The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the hiring landscape for companies all across the country. Many in-person approaches had to be replaced with remote ones, ensuring social distancing requirements could be met, and general safety could be provided.
Adapting to the remote-first world was initially a necessity. However, the speed at which businesses had to adjust meant many didn’t have a chance to create robust processes. Instead, they had to move forward haphazardly, which wasn’t ideal.
Now, since some time and the frantic need for change has passed, many of the shortcomings of the original remote-first push can be addressed. If you want to make sure your hiring process is ready for a remote-first world, here are some tips that can help.
Follow the Same Priorities
Even in a remote-first landscape, your hiring process priorities should largely remain unchanged. Strong communication with job seekers and the candidate experience remains vital to your hiring success, regardless of where the unemployment numbers sit.
In fact, communication and the candidate experience are likely more critical today than they ever were. Job seekers won’t have the same exposure to your company as they did when they could interview in-person. As a result, you have to demonstrate your company’s culture and values without being able to meet with candidates face-to-face.
By offering exceptional communication and an unparalleled candidate experience, you’ll stand out as an employer-of-choice. That allows you to snag top talent with greater ease.
Tweak, Don’t Overhaul
Often, the foundation of your past hiring process can remain in place if it was suitably modern. As mentioned above, your main priorities can remain unchanged. Additionally, many of the core screening techniques you relied on before COVID-19 are just as essential today.
For example, you need to conduct thorough background checks and reference screenings. If you used skills tests in the past, they are still valuable today. Reviewing candidate LinkedIn and other social media profiles, verifying their credentials, and considering culture fit are all critical.
However, you do need to tweak your approach to ensure it works with digital strategies. For example, you may need to have online skills tests instead of hosting exams on-site or may need to broaden your online recruitment efforts to compensate for lack of in-person networking events, job fairs, and similar activities.
Embrace the Right Technology
Having the right technology is crucial for remote hiring. Along with a robust and reliable video conferencing solution, like Zoom or Skype, you also need supportive tech to ensure a high-quality experience.
For instance, having the right webcam and microphone is a must. Without those items, you can’t be seen or heard clearly, hindering communication during the video interview.
Looking to Add to Your Team?
Ultimately, it is a remote-first world and may remain so for the foreseeable future, so adjusting to it is something all employers need to do. If you’d like to learn more about how you can offer a leading remote hiring experience, the staff at GSG Talent Solutions want to assist you on your journey. Contact us today and see how our remote hiring expertise can benefit you.