Virtual Solutions to Hiring Keep Recruitment Running

For companies willing and able to continue recruitment during the pandemic, virtual solutions to hiring needs ensure the safety of candidates.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform business operations and our everyday lives. This is prompting conversations around the future of work, and whether remote, virtual solutions are the key to sustaining growth going forward. For companies willing and able to continue recruitment, virtual hiring solutions help ensure hiring is smooth and safe.

Hiring Data Across Industries

Hiring is still occurring in industries such as healthcare and IT, according to live data from Candor tracking 7,182 companies. According to data from SnagAJob, the logistics and warehouse industry alone saw a 156.2% increase in job listings in mid-March, illustrating the pressing need to keep supply chains running. With more people working remotely or spending even more of their free time online, jobs in engineering and cybersecurity remain in demand.

Take Advantage of a Newly Available Pool of Talent

According to a white paper from Corsica Partners on navigating the employment and recruiting pipeline through the COVID-19 pandemic, many desirable target candidates are now more accessible given restrictions on travel and outside working models. Because of this, the “opportunities to schedule discreet video-based interviews are more abundant than prior to the pandemic protocols. The current environment is favorable to engage highly desired candidates who are more likely to have the time and the ability to consider new opportunities.”

Digital Solutions for Hiring Needs

Taking advantage of virtual recruitment solutions is a necessary step, and there are multiple virtual platforms to help manage the end-to-end hiring process. This includes the obvious Skype or Zoom interview, but can also mean virtual assessments to gauge hard and soft skills. According to Entrepreneur, this is an opportunity to remotely engage Learning and Development software such as manual or auto proctors to “invigilate thousands of candidates anywhere anytime and make such examinations credible, valid, scalable, and cheating-proof.” Additionally, leaders can conduct “virtual hackathons, contests and ideathons to get a hang of candidate’s right skills and competencies.”

Collaborate with HR and IT for Remote Onboarding

Once the ideal candidate is selected and ready to start the new role, conducting remote onboarding is the next challenge. HR Dive suggests that HR and IT work together to make the virtual onboarding process seamless. This could involve a prearranged onboarding plan from HR presented via video conferencing software set up by IT. Online training sessions and virtual check-ins throughout the process keep the new hire engaged while learning about policy and procedure.

After completing a rigorous virtual recruitment process and a thorough virtual onboarding, new hires will be ready for remote work. Whether it’s a temporary solution as companies safely wait out the pandemic and plan to return to work, or the new hire is fully remote, digital strategies can ensure that the recruitment process is smooth and safe.