Like most of 2020, these past few weeks have continued to compound the current events that have dominated and forever changed our social landscape. Protests erupted around the country, thrusting social injustice into an unavoidable spotlight. Black Lives Matter has shaped the way we discuss diversity. Covid-19 cases continue to hit record numbers as the businesses struggle to keep their workforce protected in a new normal – face masks, remote work, and social distancing. In the middle of the upheaval, another Pride Month came and went, almost without notice.
Many people learned about Juneteenth perhaps for the first time.
No aspect of life remained untouched – including the job market. While reevaluating their most basic protocols to create a safe work environment, companies also had to take a hard and honest look at racial inequity in their own workplaces. The need for diversity and inclusion and unconscious bias are all coming to light.
June revealed that businesses are no longer a neutral space. Many are aligning themselves with social causes, which affects how companies recruit, hire, and onboard new employees.
It’s Clear – Virtual Hiring is Here to Stay
Now that states are beginning to open up, businesses are again experiencing a war for talent. Whether they are bringing employees back from furlough or are finding new candidates due to growth or turnover, the hiring process has an increasing level of complexity and, in some cases, a massive volume that we all need to navigate.
“The COVID-19 pandemic will force many employers to conduct virtual interviews over Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other media instead of face-to-face,” said the legal editor for online HR resource site XpertHR. They advise that companies ensure the candidate, and the recruiter are familiar with and have access to the tools and resources necessary to conduct virtual interviews.
However, for many businesses, the leap from in-person to virtual hiring won’t be disruptive to day-to-day workflow if they’ve stayed on top of existing workplace trends and changes. Leveraging recruiting technology, ensuring you have suitable systems and processes in place, and doing the work to source, screen, vet, and hire talent will make the difference.
What’s more, a virtual hiring process allows you to access a global talent pool and recruit people from different parts of the world in an efficient way.
Qualified candidates will be more interested in an open position if they are not limited to meeting in person. However, in a virtual hiring landscape, it’s easier for candidates to apply to numerous positions simultaneously, which means that many high-quality candidates can secure competitive offers from more businesses.
If your HR department or business has not developed a solid, inclusive, and welcoming hiring process in such a landscape, you could lose out on top candidates. Hiring during COVID-19 may be the first time when failing to have a policy on diversity causes businesses that have relied on the traditional candidate pools to suffer in an unprecedented way. Some companies have relied on their reputation and never had to “sell” their businesses to a candidate before.
As the work from home trend increases in popularity, mastering virtual hiring should position your business as an ideal opportunity for candidates. Virtual hiring reduces cost, increases geographic reach, saves time, and creates flexibility for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers.
With all of the change happening in our world, one takeaway should be that your virtual hiring process should be clearly defined, flexible (able to adapt to a virtual interviewing process and support and reflect your core values business.
During my own hiring process with Hire Ventures, I offer the choice to meet in person in a space that adhered to social distancing guidelines or over Zoom. Those expectations are not going to disappear post-pandemic. And it’s doubtful that other candidates will go back to the status quo when there are more accommodating options.
The world is accommodating to a new normal – your business’s hiring process may need to catch up, too.
Do you have questions about virtual hiring? Do you need help creating an inclusive hiring process? We have answers! Follow the link to schedule a free discovery consultation with Teresa Murphey!
