Remote work will continue beyond the pandemic. Perhaps not at the levels during the thick of the shutdowns in 2020 here in Canada but, we are seeing a trend with our clients that suggests that remote work will continue to be part of workforce planning for the foreseeable future.
Adapting to the new normal of recruiting virtually during the pandemic meant we needed to stay on top of the best way to keep the hiring process moving along for our candidates and clients while ensuring pandemic-related safety and compliance requirements were met. Fortunately for us, we had only a short slow down period in our business due to Covid-19. By the fall of 2020, we found many of our clients were eager and ready to continue to source great talent to support their business plans despite the challenges. What this meant for Recruiting Concepts was adapting; bringing in new technology to enable us to meet our client’s needs in a new way.
Recorded Video Interviews:
Becoming a member of an amazing International Group of Executive Recruiters has lead to some outstanding innovations in our business.
Through @IPTER we met a member in Morocco who shared with us a software tool he started using for his recruiting business, called @myInterview We quickly saw the value of utilizing this recorded video interview tool to help us streamline and quicken the process of connecting our clients with their top talent matches using technology. Moving from coordinating in-person interviews for our candidates and clients to using a tool that allowed a candidate to virtually showcase their talents and personalities in a way that was unique and personal was a game-changer. What seemed like a stop-gap solution to a Covid related challenge at first has figured prominently into our full hiring process and our clients absolutely love it! We give our applicants 3 questions to record themselves answering and an opportunity for retakes if required all using their phone or laptop. It’s genius. The idea here is not to create an intimidating exercise but rather to give them an opportunity to come forward as a real person much quicker in the process of applying. Personality and communication skills can shine through.
Video Resumes:
Just yesterday, I was shown a series of videos on @TikTok that were actually job advertisements in video form! Both restaurant-related businesses that featured a fun, dancing-filled video that is a bit of a trend out there that looks like a random video at first but, soon you realize that it is an advertisement for a job with an easy tap to Apply Now. How fun! How innovative.
Video resumes are not necessarily a new concept but, a very timely one indeed. I recall many years ago seeing this idea come up but, the videos were not very accessible and from my memory, didn’t really catch on. In today’s day and age, everyone has a phone with a camera, and the comfort and ease in which people video themselves are mainstream. @TikTok is an entertainment platform fueling culture. It is now being used as a channel for recruitment and job discovery. I was amazed to see bright gutsy people using short videos to showcase their individual talents with the “Here’s why you should hire me” focus. I absolutely love this idea; the pandemic further secured people’s comfort being on video with Zoom/Teams/Google Meet etc. This seems like a natural progression that is exciting to see unfold. It will likely be met with some hesitance, there will be generations who will naturally gravitate to using this form of video for the purpose of hiring and being hired and those who will not.
Video is the new In Person:
We are amid a turning point when it comes to recruitment and hiring. We saw extreme shifts in how we hire because of the pandemic that will likely remain even if there is a readaptation of some of the traditional ways of hiring in person. I am seeing some real excitement with my clients who love the tools & technology we are using to support their complex hiring needs but those who want to see people in person once again, commonly towards the end of the hiring process. We are carefully paying attention to the new virus strains and protocols going on to ensure the safety of our candidates and our clients. I predict that video interviews and video resumes will be mainstream very soon. I do think there are a few of us that value the in-person component of interviewing being blended back into this new way – Nothing beats a face-to-face if we can all be safe!
Fingers crossed!