Virtual recruitment is an online hiring process conducted via an electronic platform, where multiple employers advertise and collect job vacancies from one central location. Primarily used for large-scale hiring initiatives, virtual recruitment enables remote job seekers to sign in at virtual job fairs to apply for desired roles. Recruitment technology assists employers at every phase of the hiring process and onboarding.
Hiring managers then use matching algorithms to find the ideal candidates for each role onboarded by platforms designed specifically to assist hiring managers in recruiting, from resume collection and screening candidates through interviews Participants can connect virtually with employers worldwide instead of attending actual events, using Zoom audio/video conferencing instead of in-person conversations.
Virtual Recruiting
During Covid-19, individuals were not permitted to leave their homes due to its devastating pandemic effects on all corners of the globe; as businesses failed, many lost jobs as businesses closed down and collapsed. As a result of these events, many virtual recruiting strategies emerged as ways of recruiting remote candidates without leaving their homes or even having to interview for one vacancy at any one time physically.
Talent acquisition professionals and recruiters quickly adopted virtual recruiting as an efficient means of finding candidates who were an ideal match, saving both time and money in doing so. It allowed skilled workers from any location to access jobs remotely while helping recruiters quickly identify viable talent without wasting their time or money.
Virtual recruiting can take many forms, including posting job ads on social media and job boards, video or voice interviews with job candidates, employee referrals and chatbots to recruit. Many companies began virtual recruitment processes using AI-powered tools and tech.
Virtual recruiting refers to selecting candidates via the Internet without meeting with each of them directly, using technology and online tools for selection purposes. This method has proven highly efficient.
Strategies for Virtual Recruitment
1. Determine and Acquire Essential Technology for Virtual Hiring
To conduct virtual hiring effectively, recruiters need the appropriate talent acquisition tools before commencing. Generally, video interviewing tools and emailing will be utilized. However, other tech-friendly tools must also be employed to enhance efficiency and ensure an excellent candidate experience - here are some helpful digital recruiting tools.
- Management tool for virtual recruiting events.
- CRM (Candidate Relationship Management) Software
- Recruitment Chatbot
- Skill Assessment Tools
- Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
- Software for automating resume parsing
- Real-time or one-way video interviews?
- Document verification systems and virtual onboarding
- Digital signature tool
- Applicant Report and Analysis System for Feedback
- Virtual events are essential in promoting jobs
Utilize virtual phone systems for educational and informative events to engage job seekers while highlighting your company's core values and work culture with videos featuring current employees. At these virtual events, hiring teams can discuss the history and growth of their company over time, demonstrate how interested candidates can apply, and provide information on various stages of recruitment.
2. Online Assessment Test with Voice-Call Interview
Recruiters can evaluate candidates by administering assessment tests to registered applicants, then conducting voice-call interviews to assess technical skills. By administering assessments to these applicants, recruiters can identify their strengths and weaknesses through online tools available today. By conducting virtual interviews over voice calls, recruiters can evaluate candidates' communication abilities - an integral component of an individual's growth.
3. Arrange in-Person Video Interviews
The in-person video interviews should consist of two parts, with the first round comprising technical tests designed to assess skills required for the position, while HR interviews assess face-to-face skills and the ethical standards of potential employees.
Candidates record their responses using video interview software before being evaluated by recruiters. Online tools can assist recruiters and hiring managers expedite the hiring process, automating interviews, and giving more time for finding suitable candidates.
4. Onboarding and Feedback Response
Recruiters should offer timely feedback on all candidate experiences - good and bad. This helps protect the company's reputation while creating more positive candidate experiences. After gathering and verifying documents, recruiters will initiate virtual onboarding by issuing welcome letters and informing participants of any training courses that will take place.
5. Virtual Recruitment: Key Legal Considerations
Hiring teams and recruiters should ensure virtual hiring processes are fair and equitable to all applicants and comply with regulations such as equal rights acts to maintain legal hiring processes. The hiring team evaluates applicants strictly based on their qualifications and skills; they do not discriminate on any grounds related to age, nationality, disability, skin color, gender or religion.
The recruitment process online should be fair to all applicants, and recruiters must adhere to non-discriminatory practices. Recruiters must understand the legal considerations regarding recruitment across various countries so they can adhere to local privacy and labor regulations when conducting virtual hiring processes.
