How Will You Adapt to the Era of Digital-Only Recruitment?

The Pandemic of 2020/21 has, in many ways, turned the world of work upside down. From the rise of hybrid and remote working to the Great Resignation, employers and employees alike have had to adapt to rapidly changing norms and conditions. One change the pandemic has accelerated– but that has long been in the pipeline – is the digital-only recruitment process.

Like many other areas of business, the trend has long been towards conducting evermore elements of the recruitment process online, but over the past year and a half, this trend has become a tsunami, and with many businesses seeing the benefits of an entirely remote workforce, digital-only recruitment and onboarding are likely not going away any time soon.

What can Hiring Managers do to adapt to, and make the most of, this new process while avoiding any pitfalls associated with it?

Don’t Let Your Standards Slip

There’s no reason to allow yourself a lower standard of professionalism in a digital hiring process than you would in person, or to accept it from a candidate. Both you and the candidate should be fully prepared, on time and familiar with the technology you’re using to conduct a virtual interview.

Although online meetings have a bit of a reputation for informality, this isn’t really suitable for an interview, even if it’s now pretty normal for people to turn up to internal meetings in their pyjamas! It doesn’t give a great impression of your company to come across quite this casual at the interview stage and could make candidates feel you aren’t taking their application seriously. At Stroud Resourcing, we always tell candidates to “dress for the job you want” but, equally, employers should “dress to attract the candidates you want.” As a rule, apply the same standards to a virtual meeting with a candidate as you would to one with an important client.

Ensure You Have the Right Tools (and are using them properly)

Just about everyone is now familiar with tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, which have exploded in popularity in the age of covid-19, but for a truly digital recruitment process, you’ll need more than just video conferencing software. From CV-parsing software to electronic signatures, there are multiple touchpoints in the talent acquisition process that, with the right tools, can now be moved entirely online or automated.

Artificial Intelligence and automation are all-the-rage right now, and 2022 will most likely see a continuation of this trend. This doesn’t mean your recruitment team are going to be deposed by some all-seeing machine, but that they’ll have a wider range of tools to support scheduling, screening candidates, and give them more time to focus on the human elements of the job like building relationships. Knowing which of these tools are a good investment for your team is a crucial part of the move toward online-only recruitment.

Embrace Feedback

As with any major change to the status quo, lots of businesses are still finding their feet in the world of digital-only recruiting. You’ll never know if you’re getting it right unless you take candidate feedback on board openly. Sites like Glassdoor and Trustpilot give you a great insight into how you really come across to interviewees, employees, and customers. While it can be tempting to reject negative feedback, you’ll present a much better image and are more likely to attract top-quality candidates if you can demonstrate how you take feedback on board and respond to feedback. Remember: just as it’s easier than ever for you to research candidates online, it’s also easy for them to research you, so make sure your employer brand is clear and consistent across different sites and social media.

While the last couple of years have brought new challenges to recruitment, these have also revealed plenty of new opportunities, and savvy talent acquisition professionals have been able to adapt quickly and make the most of the new environment. If you’re looking for support in hiring and retaining the best candidates in the healthcare industry, call Stroud Resourcing today to find out if one of our expert consultants can help you attract the best talent.