History shows that resilient organizations recover quickly in changing market conditions and fast-moving disruptions. Updating your talent acquisition strategy to be more resilient is key for optimizing a bounce back. Our Trendicators survey of HR leaders revealed that 43% of organizations planned on ramping up their hiring efforts in Q3 and Q4 of 2020, with 47% expecting their talent acquisition budget to increase to support these efforts.
Supporting talent acquisition efforts means adapting to the remote working environment. While working from home is not a new concept, it has opened many organization's eyes when it comes to their recruiting process.
Below are a few ideas you can use in today's environment and the future for realigning your remote working recruitment to take advantage of the opportunities available.
What is Your Virtual Brand Persona?
Experienced recruiters are used to engaging and assessing candidates' video interactions. However, hiring managers may need coaching. Help your hiring team make a great virtual impression with support for creating the right background, finding a flattering angle and dressing professionally. Conduct mock interviews to help improve online interviewing skills, personal interactions and confidence.
Assessing Remote Capabilities & Experience
A dedicated workspace and internet access are essential for candidates who will be working remotely. Beyond their knowledge, skills and abilities needed to do the job, assessing remote capabilities are also important. Does the candidate communicate effectively via video? Did real-life interruptions occur during the interview? Do they possess the drive and discipline needed to work alone and unsupervised?
Setting Expectations & Creating Connections
Depending on where the candidate is in the hiring journey, set expectations at the start of every exchange. Be forgiving if you're catching a candidate on the fly. Explain what's going to happen and what to expect at the beginning of the conversation. Making sure candidates feel comfortable is key. Make dialogue through video platforms a two-way conversation. Draw candidates out to create connections and opportunities for a meaningful exchange.
Broadening Your Talent Pool
Recruiting for remote roles during a pandemic presents an opportunity to fill important skill gaps. If organizations remove geographic requirements on positions, instantly, there is access to a much broader and deeper pool of top performers. Also, consider your future planning needs. The stock market's current performance poses a risk for boomer-heavy organizations; boomers who couldn't retire in the last recession may soon be leaving in droves.
The shift to remote working has companies reevaluating recruitment strategies to attract new and qualified talent for the future. While the timeline for the recovery period looks promising, it's not going to be immediate. Working from home is here for the long haul. Organizations that are willing to adapt to their recruitment strategies will now have a better time adjusting to the continuously changing environment.
Authors note: This content originally appeared in our Rethinking Remote Work eBook.