Why Is Virtual Recruiting So Popular Now?
Virtual recruiting was all the rage following the Covid-19 pandemic due to the benefits it provided both virtual recruiter and job-seekers. Time is of the utmost value in today's fast-paced world. Virtual recruiting allows recruiters and hiring managers to save precious moments by cutting down time-consuming processes such as pre-screening candidates, reviewing thousands of resumes, and selecting those best suited to fill a position.
Hiring can now be accomplished online, eliminating geographical boundaries and saving candidates both money and time on travel costs. Virtual recruitment enables recruiters to post job ads across social media platforms and job boards, creating a diverse applicant pool. In turn, recruiters benefit by increasing recruitment channels, creating more talent pools than ever before for recruitment agencies to hire from. DEI goals (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) may also be reached this way.
The reputation of any company relies heavily upon its candidates. With one click, applicants can submit their applications for positions.Chatbots are invaluable in virtual recruitment, offering 24/7 automated answers to common queries. Furthermore, they allow applicants to track their application statuses through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs). Virtual recruiting has quickly become popular due to its user-friendly features that make the recruitment process more accurate and efficient.
Virtual Recruitment Event Types
Virtual hiring events can take many forms and have various objectives, just like traditional in-person events. Employers using this recruitment method have more freedom and flexibility in creating innovative methods of attracting candidates that may work better for them - the possibilities are virtually limitless! Below are examples of popular virtual hiring events hosted by top employers:
1. Events of Information
Information events focus on sharing facts and figures about your organization to job seekers before investing their time and energy in recruiting processes. They allow potential hires to discover your values and culture before investing time and energy in recruitment processes; such events could include videos from senior executives, tours behind the scenes and historical information on your company, employee testimonials or 'day in the life videos which help candidates better comprehend what life at your organization will be like for them.
2. Education Events
Some hiring events take a more educational approach to hiring, where employers build their employer brand by providing job-seekers with advice, tools and resources to enhance their employment search. Such advice might include resume reviews, interview process or salary negotiation advice from experts who can answer questions and present to job-seekers at these events.
3. Virtual Career Fairs
These virtual career fairs are intended to generate pre-qualified candidates that recruiters and hiring managers can interview later. Pre-screening events can be especially helpful in filling high-volume positions; screening events may include assessment tools that help screen candidates before moving them on to video interviewing or a pre-screening chat with the recruiter.
4. Hiring Manager Interviews
After pre-screening, the next step should be hosting a virtual hiring event only open to hiring managers. Such an online job fair could result in employment offers being extended immediately or shortly after.
The Virtual Recruitment Process
Virtual recruitment refers to hiring employees online through an electronic platform. This method allows global employers to connect with qualified candidates easily. Online tools and technology are helping organizations improve their hiring processes.
1. Join a Virtual Recruitment Platform
Engaging with a virtual recruitment platform is the first step to organizing online recruitment events successfully. Virtual events platforms take care of everything, from setting up an event through its launch.
- You can create a virtual office building.
- Virtual walkthroughs of lobbies, halls and other areas in 3D animation
- You can navigate the platform using navigation buttons
- The same employer can set up multiple booths
- Customized booths according to employer brand
- Employers create their job boards
- Live chat with booth visitors
- Webinars can be hosted live, on-demand or recorded.
- Real-time analysis of the event's progress
- Live customer service is available 24/7
- Live alerts and notifications of events can assist attendees.
2. Virtual Resourcing Strategies
Using virtual recruitment strategies procedures, employers can incorporate their hiring philosophy into a virtual job fair. Candidates' respective booths accept resumes before having live, one-on-one conversations or group chats with employers about available employment.
Employers then use job-matching technologies to find resumes that match up best with their needs; once shortlisted, businesses interview candidates before receiving roles. Are You Wondering the Differences Between Virtual Recruitment and Physical Hiring? Imagine joining job fairs from the comfort of your couch instead of physically engaging with people at an event.
Job fairs utilize similar recruitment techniques; virtual recruitment gives employers more chances to find top candidates than physical events do, while remote work promotes culture and can create excellent career opportunities for remote employees. Before using virtual recruitment software, it is vitally important to first gain an understanding of its operation in order to facilitate a smoother recruitment process.
