Remote recruiting

Eight ideas to you help get it right

To ensure you hire top talent for your company, you need to make sure your virtual recruitment process measures up! You’ve likely mastered the basics, as the past year has forced remote working upon us. But now, as we move towards a hybrid way of working, is the time to take stock and look at strengthening your approach to remote recruiting.

8 things to consider when recruiting remotely

1) Prepare

Whilst this seems obvious, it’s vital to step up a gear regarding organisation and preparation when it comes to hiring remotely. Ensure candidates are fully briefed on arrangements for interviews and have the right set up to access the technology needed to progress through the stages. Be mindful that it may be the first time they’ve been through a completely remote recruitment process, adjustments may need to be made if the candidate has a disability or lacks IT equipment.

When interviewing, check connection/links/audio/camera and lighting are all working properly, you don’t want something simple disrupting proceedings. A smooth, organised experience will leave a positive memory in the minds of candidates and enable them to perform to their best.

2) Upskill

Your team may be very skilled at the in-person process of recruiting talent, but do they feel confident hiring virtually? Do they have the technical skills to pull off a professional, seamless process remotely? If not, consider providing training and up-skilling colleagues. The more proficient they are carrying out an engaging and smooth virtual process, the more likely you are to attract top talent – remember it’s a two-way process, first impressions work both ways!

3) Be flexible

A big plus of remote recruiting is the added flexibility it offers – embrace this. If you want to bring candidates back for additional remote interviews, there are no travel requirements or meeting rooms needed, so it is far easier to react on a person-by-person basis, tailoring the timings of the process to the individual. Utilising this added flexibility means you can be more accommodating to diverse candidate needs.

4) Communicate culture

Your company norms and values likely attracted candidates to the role in the first place but with a lack of obvious office branding and vision statements that typically featured across meeting room walls, try to clearly communicate culture when remotely recruiting. There are many ways this can be done, for example, the use of language and storytelling and allowing candidates to meet multiple employees throughout the hiring process – the more visible the team the more likely candidates will get a ‘feel’ for the company.

5) Embrace innovation

Look into new offerings such as virtual event recruiting or consider embracing tech tools that engage candidates, for example you could introduce game-based assessment software which takes into consideration the competencies relevant to the role, pulling out insights in a fun and innovative way. Using forward-thinking tech strengthens your brand as an employer.

6) Level up

If you want the interview process to run that bit faster, consider adopting on-demand video interviewing software – questions can be set in advance and recorded interviews can then be reviewed, meaning more people can be screened in a shorter period, aiding a more efficient selection process.

7) Measure up

Set clear criteria to measure all candidates against, including data from psychometric assessments, as applicable to your selection process. You may still be holding onto the ‘gut feeling’ often obtained through in-person recruiting but relying on such methods can be flawed. For example, the unconscious or even conscious biases that come with this, which result in damaging decision making.

Always assess evidence against structured criteria and ideally, engage another colleague or a panel when scoring candidates. Using insights from psychometric data will assist in removing biases and help predict things like cultural fit and future performance. When carrying out psychometric assessments virtually (test completion and feedback of results), be sure to factor in breaks to avoid digital fatigue – the process can be lengthy so it’s especially important to build in time for rest and reflection. This includes for yourself as the interviewer – plan your time effectively so each candidate gets fair consideration without interview fatigue.

8) See the big picture

Don’t just focus on the very act of hiring, onboarding is still a vital part of the recruitment process and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Udemy for Business state:

A positive onboarding experience can increase new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%

Ensure your new hire is working safely and is properly set up to be productive by completing the necessary checks and assessments – UK employers have a legal obligation to carry out DSE training and assessment applying to the home work station of both part-time and full-time staff.

Our Senior HR Consultant Lucilla Kearsey, says,

“There are many benefits to remote recruiting including a larger talent pool to choose from, cost saving, increased flexibility and the opportunity to hire more inclusively. As a result, it’s important employers spend time reflecting on current ways of working and identifying how to make their virtual hiring process stand out amongst the competition, to attract top candidates. As we move towards hybrid working, employers should prioritise ‘reflection’ time – a chance to step back and look at virtual processes, such as recruiting, through a fresh lens to identity strength and challenge areas.”

To find out more about our recruitment and assessment offering, contact us today on 01932 874944.