Working Remotely: How to Navigate a Virtual Recruiting Process
According to some research , 73% of departments will have remote workers by 2028.
Thanks to COVID-19, virtual recruiting has exploded as recruiters, hiring managers, and job seekers are all looking for remote positions.
Virtual hiring and remote working show no signs of slowing down. Some companies are still hesitant about doing it correctly and wonder if it even offers any benefits.
Keep reading, and we’ll let you know all you need to know about the virtual recruiting process.
Why Remote Recruiting Is Important
For remote recruiting to work, you’ll need to get all of the leaders involved onboard. If your hiring managers, HR leaders, recruiters, and upper-level management are hesitant on remote recruiting, it will be challenging to do this successfully.
For hesitant leaders, it can be scary to make the shift. Most people aren’t used to hiring someone they can’t meet and talk to in person, and many wonder if they can judge someone they’ve never met. But with COVID-19 and the Great Resignation impacting companies simultaneously, many companies are being forced to adapt.
However, phone calls and upgraded video conferencing technology make it effortless to interview job seekers and get a feel for the candidates. You can also research job seekers’ online presence and reach out to them through social media.
Virtual recruiting can even give you access to the best talent regardless of where your business is. Plus, if a candidate can impress you even in a remote interview, you’ve likely found a great candidate.
Managers may also be concerned about making the wrong decision and losing money on a bad hire decision. But even if you do make a wrong hire, successful remote hires can save you up to $11,000 a year for each remote employee.
Plus, with remote recruiting, your recruiter will be able to save more time and screen even more candidates in a shorter amount of time. If you have a reliable recruiter , you reduce the chances that you’ll have a bad hire, even if you hired them remotely.
Embrace Video Interviews
If you’re ready to start focusing on good virtual recruitment strategies , you should upgrade from phone calls to video interviews. While phone interviews can be convenient, video interviews allow you to see the candidate, making the experience more personal.
They don’t have to be complicated either. You can download video interviewing software, like Zoom. Zoom makes it easy to have a video conference with anyone in the world, and you can even invite multiple people, share screens, and send links back and forth.
Seeing the candidate in their home environment rather than in a conference room also gives the recruiter a chance to make the process more personal. You’ll be able to make judgments of the candidate before you get to learn more about them.
For example, if you notice some art or pictures hanging on the walls in the background, you can comment on it and find a way to relate it to your company and your values.
Another added benefit of having video interviews is being able to record the interview. That way, if the hiring manager or other team members aren’t able to attend the interview, you can send them the video to get their input.
For many people who are still uncomfortable with the virtual recruitment process, it can still help them feel how the candidate behaves in an interview. However, to get them more comfortable with the process, you may offer training sessions and have a few practice rounds.
Promote Company Brand
Whether you’re interviewing a candidate or hosting a virtual recruiting event, you should always promote the company brand. Sometimes it can be harder to give candidates a good sense of the company brand and culture over a Zoom call.
Virtual events or interviews are excellent opportunities to showcase why your company is a great place to work and why people should choose to there over another company. The great thing about doing this virtually is that you can share your screen and use all of the content that other team members created.
You can share stories of employees, highlight Glassdoor reviews on your company culture, and even go over FAQs that people have had about your company. Instead of just relying on word-of-mouth testimonials, you can provide actual evidence to help back up your claims.
Send Personality Tests
While you can get some idea of the candidate’s personality through virtual meetings, you may still want to send a personality test to your candidates.
These tests can help to fill in the gap since you can’t analyze them in an in-person interview. You should look for qualities like making sure they have:
- Accountability
- Motivation
- Independence
- Organizational skills
- Time management skills
- Communication skills
- Ability to collaborate
Even if you think you have a good read on a candidate from the virtual meeting, you may want to have the personality test results for peace of mind.
Find New Ways to Source Talent
If you were a recruiter who used to visit college campuses or attended in-person career fairs, you will need to find ways to source talent online.
You can always try tapping into a digital talent pool, like LinkedIn, for example.
You can also host virtual recruiting events to attract potential candidates. Host these events as you would for an in-person event, except you’ll just do it through video conferencing.
Before the event ends, provide your contact information so that interested candidates can connect with you afterward.
Stick With What You Know
You should have a good foundation for your hiring process and strategy. Just because you’re going to change how you do interviews doesn’t mean that you have to change the entire hiring process.
For example, if you usually set up four interviews for each candidate, you can still do that. Make sure you ask the same questions that have helped you hire great employees in the past. You may even want to tailor the questions by adding more personalization.
This way, you can still have some familiarity with the virtual recruiting process. It may also make hiring managers, HR leaders, and upper-level management more comfortable with the idea.
Don’t Be Afraid to Adjust the Interview Process
When you’re just testing out your virtual recruiting efforts, don’t be afraid to make changes or ask for feedback. Your team members should be involved in the decisions and provide feedback to better the process.
You may even want to ask yourself a few questions after your first few virtual interviews. For example, is there something you want to do differently next time? Are there more user-friendly virtual recruiting tools that will improve your process? Are you using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or other helpful online tools?
Don’t be frustrated if your process seems rough and messy at first; everyone is learning as they go. However, you can continuously upgrade your recruiting process by taking these criticisms and learning from them.
Learn More About Virtual Recruiting
Virtual recruiting can be a valuable asset to your company, especially with the changing landscaping in the virtual hiring process.
If you’re still not sure how to navigate the process, we’re here to help. With updated recruiting tools and on-demand recruiters, we’re ready to help you tap into the candidate pool and find your next great employee.
Get the top recruiting news and insights delivered to your inbox every week. Sign up for the Recruiter Today newsletter.