3. Virtual Recruitment Software
Virtual events software streamlines remote hiring and employee onboarding processes for multiple employers simultaneously, while attendees can connect with various recruiters and apply to any suitable roles. Each employer will showcase available positions and interact with candidates at their booth.
At the same time, webinars will present live presentations to educate candidates about company culture, job roles and employee benefits. Keynote speakers also address candidates with useful and educational topics to assist with career decisions. Employers can utilize this solution to build and store resume pipelines that they can refer back to whenever the hiring process opens up again.
4. Virtual Job Boards for Recruitment
Virtual job boards offer employers an effective and efficient way to streamline the hiring process and showcase their best work. Employers post jobs at booths of exhibitors before responding to applications on individual job boards at events like these - quickly becoming hubs of recruiters! Prospective candidates can interact with employers at events as soon as they arrive and submit CVs right away.
Making the booths even more inviting as interactions between candidates improve - this keeps potential applicants coming back! Booths display informational material regarding jobs or employers that capture applicant interest; they get hooked up here. Attendees can easily search through the virtual platform for advertised companies or jobs, receive a list of available jobs, and submit applications instantly.
Employers can view applications submitted by attendees for each position and use job-matching technology to quickly filter out only candidates with profiles matching the job description for an audio/video interview.
5. Conduct Screening Interviews
A resume cannot adequately communicate a candidate's expertise or potential, so speaking directly with shortlisted candidates is the best way to assess them and learn more about them if they would be a good fit for your company. Virtual platforms allow this, providing ample opportunity to interview audio/video candidates from anywhere around the globe.
Employers tend to favor video chats so they can see candidates face-to-face. At the same time, some individuals prefer audio chatting as it allows for deeper discussions than could ever be achieved through resumes alone. By meeting face-to-face with candidates, you get to know them much better than any resume that could represent them.
6. Inform Attendees about Job Roles
New candidates from abroad may need to realize how good your organization is; visuals, videos and standees won't do justice. Employers can organize recorded or live webinar sessions that describe company culture, job roles, employee benefits and the founder's vision - or all four!
Candidates can make informed decisions with this information, whether applying for jobs or researching potential employers. Webinars provide accurate, engaging content while remaining interactive to encourage attendees to participate. Keynote speakers often initiate discussion and spark debate; live engagement can be achieved in several ways:
- Participants participate in live Q&A sessions.
- Live polling encourages participants to share their opinions
- Live quizzes increase the interest of attendees
- Participants can interact with each other via group or 1:1 chat
7. Remote Teams
Onboarding begins once the screening of employees has been completed. Employers and hiring managers find virtual platforms helpful when onboarding new hires, with recruitment, onboarding and integration taking place through online training courses on these virtual platforms.
As employees become acquainted with their company's culture, webinars provide guidance and education. Some teams may even attend on-demand webinars to learn more about job roles. A virtual platform is your go-to solution when recruiting talented remote workers.
8. Integrate Employer Brand into Social Media Channels
Online hiring should become part of your overall recruitment plan to broaden your appeal. One way to attract a global audience is through marketing the employer brand abroad through digital channels like social media platforms - be they websites like Facebook or pop-up ads on websites that register attendees more easily than any other method.
Reaching global audiences may also require listing recruitment events on websites dedicated to events. Doing this would drive more visitors and raise the global visibility of your event; adding goals, mission statements, hiring requirements and staff functions as components of employer branding should help. Remember employee benefits like work-life balance when setting this strategy into motion!
Best Practices for Virtual Recruitment
Virtual recruiting is ever-evolving due to its creative freedom and changing attitudes among job-seekers. Many fundamentals remain similar to physical recruiting spaces; talent acquisition leaders can maximize virtual recruitment by including these best practices in their overall recruitment strategy.
1. Communicate Your Organizational Culture and Values
According to recruiters, culture plays a pivotal role in recruiting talent; salary was only one consideration for candidates. Virtual recruiting offers employers many opportunities to communicate insight about organizational culture through virtual recruiting strategies; including such messages will help build your brand while drawing in ideal candidates.
2. Utilize Candidate Personas
Candidate personas can be invaluable in providing the candidate experience your target talent is seeking. Create applicant personas that accurately reflect ideal candidates' traits, preferences, and personality archetypes; use applicant personalities as guides when organizing events, devising interview questions or creating communication strategies.
