The recruitment process must go on, so why not digitally?
When national lockdowns became a reality, including the initial semi lockdown in Indonesia, many companies sole focus was on trying to digitalize processes in the business to ensure survival. This culture shock meant recruitment was set aside in favor of revenue streams and cost efficiency measures.
A year later and the companies who survived are now used to new ways of working. The ups and downs of covid numbers seen in the government’s frequent opening and closing of offices and malls, has relaxed for the moment and businesses once more need people. The recruitment process must go on, so why not digitally?
Here, as many have asked questions about this and also are hesitant as to hiring someone without prior meeting, I would like to share how companies are doing this and still proving effective in following recruitment steps set by the company.
Most of our clients are currently practicing this, such as conducting interviews by video calls instead of personal meetings. From one-to-one interviews to panel interviews, to case studies and presentations and salary negotiations, they are all done online. Interviewers and interviewees have engaged with online assessment platforms or some companies have built their own, whereby results of the psychological or technical assessments can ascertained in a short period of time following completion by the candidate.
The next step is a virtual show tour of the office or work site. By using a video, this can be used as an introduction to newcomers for them to see the work environment. Some companies post photos and videos of their office to their website offering access not just to applicants to explore but also to the public. The only step where the candidate needs to meet in person is for a medical check, meaning either the lab comes to their home, or the applicant visits the lab themselves.
Once these sections have been completed it is time to move on to the onboarding process. This is optimally accomplished by sending the employee a joining kit to their home, including name tag, business card, laptop, etc. The orientation or introduction to the team and the jobs can again be delivered by video calls. The whole process is completed without the employee attending office premises and is currently becoming a common practice in many companies. The question is, would you be willing to do the same?
From the applicant’s point of view, if you are going through this digitalized recruitment process, make sure to pay attention to your virtual meeting skills. You can do this by researching the company and preparing aspects like dress code, software downloaded, software operating skills, your internet connection, as well as the room or space to use during the interview. As with a physical meeting, virtual meetings require your professionalism to impress the interviewer and to follow the process without any disturbances. Take the opportunity to search the many online tutorials that are available to help you prepare for digital interviews.
