Are you still hiring?
This is probably the most common question entrepreneurs ask each other nowadays.
The changing market situation due to COVID-19 has made every business owner adopt the not-so-new format of remote working as their centralized process of business operations. As this is the only option today to keep business continuity, the entrepreneurs are reinventing the process of recruiting by switching to the new pattern of remote hiring.
The virtual job interviews and hiring is a new concept for entrepreneurs used to working with brick and mortar methods. In order to make this transition easier, here are some smart tactics to recruit the right talent for your company.
Before moving further, let’s quickly understand the term remote hiring…
What is remote hiring?
Remote hiring is a process of recruiting employees or talent using different technology platforms, like video conferencing tools, to evaluate the candidate and choose the right talent.
As there is no one-on-one personal/physical meeting with the candidate, this process seems a little more tricky than the conventional procedure of hiring.
Quick remote hiring tips for entrepreneurs in COVID-19 lockdown
● Smart and engaging job ads
As everybody in the market is putting their best foot forward to maintain their brand value, clarifying your requirements for a remote employee is a big thing for a market player. Be very accurate about your requirements and offerings, make a clear statement on remote working and the vacancy you are looking to fill up.
Make engaging ad posts and if possible, opt for video ads for recruitment, featuring the manager or the CEO of the company to give a personal touch to your posting. This will help people connect with the ad and will increase the chance of getting applicants for specific positions.
● Define the standards or criteria for hiring
Once you are done with an ad make time to be clear about the qualities you are looking for in any applicant. Make a structured virtual hiring process, where you define the levels of interview for the candidate, which would act as a base for you to test their knowledge.
Defining the standards you are looking for and clarifying the process that you want to follow will ensure you get the right fit and will avoid any kind of biased decisions to be taken by the team.
Once done, take time to prepare the interview questions. Keep in mind the background of the candidate while you prepare a questionnaire for them. You can also use verifiable credentials systems to ensure candidates really do have the qualifications they claim to.
● Use the right approach for conducting interviews
This is the most important part of virtual hiring. Remember when you are interviewing a candidate in person sitting in your office, you have the advantage of evaluating him on many bases such as from his eye contact, his confidence, and by the way he carries himself in a new professional environment.
Virtual hiring has three approaches–email, a phone interview, and a video call. Email can help you analyze their writing ability and active response time. A phone interview can showcase their verbal skills. A video interview would help you analyze their cognitive behavior and cultural fit for your organization. Understand what you are looking for and then adopt the right approach.
Read more on remote interviewing for teams
● Ensure data security while testing skills through work assignments
During the virtual recruitment process, there will be a time when you have to conduct practical tests and give work assignments to the candidate. Ensure you have a protected channel to transfer such data, such as while you are conducting video calls. Use video interviewing tools that ensure compliance with data privacy and security.
You also have to make sure that your candidate has a proper setup for work. Ask them if they have laptops, wifi, and smartphones to remain connected with the office environment as and when needed. If they do not have all that, get ready for your support team to remotely set up a secure connection and remote desktop for them. Give them some tips for working from home to build confidence.
● Keep your candidate updated and aligned with the process
Often the candidate feels uncertain about certain things during the virtual interview. Keep them well aware of the next steps in the process of recruitment, so that they can prepare themselves to give their best.
Don’t leave your candidate in the dark to make assumptions. Keep them updated with what’s happening and what they need to do, as well as the timing involved. As the process is completely virtual, the words and the process you use to convey your message plays a huge role in developing a mutual understanding between the employer and the candidate.
Update them with your answer in a positive way through a video call or an email to complete the process of hiring.
In summary
The current pandemic situation is not coming to a complete end anytime soon.
Considering remote working as the new normal, it’s advisable for you as the business owner to continue your work process and start remote hiring.
The above-mentioned tips are a great way to initiate the virtual hiring process, while also making your business more tech-savvy and advanced to tackle any critical situation like today.
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