3. Focus on Candidate Experience
Recruitment aims to fill positions, but you can only expect to find ideal candidates after first providing an enjoyable candidate experience tailored to their preferences. When designing your virtual recruitment process, remember to think from their point of view as job seekers and try to eliminate any pain points along the way.
4. Promote Virtual Hiring Events Strategically
Failing to promote virtual hiring events effectively will likely result in no one attending them - this shouldn't be left up to chance; create and implement a plan for promoting them that incorporates email marketing, social media promotion and programmatic advertising strategies as part of the plan. Your recruitment marketing strategy should evolve according to the results achieved from implementation.
5. Effective and Frequent Communication
Communication is vital to engaging top-talent candidates. Make and implement a plan for post-event communication to avoid losing top talent, including asking for feedback, providing information on the next steps or rejecting candidates as part of this strategy. Although virtual career fair platforms provide tools to automate feedback collection processes, you should still devise an action plan to communicate with others and use feedback effectively.
Virtual Recruitment Has Many Advantages
1. Breaks Geographical Barriers
It removes geographical limitations to allow employers to reach more talent than was possible using traditional methods alone. Now they can recruit international talent - however, it's essential that all employees who come to work in the UK legally possess all required permits for working here.
2. Save time
Employers can screen more candidates quickly using virtual recruitment. Automating certain recruitment stages may also be possible; online video interviews offer greater flexibility - they fit your schedule rather than vice versa!
3. Virtual Recruitment can be Cost-Effective
Online events are cheaper than physical job fairs and don't incur travel or accommodation expenses - saving time and money when hiring new staff members. Virtual recruitment technology is cost-effective, with high returns on investment.
4. Reduces Time-to-Hire
When recruiting, your aim should be to hire the ideal candidate as quickly as possible - an aim that can be accomplished by speeding up the recruitment process and screening and shortlisting more candidate pools quickly, so no extra time must be allocated for face-to-face interviews and screening sessions.
5. Gain Competitive Edge
Virtual recruitment can give your company an edge by showing potential candidates that you are innovative and progressive, making you more attractive to potential employees. Most job seekers have become used to online interactions. They expect at least some part of the recruitment process to occur online.
6. Hire a Highly-Qualified Candidate
Virtual recruitment saves employers time and money while hiring the most appropriate individual for each position. By streamlining the recruitment process, candidates can easily connect with you while you assess their skills more efficiently.
7. Candidates Benefit
Virtual recruitment streamlines communication between employers and candidates, providing employers with direct access to a wider talent pool. Conversely, candidates using traditional recruitment may find that their questions need to be answered; virtual chats allow candidates to have any queries answered immediately by experts in real time.
8. Reduces Paperwork
Virtual recruitment helps employers reduce paperwork by keeping all candidate records, such as application forms or competency tests, in digital format, cutting down on paperwork associated with traditional recruitment. Employers can access candidate information in real-time when needed. With candidate consent, interview recordings can also be easily recorded so employers can later review what was said during an interview session.
9. A Fair Recruitment Process
A way of increasing inclusion and diversity when recruiting employees is through virtual recruitment, which utilizes artificial intelligence without considering demographic information such as age, race, or gender when selecting new employees. This technology may also be used to screen CVs before screening occurs to reduce unconscious bias from impacting conventional hiring procedures.
Virtual Recruitment: Disadvantages
1. Technology Issues
Virtual recruitment relies heavily on technology. Therefore, its success rests heavily on your systems being operational smoothly. You can combat this risk by conducting extensive system tests and devising an emergency backup plan.
2. The High Volume of Applications
Virtual recruitment allows employers to bypass geographical restrictions and receives many more job opening applications than traditional methods can. By clearly outlining your job description and detailing experience and qualification requirements for each position, qualified applicants will respond.
3. Too Impersonal
Candidates may find virtual recruitment processes too impersonal; there must be direct interaction with employers during these searches. On the other hand, employers can better connect with candidates when using this hiring method.
Conclusion
Virtual recruitment is an invaluable asset to businesses. In today's cutthroat competition environment, this approach helps find outstanding talent and can help virtual recruiter companies grow. Recent trends in the events industry require virtual hiring procedures. Technology provides us with solutions to support high-volume recruiting; virtual recruitment tools may facilitate groundbreaking job fairs online - meaning no physical limitations need to exist when hiring remote talent.
