plan, it’s your role as a recruiter to make sure you know what your candidate is expecting as well as to work with hiring managers to define what flexibility will look like at their companies, to ensure the right hire is made.
Get In Touch
Recruiting Talent has been innovating over the past year to continue placing candidates in the perfect roles. If you are currently recruiting or looking for a role, get in touch with us today.