Remote recruiting started off as a temporary practice but is now here to stay. Work from home has become the standard practice for many companies, especially into 2021. As companies continue their operations remotely, recruiting and hiring methods have also had to shift to accommodate these changes.
In fact, 16% of companies are exclusively hiring remote workers for open positions. However, that is not the only adjustment hiring teams have had to account for. While hiring for remote positions, HR departments are also remote, adding challenges to the hiring process, such as a lack of resources and difficulty coordinating internal communication.
Below are five steps to help recruiters and hiring managers implement their remote recruiting operations from a distance.
1. Posting with a Purpose
No job posting means no applicants, whether you are remote or not. The first step for any type of recruiting is to have an engaging job description that makes applicants want the role and to work for your company. However, this is easier said than done. Instead of HR teams spending hours crafting the perfect posting, save time and effort by using premade, customizable description templates to relieve some of the pressure and get the recruiting process into gear.
Once the job description is customized and written, posting and promoting open positions is the next step in the process of finding the best-fit candidates. Instead of only posting the job to LinkedIn and traditional jobsites, try looking for niche job boards that focus on remote and/or diverse opportunities. This can help hiring teams find those perfect candidates outside of your common talent pool.
Don’t stop there. Ask current employees to promote job postings on their own networks, whether on Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media outlets. Some of the best candidates might be right under your nose.
2. Screening Applicants Efficiently
As remote work has become a necessity for business operations, it is important that the recruiting process and hiring questions be adjusted to meet the needs of the role and company. To quickly screen candidates and make sure they have these skills upfront, use automated questionnaires at the beginning of the application process to determine whether they are fully qualified.
These questions should be focused on whether candidates know how to use the necessary tools and technologies for the role or what times they will be available each day. Gaining this insight upfront helps save time and effort down the road when it comes to determining the best-fit candidate.
Another tool that can provide insight into candidates and simplify the process is video assessments. Even though remote recruiting occurs through a screen, it is still important to keep the entire process as human as possible. Utilize video assessments to get to know each candidate, even if it is from afar. This approach also allows you to see candidates’ screen presence; for customer-facing roles, it is important they can interact through tools like Zoom or Google Hangouts without getting overwhelmed.
3. Don’t Overcomplicate Schedules
With everyone remote, people are bombarded with meeting after meeting, and as we all know, time is precious. When it comes to scheduling interviews with candidates, keep it simple and to the point for both candidates and the hiring team.
Scheduling can be as quick and easy as one simple click. Self-scheduling links are a lifesaver when it comes to scheduling multiple appointments at once and with multiple people. These links can be used to put invites on the necessary team members’ calendars without needing to go back and forth to confirm the best time.
This also gives candidates the option to choose the best time that works for them without feeling the pressure of scheduling. From there, automated messages can provide quick and easy updates to all involved to make sure everyone is on the same page, keeping schedules open and confusion to a minimum.
Face-to-face interaction doesn’t have to be completely eliminated because of remote work environments. Instead, utilize live video meetings to get one-on-one, humanized interaction. Having a two-way form of communication is crucial to keeping your hiring efforts human while still being effective and efficient in getting to know candidates and choosing the right person for the job.
4. Collaborate for Candidate Evaluations
The hiring process is not a one-and-done decision. It requires a team of people to make the decision. From HR teams to the departments new employees will be a part of, there is a lot of input that goes into every hiring decision. Keeping the evaluation process open for collaboration is key, but this needs to be a seamless approach.
Team collaboration can and should be done through messaging, e-mails, and scorecards all in one place. Making sure nothing gets left out, lost, or forgotten and that everything is easily accessible to all members of the team can help you field questions and comments, ensuring those involved in the hiring process are on the same page and driving quality candidates through the pipeline.
5. Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up
All candidates should have a seamless experience, whether they are moving on to the next step in the recruiting and hiring process or not. In fact, it is not uncommon for candidates to turn down a role due to a terrible candidate experience. Open lines of communication can make or break the decision for candidates. It is important to keep communication flowing between HR teams and potential employees throughout the entire process.
Following up with applicants in each step can reassure them that their time is valuable and keep them engaged with you and your company. Even if they do not receive the job, providing brief feedback can be simple and keep the door open for future opportunities. This can impact the company’s candidate experience and keep remote recruiting efforts positive and efficient.
Keeping operations running smoothly while remote is not an easy task, and hiring efforts are no different. It is important to utilize remote-friendly tools and processes to keep everything moving efficiently and effectively. For HR departments, taking these steps can optimize efforts and minimize the challenges of remote recruiting while still providing a great experience for every candidate.
Darren Bounds is the CEO and Founder of Breezy HR, an applicant tracking system that keeps hiring human. As a passionate, design-minded technologist and serial entrepreneur, Bounds has over a decade’s experience building HR tech that puts people first. He is also the former VP of Technology at Taleo, a provider of HR software solutions. Bounds believes great design can save the world and that HR should be human.
Breezy HR is a recruiting platform and applicant tracking system that believes hiring doesn’t have to be messy. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, and with customers around the world, Breezy has thrown out the traditional hiring model and replaced it with a set of tools that engage hiring teams, manage day-to-day chaos, and ensure teams continue to attract and hire great employees with less effort. To learn more, visit breezy.hr.