Recruiting tips for a hybrid work environment
The shift from office work to virtual work environments has accelerated tremendously since the start of the pandemic. And it’s a change that’s likely here to stay. In fact, according to a recent survey by Prudential, 87% of workers would like the ability to continue working from home in the future. A remote workforce is considered one of the top 3 trends shaping recruiting this year according to 51% of talent leaders surveyed. To meet the new expectations of workers, it’s important for talent acquisition teams to adapt their recruiting strategies as well.
Opening your company up to remote employees offers a significantly larger and more diverse talent pool.
Regardless, talent sourcing strategies for remote workers are different.
In this blog post, we’ll present a few tips to help navigate the changing landscape post-pandemic.
Connect with more candidates
The greatest benefit of location-independent recruiting is gaining access to a global talent pool. Without geographic limitations, you can truly search for and source the best talent from anywhere in the world.
New sourcing technologies have made it possible to easily reach more prospects than ever before. In addition to sourcing tech, here are a few options to consider:
- Run Virtual Career Fairs
While these aren’t new, they’ve gained more prominence during the pandemic. Virtual career fairs are a great way to make a personal connection with potential candidates around the world. You can also partner with other organizations to create an expanded pool of talent and connect with candidates that you might not have on your own.
- Social Media
According to Glassdoor, ⅓ of job seekers use social media to learn more about a company. Having up to date pages on LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms is a good investment – and you can expand your reach in other ways as well. For example, you can host an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit to bring more exposure to your company and answer any questions candidates might have about the work environment.
- Internship Programs
Internship programs remain one of the most valuable recruitment pipelines. If your company is transitioning to a more remote work culture, it’s possible to onboard interns remotely as well. It won’t be the same as an in-person experience, but this does offer the ability to bring more talent in and build a stronger pipeline.
Be clear on what remote work means for your org
Different companies have different ideas of what the virtual work environment looks like. Whether your employees are able to work 100% remotely or they’re required to be in the office for a few days per week, it’s important to be clear about this upfront.
It’s also beneficial to have a roadmap for what the future looks like post-Covid. Is your company transitioning to a fully remote organization? Or will you be returning to the office once all restrictions are lifted? Will employees have the option to work from home if they choose.
Include this information on your careers page and in job descriptions for open roles. Be sure it’s all ironed out before you start interviewing. Top candidates will be looking for specific working situations, so be as clear as you can be right from the get-go.
Don’t forget to assess your internal teams first
Whenever a role opens up, it’s always beneficial to assess whether one of your current employees could be a good fit. Employees that are already familiar with your product and company offering – along with already being a trusted hire – are more prepared to transition within the organization itself.
A recent report found that 94% of HR and hiring professionals credit internal recruiting with their company’s ability to retain top talent. Another benefit of internal recruiting is that it lowers recruiting and training costs of new employees.
Although the hybrid work environment offers access to a wider pool of candidates, some of the best candidates are those who already know your company. Hybrid and remote work makes talent you know even more attractive through both internal mobility and candidate rediscovery.
Hybrid work is here to stay
Regardless of where your company stands, the hybrid work model is here to stay. As more and more candidates become interested in the prospect of a more flexible work schedule, it’s important for companies and recruiters to adapt.
Addressing this paradigm shift throughout your recruiting process will allow you to connect with and onboard highly skilled candidates from anywhere in the world. Be sure to look at our strategies for closing candidates remotely for more tips!