Economies across the globe are grappling to contain the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. From the supply chain, manufacturing to the service sector, there is widespread concern across industries due to decreased business, which is not only having an effect on the workforce but also the recruitment process with digital recruitment strategy.
While some companies have temporarily frozen the hiring until the long term impact of the pandemic is more clear, others have continued to recruit in an effort to combat the business slowdown with digital recruitment strategy.
According to the job site Glassdoor, there is a huge spike, almost double in job postings related to coronavirus this month, mainly in healthcare, the government, biotech, medicine, and pharmaceuticals. This trend clearly indicates a new demand for professionals who are directly or indirectly related to infectious diseases.
However, with restrictions imposed on travel and other control measures such as social distancing and work from home, companies have no option but to get creative with their digital recruitment strategy. This means many companies have turned to virtual methods such as preliminary online assessments, video calls, etc. to fulfill their requirement.
As per TeamLease Services Business Head BFSI and government vertical, India. “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, companies have been canceling interviews. Almost 60-65% of interviews are getting dropped or delayed as there is a lockdown in many parts of the country while people are encouraged to stay at home to curtail the spread of the virus,”. Not only this, but companies are also checking both personal and official travel histories of the past 3 months along with the recent medical history in an effort to safeguard themselves and others.
According to CNBC, tech giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and other leading global recruiters like PageGroup have already announced a shift to online job interviews for the duration of the pandemic.
The rapid growth and development of interviewing and assessment technology in recent years has prompted a spike in digital recruitment strategy. It is definitely the beginning of a new era for companies, HR professionals, recruiters, and job applicants. There is a need for a quick shift from in-person interviews to virtual screening systems and processes as people have to find new and creative ways to best represent and convey themselves and their companies online.
We have listed down a few tips that will help to get your virtual interview right in the first go:
Candidate – First Step In Digital Recruitment Strategy
Test your tech support well in advance: Ensure that the internet connection is stable and the video conferencing system is working well, before the interview. If you are using a software or an online tool conduct a test run before you start. There is nothing more disheartening than a delay due to technical glitch before or during the interview.
Dress up for the job: Remote interviews do not mean that one can forgo the dress code. On the contrary, it is more important to present yourself well, so ensure that you are dressed smartly and your surroundings are clean and tidy.
Prepare…Prepare…Prepare..: Do your homework about the company, its culture, recent news, etc. Being well prepared will also boost your confidence. Rehearse your responses to frequently asked interview questions as well as how you would want to present yourself to the interviewer.
Be Pleasant: Establishing a rapport during a personal face-to-face interview is definitely easier. Virtual remote interviews may present a challenge, hence it is important to make and maintain eye contact, speak confidently and smile often, in order to engage the interviewer.
Remove Distractions: Be fully engaged during the interview, which means removing all types of distractions such as your phone.
Thank You and Follow-up: Do not forget to send a thank you email once the interview is over.
Interviewers
If you are conducting a virtual interview for the first time, the following tips will help you be more prepared.
Prepare Yourself for the Interview: Other than checking the tech and ensuring that the internet connectivity is good, ensure that you are familiar with the candidate’s resume and job description. This will give the same formality of an in-person interview.
Strategize: Make a check-list for all the skills and character attributes you are looking for. Design questions to ask as per the checklist. You will be able to avoid uncomfortable stretches of silence during the interview.
Share Details & Agenda: If there are multiple rounds to be conducted by different people, it is a good practice to share the agenda as well as other relevant details beforehand.
Reinforce your Brand: Ensure that you convey a consistent message about your company’s vision and mission throughout the interview process.
Give Reasonable Time to the Candidate: Do not rush through the virtual interview, give the candidate time to formulate his responses. Pause between questions to ensure that the candidate has finished before moving ahead to the next question.
Concluding Thoughts For Customized Strategy
While it is easy to optimize work management through internal communication tools and platforms such as Slack, Skype, Jira, and virtual meeting platforms like Zoom. It is also the right time to invest in virtual platforms for talent acquisition, which will help the internal HR team stay connected throughout the recruitment cycle.
There is a significant increase in the usage of online assessment platforms especially for IT and other tech roles. It is definitely the right time for other businesses and sectors to embrace such online virtual platforms to screen, and move the right candidate to the next level.
Questy is an online recruitment tool that automates and streamlines the entire recruitment process from shortlisting candidates, conducting online assessments to online interviews, reporting, and AI-driven recommendations. It ensures that businesses hire the right, job fit, and culture fit candidates while saving short and long-term costs.
Organizations seeking to scale up recruitments during this pandemic period and beyond can contact us for a free online demo.
