Remote Recruiting Tips During COVID-19

Remote hiring is not a new concept, but it is one that is gaining traction in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Social distancing and work from home practices have forced many businesses to adjust to remote and virtual communication, and the staffing and recruiting industry is no different.

The best thing we can do is embrace these changes, as they may soon become our new normal. However, the challenge now is: if remote recruiting does become the new normal, you must find new ways to do it better than the competition.

Here are a few of Mindscope’s top tips to making the most out of a suddenly remote recruiting regimen.

Get Comfortable with Remote Virtual Interviewing

While it is by no means a new tactic, virtual interviewing will become much more commonplace in the coming months for those continuing to hire.

Becoming completely comfortable with virtual interviewing might take some time, but it is necessary for today’s environment. Take some time to fully understand the software to the point of being able to talk about it like an expert – making the experience as easy-to-follow and concise as possible for your candidates is vital, as it may be new to them.

In general, the questions and discourse you will discuss will be largely the same as an in-person interview. Some aspects, however, such as an office tour, will obviously have to be amended. Do a few test runs with colleagues or family members to perfect the process, because a subpar virtual interview just won’t cut it.

Don’t Forget the Candidate Experience

Many candidates are fans of virtual recruitment, as it reduces stress and eliminates travel times – but if it becomes the norm, you have to offer your candidates more than convenience. Even though things are in a seemingly constant state of flux, the candidate experience still matters.

In addition to giving candidates clear instructions for a video or phone interview, let them know of any changes to the hiring timeline, as things may have been pushed back due to coronavirus limitations. Also, stay in contact with your candidates, either through email or phone (voice and text). Now is an uneasy and stressful time for job seekers and ghosting them won’t do your employer image any good.

Meet Your Candidates Where They Are

If your physical ability to meet with candidates has been eliminated, you have to meet them where they are. And these days, that typically means online.

Recruiting in the digital age includes taking advantage of a variety of content avenues, and in the wake of COVID-19, digital marketing opens up a world of possibility. Now may be a good time to create original and informative content about your jobs that you can reference during your virtual interviews, such as social media posts, blog content, workplace culture videos, and so on. Having rich content to back up your virtual efforts will go a long way in reinforcing your employer brand.

Harness Your ATS

Using technology in creative ways is a great way to supplement your recruiting efforts during these unprecedented times.

Having a great applicant tracking system and recruitment software is always the most effective manner for keeping track of your candidates, clients and job orders, but harnessing all of its innovative features is now more important than ever before.

Mindscope has countless features that can help boost your remote recruiting efforts, and will allow you to stand out from your competitors to fill more jobs, faster. From our scheduling tool that helps you quickly and securely assign jobs to temporary employees, to our credentialing tool that alerts candidates when their licenses are about to expire (especially useful in healthcare right now), we have you covered.

Need some more help on how to recruit remotely? We would be more than happy to help – contact us today or email us directly.