Dive Brief:
Telework has become a common workplace protocol amid the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting talent acquisition teams to adapt their recruiting processes for a remote world. Jobvite, a software firm, published a research report April 21 that found video, social media and phone calls are increasingly being used in the recruiting process.
During the first week of April, Jobvite's research team surveyed more than 200 recruiters from industries including technology, healthcare, finance and insurance and professional services. The majority of talent acquisition teams (84%) are adapting their processes to work remotely. Even in times of adversity, the recruiters and leadership are committed to building teams, according to Jobvite. Almost half (46%) of recruiters surveyed have increased social media posting on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram to advertise jobs; and 58% said they've used social media to promote their employer brand and connect with talent.
A large percent of respondents (80%) increasingly use video for interviews, and 61% use video when screening candidates, according to the report. However, fewer respondents use texting (27%) and chatbots (8%) to facilitate initial candidate screening. Video is also widely used (73%) to make the onboarding process and online meetings run smoothly. More than half of respondents are using traditional means of communication by making more phone calls.
Dive Insight:
While some companies have scaled back in response to the pandemic, others are hiring en masse, putting pressure on recruiters to source, engage and hire candidates in a time when in-person interviews or discussions are largely off the table.
Technology continues to reshape recruiting, particularly in these times, and recruiters may find themselves leaning on tech more than in the past. Phenom published a study March 4 that found career-site chatbots may be able to boost application rates.
"Consistent, personalized candidate engagement is vital to driving applicants through the recruiting funnel," Mahe Bayireddi, Phenom's CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. But whether employers invest in the use of chatbot or video in recruiting, companies that have been the most successful in implementing technology have done the hard work to "both standardize [and] understand the nuances of the processes," EY Partner and the Americas Leader for People Advisory Services Kim Billeter told HR Dive in February.
If a company uses video in the recruiting process, Jobvite suggests to "ensure your hiring managers are prepared for video interviews by providing them guides or cheat sheets; and ensure candidates are comfortable with video interviews by scheduling introductory video calls," the report stated. Employers can set recruiters and candidates up for success by sending the candidate video login information well in advance; having questions prepared prior to the interview; and making the candidate feel comfortable on camera with conversational questions to start, Jobvite recommended.
In the coming decade, bringing new talent, and retaining and upscaling that talent — a recruiter's job — will drive the success of business transformation as a whole, not just the HR function, Billeter said. Recruitment will be "done largely by the internal teams and organizations," but organizations will also incorporate external niche recruiters to find candidates with very specific skills, she said. A LinkedIn report published in October found that recruiters are increasingly taking on an advisor role in their organizations.