With the recent COVID-19 outbreak spurring on remote recruitment, it seems flexible working is no longer the future — it is reality for the majority of businesses. While many companies have decided to halt their recruitment during these uncertain times, others have shifted their workers to a remote working setup.
Remote Recruitment
There are some businesses that have had to adapt their recruitment process to being fully remote as a means of ensuring business continuity. The good news is that with increased access to technology, it is now easier than ever to modify your recruitment policies or draft new procedures for your company with remote hiring in mind.
The Job Posting: Highlight Your Company’s Willingness To Embrace A Remote Culture
When drafting your open job posting, make it clear that your company encourages remote working and that it is ready to work with employees who want to pursue this option. In addition to including it in your initial job posting and description, consider the outlets you choose to advertise on. Popular remote hiring job sites such as Remotive, FlexJobs, and Staff.com can ensure your job advert maximizes its reach and taps into the right audience — such as applicants that are familiar and seeking a remote recruitment process.
The Applicant Selection Process: Invest In Remote Recruitment Training
In addition to satisfying the professional requirements of the job, remote workers must also possess skills like time management and self-determination. To identify these qualities in potential applicants, you must first train your recruitment team on how to spot them and judge them. Do this by training your HR team on good remote hiring techniques from the essentials of a well-drafted CV for remote positions to the creation of specific questions or assessment criteria for the interview process. Is the applicant familiar with a remote working set up? How do they remain focused when working on their own? These questions can help the recruitment team pinpoint those employees more suited to remote working. Supplying staff with tech-driven recruitment software, such as Bamboo HR and TeamTailor, can also help them reduce the longer timeline that comes with remote hiring, attract better talent and cut costs.
Employee Interviews: Implement Communications Solutions To Boost Connectivity With Candidates
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Around 50 percent of interviewers base their candidate selection on the way applicants dress, behave or their body language, according to a study by Twin Employment. However, with remote hiring, the chances of spotting these in person are diminished. Therefore with interviews taking place over video conferencing, recruiters need to adapt their interviewing style and find new ways to connect with applicants as they would in an in-person interview. One suggestion is the use of different communication tools throughout your recruitment process. For example, you can schedule a short assessment task with applications followed by a phone interview for shortlisting and video interviews for final candidate selection.
Onboarding Process
Finally, adapt your onboarding process to a remote setup. Most experts recommend over-communicating with your employees during the employee onboarding process. In remote recruitment, this means ample audio and video contact. You also want to set out access to the technical support and tools for remote employees early on. With the shift in working remotely and in different environments, recruitment policies must be adapted to the new norm. Old recruitment practices and policies will no longer work in an increasingly digital workplace. Constantly reviewing and rewriting your company policies helps your business stay ahead of the curve and attract top tier talent.