Get to Know if COVID-19 Changed the Recruitment Process Forever
Virtual Interviews Process
The virus has spread very rapidly in all the countries on this globe and suddenly, people were forced to spend all their time inside. Even though nowadays restrictions were eased, the changes that were first triggered still remain. At the beginning of the pandemic, many businesses were reluctant regarding the recruitment and hiring process. They avoided conducting a virtual interview process for so long that now they had no other choice than to do it. And nowadays, the entire interview process is conducted online.
It was challenging at the beginning to learn how to navigate a new way of conducting interviews. For sure there were a lot of obstacles to overcome and new challenges to learn how to cope with. But nowadays, companies have embraced the virtual interview process which is conducted fully online. A paper writer says that companies have acknowledged the efficiency of virtual recruiting.
There is time and energy saved both on the employer and employee part. Nowadays recruiters indeed have to make sure that the candidate has all the tools they need to be part of the interview (such as a good internet connection, microphone, camera, and so on). But it seems that the virtual recruiting process is more efficient than the face-to-face one.
The Pre-interview Process
The pre-interview process might be different now from how it was before the pandemic. Even though searching for candidates on hiring platforms was done online, the interview usually was held face to face. And a thing that all recruiters had to do is to make sure they send all the important information to the candidate prior to the interview. For example, the candidate had to be aware of the location, day, and hour of the interview, as well as a few things about the interviewers. Nowadays things have changed and this is an important one for the recruiting process. As mentioned above, recruiters now have a new role: the one of tech support. They need to make sure the candidates have the software they need installing, a good internet connection, and all the devices they need.
This can turn out to be a challenge both for the candidates and recruiters. There might be some candidates that are not familiar with the video interview software, so conducting the interview smoothly might be a challenge. At the same time, recruiters might need to take more time for an interview as there might be functional or poor connection delays, say essay writer experts from SuperiorPapers.
So, what methods have the recruiters found in order to handle these challenges and changes in an efficient way? Many of them share relevant information for candidates through blog posts on the company’s website. They, for example, teach candidates how to install the video software or what information to include in an email.
Moreover, they are also trying to use other methods to reach candidates faster and easier. Sending SMSs might seem outdated and obsolete, but in fact, this is the communication channel or method that generates the highest engagement. So, reaching candidates has also changed in this COVID-19 era.
Focus on the Employees’ Life and Mental Health
Even though many recruiters might prefer conducting face-to-face interviews, the virtual ones that are conducted nowadays offer people a better insight into the life of candidates. And of employees too. If before the pandemic the focus was on the experience of employees within the company, not the focus is on their life and mental health, now this has changed.
Mental health should have been an important focal point for companies long before COVID-19. However, it seems that this pandemic made people more aware of the effects of the pandemic on their mental health. But more importantly, the awareness of burnout, depression, stress, and anxiety has risen considerably.
These disorders can be related to the working environment and many of them are triggered by it. It is important for companies that the job satisfaction of their employees is high. And nowadays, the mental health and wellbeing of employees and candidates are also essential to employers.
The recruitment process does not end after you have hired a candidate. The onboarding process helps new employees integrate easily into a new team and get to know their teammates. If this was done face to face easily before, now these things happen online. And you, as a teammate and recruiter, get an insight into the personal life of the candidate or employee. You might get familiar with their pets, children, or spouses being nearby.
You will see the pictures or paintings on the wall, you will hear the neighbors, and many more. These insights into the personal life of candidates and employees were not available before the pandemic. And nowadays, they help teams to get to know each other better and recruiters to find out more things about candidates. Which helps them meet their needs and assign the candidate to the right team.
At the same time, this has fostered a new emphasis. On the life of employees. There are many businesses and corporations which have a pretty cold approach towards their employees. Seeing them only in a working environment can lead to that. But now, as these insights into their personal lives are easily available, businesses emphasize the life and wellbeing of the employees. They are now more aware of the fact that employees are human beings that have families, pets, desires, goals, ideals. And this is something that helps with employee retention too.
The working market is very competitive nowadays. Virtual interviews make the entire recruitment process easier and, in some domains, the competition is fierce. So, finding talented candidates can be really challenging for recruiters.
It is therefore important to secure those candidates you want to keep and find ways to meet their needs and expectations. Putting an emphasis on their wellbeing and mental health, as well as getting to know them better helps businesses create a bond with employees and contribute to their overall job and life satisfaction.
Working on the Company Reputation
According to the reports of the latest reviews of the best essay writing services, as mentioned above, the competition between companies is fierce. Because the recruitment process is fully virtual, taking part in interviews is more facile than ever. And employees choose the best deal they get, paying attention to a lot of factors. The most important of them is the company reputation, which weighs a lot in the final decision of employees.
Many candidates have followed the companies on social media during these tough moments and for sure they will remember how they have handled these challenges. Making an employee loyal and increasing employee retention might be difficult in an era described by major changes, so the reputation of the company is very important. And this one has changed the recruitment process entirely.
The Priorities of the Employers
The recruitment process is not only about the employees but about the employers too. If before during the face-to-face interviews evaluating the skills of the candidates was easier, now it might seem that things got more complicated. At the same time, the priorities of the employers and what skills they are looking for in candidates have changed too.
Before COVID-19, the emphasis was put on the hard skills of the candidates; nowadays employers are looking for soft skills, Good time and project management skills, as well as organization and communication skills, are now sought by most employers.
Because few employees choose to return to work in an office with their teammates, the work and communication they do will be fully virtual. They need to know how to communicate effectively and assertively and how to organize their tasks on the project. It is important to have good time management skills, as working from home can sometimes be full of distractions.
