What is virtual recruiting?

Recruiting virtually means you’re sourcing and hiring your candidates through virtual methods instead of in-person. You can use several online platforms and strategies to find, recruit and screen job seekers to fill your company’s open roles. It can take the place of in-person methods, such as on-campus recruiting, on-site open houses and in-person job fairs.

Pros of recruiting virtually

Leveraging virtual recruitment can open up new opportunities that may not be possible with traditional in-person recruiting strategies. Going virtual with your recruitment efforts could earn you the following benefits:

• Expanded search area: With traditional methods, you’re limited to job seekers in your geographical area. Handling the process virtually removes those physical boundaries, allowing you to find candidates from a broader area.
• Increased convenience: Virtual recruiting can make the process more convenient for you and the candidates. Participants can join from anywhere without having to travel, which can make it easier to schedule screenings and interviews.
• Lower costs: You can save a lot of travel expenses when you move to a virtual model. You won’t be spending money and time traveling tojob fairs and similar recruiting events, for example.
• Consistent recruiting: The pandemic is a good example of how the hiring process can be disrupted by events outside of your control. By implementing virtual methods, you can continue recruiting consistently through all types of situations that might make in-person meetings more challenging.
• Increased ground coverage: If you’re attending job fairs and recruiting on college campuses, you’re limited by how far you can travel and how many places you can visit. The travel portion can slow you down. Virtual methods let you pack more recruiting events into a shorter amount of time to get more done.
• Level playing field: Increased accessibility when recruiting virtually can open opportunities up to more people. This can increase your workplace diversity, which can enrich your organization’s experience and generate more innovation.
• Shortened hiring timeline: You can typically move through each stage of the hiring process faster when you do things virtually. Interviews can be scheduled sooner, and you can automate many parts of the process.
• Progressive messaging: Going virtual shows job seekers that you’re progressive and comfortable with technology. You come across as a company that stays current, which could appeal to candidates.

Cons of recruiting virtually

You could also face some challenges if you move toward a virtual recruiting model. Issues to consider include:

• Difficulty checking for culture add: In-person recruiting and interviews let you introduce potential hires to other people on the team. They can get a better idea of what your company culture is like, helping both parties decide if it would be a positive culture add.
• Less personal connection: Being in the same room with someone can help you connect with them on a more personal level. With a virtual process, you miss out on gestures like shaking hands that can help you feel connected.
• Need for new tools and systems: You might need to invest in new software and update your processes to make virtual recruiting successful. This takes money and dedicated resources, especially in the beginning.
• Technology barriers: Some candidates might not be as comfortable with technology as others. A completely virtual experience could cause some people to reconsider applying. It could also make the process more stressful for candidates who decide to apply.
• Poor connections: Technical difficulties like poor connections and software malfunctions can cause issues when you’re recruiting virtually. Using high-quality platforms can help. You can also prepare interviewees by giving them the information they need to connect successfully and use the technology properly.
• High applicant volume: The larger talent pool that you get by removing geographical barriers can also create more work for your team. An increased number of applicants creates more work to sort through applications and resumes.

How to implement virtual recruiting

Shifting to virtual recruiting can take some time. You might migrate gradually or do a hybrid method of in-person and virtual methods. These steps can help you get started:

1. Review your hiring processes. Look at what works now and where you can improve. Think about how you might need to change the steps in a virtual approach.
2. Create your plan to shift to a virtual approach. Some steps in your current process, such as conducting screening interviews, might be easy to do virtually. Decide if you’ll move everything at once or start with a few steps.
3. Choose tools to help. You’ll need video conferencing software, applicant tracking software and communication tools. You might also consider incorporating chatbots. Indeed’s virtual interview platform allows you to interview candidates remotely without the need for additional software.
4. Train your staff. Many of the same in-person recruiting processes apply virtually, but your staff might need training on using the new tools.

Virtual recruitment strategies

If you want to start recruiting virtually, there are several methods you can use. Here are some ideas to get you started.

1.Chatbots

Withchatbot technology, you can create an interactive candidate experience even if your recruiting staff can’t personally respond immediately. Chatbots can respond to candidates’ questionsso they can get an immediate response. They can also recommend open positions that match a job seeker’s skills.

2. Artificial intelligence

AI in recruiting helps automate tasks such as screening candidates, communicating with job seekers and scheduling online interviews. It can be an important part of your virtual recruiting strategies by streamlining processes online. Many applicant tracking systems incorporate AI to help you automate processes and keep all candidate information in one central location.

3. Virtualrecruiting events

If you currently host or attend recruiting events regularly, you can still do them virtually. You might organize a virtual job fair to connect job seekers with recruiters. Online meet-and-greets held via video chat let you introduce the team to candidates. You can even take the participants on a virtual office tour. Social media platforms typically offer features so you can go live to host a hiring Q&A session. All of these events help you connect with interested job seekers and share more about your opportunities.

4. Phone and video interviews

For a completely virtual process, your interviews are also held remotely. Phone interviews are common for screening purposes. Interviewing candidates through video conferencing technology makes the full interview process more interactive and personal. Plus, you can pick up on visible demeanor.

5. Online assessments

When a position requires specific skills, assessments can give you an objective measure of how prepared candidates are. Offering online assessments allows job seekers to do the testing from home when it’s convenient for them.

6.Virtual onboarding

Continue the virtual aspect with the onboarding process. Having an onboarding platform in place lets new hires work through the process seamlessly. Virtual onboarding might include a mix of real-time video conferencing and self-paced webinars, written content and other resources.

Best practices for virtual recruitment

Keeping these best practices in mind can help you be successful at virtual recruiting:

• Strengthen your employee value proposition (EVP) and branding: When communicating with candidates virtually, you need to make a concerted effort to convey your employee value proposition (EVP) and company culture clearly.
• Know where the candidates hang out: Research where candidates with the qualifications you need hang out online. This might include social media platforms and industry-specific forums. Consider targeting your virtual recruiting efforts in those areas.
• Track the results: Looking at metrics like time-to-hire and employee retention can give you an idea of how well your virtual recruitment is working.

FAQs about recruiting virtually

Are virtual recruitment events worth it?

Virtual recruitment events can be worth the effort if you approach them strategically. Using the right tools and promoting your virtual events can increase attendance and help you attract job seekers who fit your needs. Metrics within your platforms can help you see the results of your virtual efforts to decide if you’re getting a good return on your investment.

How can you be successful at virtual recruiting?

Having a plan and knowing what you need can make virtual recruiting more successful. Try different strategies and get feedback from everyone involved to help improve the process. Attending training and continuing to research virtual recruitment strategies can also help you be successful.