Across the globe, millions of people are finding themselves in a new working environment: their homes. Over 158 million workers are now working from home under quarantine due to the coronavirus. As a result, recruiters, hiring managers, and talent acquisition professionals must adjust their hiring strategies as they continue to hire new employees virtually. Here are a few ways your team can generate a great candidate experience while working remotely.
Be clear about your hiring process
There is a lot of uncertainty right now, and things are constantly changing every day. It’s essential now more than ever to be clear about your hiring process with your candidates. You can start this communication as early in the process as the job description. Many companies are already doing this by adding a blurb in the job description that clarifies their process.
For example, if you’re willing to hire remote at this moment and want the candidate to transition on-site once we are over the hill with COVID-19, state that in the job description. Or, if you hire now but wait a few weeks to onboard due to a state-wide “stay at home” order, clarify that in the job description. It’s crucial to be clear about your intentions with your candidates.
And if there are any changes in your hiring process (which are likely to happen), communicate that with all of your candidates. A great example is an email Google sent out to all their candidates about switching to video interviews:
“In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to protect our candidates’ and interviewers’ health and wellbeing, we will be conducting all Google interviews globally virtually via Google Hangout (or BlueJeans for applicable countries) for the foreseeable future.”
Be opened minded about hiring over video
Speaking of video interviews, many companies are finding themselves switching to virtual interviews instead of face-to-face. This may be a regular step in your hiring process or a brand-new concept. Either way, your team should be open to hiring over video at this time. Many companies have policies in place against hiring over a video call. However, during these trying times, we suggest permitting hiring over video. It may feel a little weird or uncomfortable, but we don’t know when we’ll overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is no reason to halt your hiring efforts over this. If you need the staff now, take a step out of your comfort zone, and hire candidates virtually. This will help ensure you don’t miss out on great talent that will likely move on to another opportunity that’s willing to hire virtually.
Showcase a positive candidate experience
During these times, it’s crucial to showcase your company culture to your candidates. When you host face-to-face interviews, a candidate can get a sense of your company’s culture. However, over a video interview or phone call, it’s more challenging to show off your team’s culture. In other words, you must go out of your way to make it easier for a candidate to get a glimpse of your culture. For example, send them a video of company events to demonstrate your company culture or links to your social media that may give them a feel for your brand and team.
And if your new hires work remotely for a few weeks because of the coronavirus, send them a care package. Include some company swag, a welcome card, a coffee mug, or other items along these lines. Small gestures like this go a long way with offering a positive candidate experience.
