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Last year’s COVID-19 pandemic has left lasting changes in almost every aspect of our lives. As the threat is reduced due to ongoing vaccination programs, the future for hiring managers seeking key talent has become more optimistic.
It is clear that remote work arrangements are likely to stay for the long term with many businesses adjusting to a more flexible workforce. Shifts in the universe of talent acquisition continue towards recruitment processes being done virtually from the initial engagement on through transition and onboarding.
As said by Sylvia MacArthur, senior managing partner of The ExeQfind Group: “The pandemic has completely changed both hiring and work routines—requiring that both companies and candidates change their approach.”
The challenge with virtual recruitment and onboarding is the reduced in-depth interaction with recruiter and hiring stakeholders that only face-to-face interviews can offer. This poses such challenges as:
The use of video conferencing and other modern technologies have been instrumental during the pandemic, and more so for recruiting remote candidates. However, the challenge for both recruiters and candidates is that on-screen interactions have their limitations.
Recruiters cannot build as much rapport nor get a full evaluation of the candidate solely on video and phone calls. On the other hand, candidates are finding it more difficult to demonstrate their soft skills when the interaction is limited to video and calls.
This doesn’t mean there’s no hope. To the contrary. Hiring managers are finding hiring successes from remote work locations and through purely virtual hiring processes. You just have to be smart about it and leverage every resource at your disposal. For example, here are some things recruiters are doing to make the most of talent acquisition via teleconferencing:
A crucial stage in onboarding new hires is transferring corporate culture. Done remotely, this can be challenging but not without solutions:
Another question that one may pose for virtual hires is whether they are at a higher risk for retention. One could surmise that their virtual integration into the company makes them less attached than those who were hired in-person. While one cannot assume this unilaterally, it certainly begs attention.
There is no guarantee of retaining any new hire over the long-term, however there are steps that you can take at the beginning of the recruitment stage to ensure that both the hiring manager and the candidate are able to make an informed decision:
The upside of virtual hiring is that geographical constraints are no longer a roadblock for acquiring new candidates—your options are much more diverse.
But this same diversity can also be a huge challenge, especially if you are not familiar with cultural nuances. It is thus best to have at least a basic awareness of a candidate and client’s cultural background so that you can adapt your recruitment approach.
The QualiFind Group has a long record of recruiting for both domestic and multinational organizations. We have been exposed to virtually every conceivable dynamic and challenge and have successfully supported our clients in overcoming them. That is one of the reasons we ensure that the hiring process is tailored for our client’s specific needs, taking into consideration their unique work and organizational culture and the cultural fluency needed from their respective candidates.
As we embrace the new normal, recruitment practices need to evolve as well. With vaccinations in place and restrictions opening up, we have resumed travel to both client sites as well as meeting with candidates as needed. While there’s more value to old-fashioned face-to-face interviews, taking a hybrid approach in talent acquisition may prove to be more suitable as we move towards the future—that is, integrating remote hiring practices as a complement to traditional recruitment.
The QualiFind Group is a great resource for you if you’re looking to hire the right functional or technical manager for your company. We offer professional and technical headhunting and recruitment services backed with 22+ years of successful experience. Our services range from one-off direct hire recruitment to more complex Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) or project recruitment to support start-ups, turnarounds or business expansions.
Visit https://www.qualifindgroup.com/en/contact/ to get in touch with us!
Carlos Acosta is the senior managing partner of The QualiFind Group. Carlos has extensive experience supporting recruiting needs in the agriculture-food value chain, e-commerce / order fulfillment and the industrial-manufacturing sector. Carlos can be reached at 619-240-2638 or via email at: cacosta@qualifindgroup.com