If COVID-19 proved anything in 2020 and 2021, it's that recruiters need to be prepared for anything. Although the Internet played a key role in recruiting before the pandemic, it became a vital lifeline for recruiting professionals, job seekers and employers during the worst of the spread. In some areas of the United States and the world, things have slowly started going back to normal but that doesn't change the fact that recruiters need to think about the potential for future setbacks. If you've found yourself in a position where you want to be better prepared for when the next disaster strikes, consider the following five virtual recruiting strategies to implement after COVID-19.
1. Fine Tune Your Video Conferencing Tools
Perhaps you used video conferencing tools like Zoom and Skype before COVID-19. These types of technologies have been employed for years in the recruiting industry to tackle remote interviews with candidates in distant locations and to interface with other offices around the world. For many recruiters, however, using these tools simply meant clicking a button to start a conference and then talking away.
COVID-19 proved that plenty of technical things can and do go wrong. The increased daily use of video conferencing also demonstrated a need for standardized etiquette when using these tools. Going forward, recruiters are going to want to have a deeper knowledge of how their video conferencing solutions work, including how to troubleshoot problems on the fly. There's nothing worse than having an important meeting ready to begin and suddenly your display goes black.
2. Create a Video Tour
When introducing candidates to a workplace, providing a tour is common. This gives the prospective employee a chance to see the work environment, meet some potential coworkers and get an overall sense of how the job will look and feel. When something like a global pandemic occurs, it can make it impossible or uncomfortable to hold in-person tours, so consider creating a virtual tour that can be presented instead. This tour can be as in-depth or as brief as you would like, but its purpose is to demonstrate company culture even when onsite visitation is discouraged. Another benefit to virtual tours is that you can craft how you want the experience to go. Using professional cameras and lighting along with quality editing, you can have more control over the presentation. This will allow you to highlight specific messages or branding that can benefit the client and the candidate.
3. Adjust Your Online Presence
Candidates turn to the web more often these days to find new work opportunities, but in the post COVID-19 job market, your online recruiting assets are more valuable than ever. Previously, having a website and a few social media accounts might have done the trick, but these days, you want to focus more on the user experience. Candidates who have a hard time navigating an application because it's complicated or overly detailed may get burnt out and decide to apply elsewhere. Likewise, you may lose good clients if you aren't updating your marketing and communications on a regular basis. Essentially, now is the time to thoroughly review your online processes and make adjustments to offer the best experience all around. During a hiring crisis, you'll be glad you took the time to evaluate the details as they can become central to recruiting success.
4. Understand the Work-From-Home Trend
Working from home is not a new phenomenon, but COVID-19 gave a lot of business owners a moment of pause to consider just how important it is to have employees in the office. For many employers and employees, working from home during COVID-19 has been beneficial in saving time, money and stress.
As a result, many candidates expect work-from-home options to be available from more employers, and employers are more interested than ever in this type of arrangement. If you're not well-versed in discussing work-from-home arrangements and how they fit into a client's benefits, now is a good time to do some research and have discussions with clients before bringing candidates in.
5. Modify How You Conduct Technical Interviews
A technical interview is a wonderful opportunity for a candidate to demonstrate their skills and talk a little bit about their thought processes. These types of interviews typically require the use of in-office tools. If a candidate is unable to complete a technical interview in-person due to a pandemic or other crisis, how can you get these interviews done?
Thankfully, the web once again offers options to solve problems like these. There are a number of online tools out there that can provide the ability to complete technical interview tasks virtually. The best part about many of these tools is that you or the client have the ability to customize the tasks that need to be solved.
Also, many of these tools can be used in conjunction with video conferencing software so that a candidate can solve a problem, talk through the steps, and ask questions in real-time. You may need to search to find the right tools for the industry you serve, but having these options can be vital to your success in attracting clients and matching them with the right candidates.
In the end, no one can predict things happening like a global pandemic, so it pays to be flexible. You're always encouraged to plan for difficult times, but it's also important to not lock yourself or your recruiting efforts into a box. Much like how digital technology has changed the entire recruiting industry and given rise to new and better standards, difficult situations like COVID-19 are a time to really take a look at how you can improve as a professional and how your recruiting efforts can help clients find the right people for the job.
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