The world of recruitment has moved from in-person contact to remote contact at a rapid pace over the past two years. In order to adjust to the times, employers need to think outside of the box when it comes to recruitment: a business-as-usual approach is no longer sufficient. In this article, “How to plan your virtual strategy”, you will learn why it’s time to adapt to the changing business environment and adopt a ‘business-unusual’ approach to securing the top talent for your company or clients.
This starts with a virtual strategy.
Yes, there are some drawbacks to moving away from an in-person recruitment process. But in order to remain on top of your game, you need to realize that change is inevitable. In fact, the change has already happened, and if you have not yet adapted, you are falling behind.
So, before embarking on developing your virtual strategy, accept that the world is not going to return to ‘normal’. The future of business is virtual; hoping for a return to pre-COVID-19 business interaction is a waste of your time. Realize that there are many benefits to virtual recruiting, including that it is cheaper and faster and that your pool of candidates expands to include people from across the world. Accept that there are some drawbacks to not following an in-person process, and ensure that your virtual strategy makes up for these shortfalls. Once you realize that there are more benefits than disadvantages to adapting your business to a virtual recruitment process, you will find it easier to embrace the change and adjust accordingly.
Once you have accepted the inevitability of change, you are ready to develop your virtual strategy.
Step one:
The first step is straightforward and should be top of your mind anyway. Begin by setting goals for the future of your business. How would you like your business to look in 12 months’ time? What do you hope to achieve during this period? How will you go about this? What kind of people do you need to employ to ensure you reach your goals?
Step two: Begin at the beginning.
Once you know what you want to achieve, you can move on to Step 2: the recruitment process. This may be a daunting task for you if you have become accustomed to running your recruitment processes in the traditional way of in-person contact. But here’s the good news: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Many processes you have used in the past can still be adapted to a virtual platform. As such, analyze your in-contact recruitment strategies, and decide what applies in a virtual format. Looking back at your previous recruitment processes is an ideal stepping stone for developing a successful virtual strategy for recruitment. Take these processes apart and adapt them as necessary, and then turn to introduce further processes that will make your recruitment process faster, easier, cheaper and more effective.
Step three: A recruitment strategy
Once you have decided which of your ‘older’ strategies will work from a virtual approach, you can lay the groundwork for what virtual recruitment process you want to follow. This is where the fun begins, as virtual recruitment allows for greater flexibility and involvement from your staff.
For example, in the past, screening interviews were used to eliminate unsuitable candidates from the application process. However, in an in-person format, this takes a lot of time: candidates need to be available at the same time that managers are available for the interview, and this may delay the initial interview by weeks. To accelerate this process, managers started screening candidates based on their resumes, foregoing the screening interview. According to Josh Tolan, CEO of a video interview solution Spark Hire, with the use of one-way video interviews, it is no longer necessary for managers to skip the all-important screening interview.
“One-way video interviews offer a quick way to get face-time with candidates and allow them to answer your questions on their schedule by self-recording video responses. These screenings open the door to a more accurate soft-skill evaluation from the start.”
As these interviews are recorded, managers can watch the interview as time becomes available, allowing for more flexibility in terms of the time needed to move from the screening interview to the full interview. This means that the long process of first- and second-round interviews can be largely eliminated.
Another process to consider including in your virtual recruitment strategy is the involvement of your staff. During in-person interviews, only the relevant managers are usually present. However, a virtual approach allows you the opportunity to include all relevant staff, and not only a couple of line managers. By recording the interview, all relevant staff can evaluate the top candidates and give their feedback. Remember, these staff members are more likely to interact with the person you are employing on a frequent basis, and so their feedback is essential in employing the right candidate.
The virtual recruitment process also allows for some self-marketing, as Tolan explains. When interviewing someone virtually, take the opportunity to include branding and information on your company’s culture through the use of quick company videos. The person you are interviewing may not end up being your employee, but word-of-mouth remains an important marketing tool for your company, even in the digital age. Never miss the opportunity to self-market!
These are but a few elements of recruiting that you can adopt when developing a virtual strategy for the recruitment process. However, keep in mind that recruitment is a skill in and of itself, which requires know-how and, in the digital age, technical expertise. This is where Titc.io comes in. Our dedicated team of recruiters have years of experience in virtual hiring for the FinTech industry, one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors. Our team knows how to attract the best talent, and knows how to carefully evaluate candidates to help you appoint the perfect person for the job. While we don’t make the decision for you, our team can help guide you to make the right choice.
