Tips for virtual hiring
Virtual work is here to stay, and although companies have been using online tools to ease the process prior to the pandemic – they now have to deal with 100% remote offices, -hiring procedures and – teams.
This has indeed added pressure on the hiring managers to make very sure about the person on the other side. Employers in the past had the option of meeting in person, to shake hands and build a personal relationship.
In order to achieve the same level of accuracy in candidate selection, interviewing and hiring, the virtual hiring space and procedures require a significantly different approach. Let’s look at some of the most significant aspects you’ll need to consider making sure that you nail the virtual hiring on the head – every time.
Here is a short list of aspects to be aware of:
- Develop a clear virtual hiring process
- Don’t forget about body language
- Setup and test your equipment and software
- Involve appropriate colleagues/team members
- Use automated processes – seriously
- Advertise positions with well written and engaging job postings
Let’s discuss them in a bit more detail:
Develop a clear virtual hiring process
Whether you are a small team or a large multinational company – your hiring process should be clearly stated and easily understood. Writing it down and spelling out the steps along the way will ensure that everyone at the company as well as potential candidates are well aware of the hiring procedures. This will also help candidates to understand the process and what is expected from them.
Don’t forget about body language
Although you might not be meeting candidates in person and shaking hands, chances are that you’ll still use a video conferencing tool such as Zoom, Teams or Google Meets to set up your interviews. This gives you the opportunity as the recruiter to pay attention to the candidates’ body language. Are they shifting uncomfortably, are they fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, do they seem bored? Facial expressions are also a dead give-away. Pay attention to the minor details.
Setup and test your equipment and software
Test your applications, platforms, and equipment at least 30 minutes to an hour before your virtual conference to ensure no difficulties develop.
The candidate is also meeting with you to learn more about the position and your business culture, just as you are interviewing them. During a video interview, you should make sure that you come across as professional as possible. This entails making sure your audio and video are operating correctly, as well as having a good internet connection to ensure the interview doesn’t get interrupted due to technical issues.
Involve appropriate colleagues/team members
Ensure that all members of your team who should be participating in the virtual hiring process are present. You might initiate the hiring process by having a recruiter or HR person contact your top applicants to screen them.
Once an applicant passes the initial screening, you can move on to the virtual interviewing stage of the process. During this phase anyone from team supervisors and team members to colleagues with whom they may work closely, or HR personnel.
It’s critical that everyone participating in this process understands what’s expected of them. This way your team will be prepared to assess candidates and decide on the best fit for the position.
Use automated processes – seriously
The human-element isn’t completely lost with virtual hiring. You’ll still have plenty of opportunity to build a relationship with candidates later during the recruitment process, but setting up these virtual encounters can be a tedious task. This is where automated processes come into play.
You might pre-screen prospective candidates by asking them to submit short videos or complete an online application. You can also make it easier to schedule virtual meetings with applicants by employing specialist software that shows them available interview times.
The employment process can be streamlined with automated processes – it saves both your candidates and recruitment team valuable time and effort.
Advertise positions with well written and engaging job postings
You want to connect with the top candidates for the position as you begin your search for possible employees. Creating well-written and interesting job posts on employment boards is one method to achieve this. Candidates use the parameters the platform offers to identify job vacancies that are tailored to their interests and experience. This is one of the most effective recruiting marketing strategies available to your recruitment team.
Conclusion
The virtual recruitment space quickly grew into the dominant hiring strategy used by employers all over the world. With this change HR teams need to ensure that the interview and hiring process is clearly communicated, delivered as expected and regularly updated, maintained, and improved.