COVID-19 had a significant impact on the recruitment process for HR teams and recruiters, particularly in terms of the interview process. We saw a high percentage of interviews move to video communications, and not only did this lose the impact of face-to-face interactions, it limited exposure to the workplace culture and environment for candidates and new hires alike.
With most hiring decisions now being made on the back of more structured video interviews, it’s important to increase certainty in other ways. Here we take a look at some of the ways you can better evaluate candidates when recruiting remotely.
Discuss culture in the video interview
When a candidate turned up at your office for an interview, there were a number of cultural cues both the employers and the candidate could pick up on. Things like what people wear, where they sit and how they talk to each other became apparent without being explicitly discussed.
In today’s recruitment environment, it’s important to discuss this in detail and ask interview questions that assess cultural fit. This could be about asking them to describe the environment in which they are most happy and productive, how they liked to be managed or even asking them to describe the characteristics of the best manager they have experienced.
These types of questions are helpful in a face-to-face interview, but they are critical in a remote one. They’ll allow you to assess whether the candidate is suited to your environment and give them the opportunity to determine whether your environment is suited to them.
Test candidate skills
Today’s pre-employment skill assessments go far beyond simple skill tests and can create sophisticated simulations for almost any role and industry. The best ones will even give you additional feedback on how the candidate performed during the assessment – not just their final grade. This really allows you to test the candidate’s skills and aptitude for your role. This is helpful in any recruitment scenario but even more so when you can’t get the candidate in for a face-to-face chat.
Make the most of references
References play a critical role in providing certainty of hire, but many recruiters and HR teams could be making more of them. Online reference checking platforms are a fantastic solution for a number of reasons. Firstly, they save significant time – instead of playing phone tag with the referee, you can send them a link to complete the reference check at a time that suits them. This also means you get are likely to get a better quality of response, as the referee has time to consider their answers. You can also make sure you ask consistent questions and can compare referee responses between candidates. But the real benefit is that the best platforms offer fraud detection features so that you can be sure the referee is genuine. A great example of this is locally-owned solution, Referoo, who use several avenues to verify a referee, so you can be sure your candidate is who they say they are.
Use compliance checking platforms
Today there are a number of platforms out there that will automate all your different background checks, so this doesn’t have to be a time-consuming or manual process. In particular WorkPro or CV Check as they enable you to automate all your background checks. You can also ask new hires to complete required training modules, like workplace health and safety, online before they start, so they are ready to go on day one.
Look for integrated solutions
Making sure you have the right fit in culture and skills can be trickier in a remote interview, but with today’s intelligent tools, it can be done efficiently. To get the most out of the various platforms available to you, it’s critical to look for partners that integrate with your CRM/ATS. If this information sits outside your system or needs to be manually entered into your system, it’s open to human error and chances are your team won’t prioritise it.
If you have a preferred supplier that doesn’t integrate with your CRM/ATS, talk to your CRM/ATS provider. They should be willing to discuss the opportunity as it’s a win for everyone. It’s something CTC People is passionate about – our system should act as the source of Recruitment truth in your tech stack, and we always want to integrate with the solutions you need, wherever possible.