To say that 2020 has been a bit chaotic would be a gross understatement. COVID-19 shook the entire world to its core, and we’ve all encountered massive challenges we’re still recovering from. One particular branch of the business world that’s been forced to rapidly adapt is HR. 

With traditional face-to-face interactions greatly limited or altogether eliminated, HR teams have had to scramble to come up with viable talent acquisition solutions. And the biggest tool in their arsenal is making the shift to handling the recruiting and hiring process remotely. 

Here’s the details and how to adapt in a post-COVID world. 

Technology Has Created a Paradigm Shift in Recruiting and Hiring

Although many HR teams have used technology in some capacity in recent years, COVID has been the catalyst for widespread technology usage in 2020. More specifically, HR teams are rapidly implementing it to find, interview, and onboard new employees 100% remotely. 

COVID has really lit a fire under HR, and out of sheer necessity, most are now using remote processes to handle recruiting and hiring from end to end. 

Stuart Gentle of online recruitment magazine (Onrec) offers perspective on this trend saying, “84% of talent acquisition teams are adapting their processes to work remotely. This demonstrates the agility of talent acquisition teams, their leadership and commitment to deliver candidates to their companies to help build the business, even in times of adversity.”

The pandemic has shown just how essential it is to adapt by leveraging technology, and the companies that flourish are usually the ones that make it an integral part of their framework. 

And This Trend is Unlikely to Stop Post-COVID

COVID dealt the economy a major blow and one that will take a long time to completely recover from. That said, it is starting to recover, which is evidenced by growth in the Dow Jones Industrial Average during the past six months plus. 

Here’s where it was on March 23, 2020, when COVID was in full swing in the US. 

And here’s where it’s currently at on October 27, 2020. 

Restrictions on face-to-face interactions are starting to ease, and life is gradually returning back to normal. However, a large percentage of HR teams plan on sticking with the technology they’re currently using for remote hiring moving forward. 

“Most employers are now comfortable using technology for talent acquisition, with 82% of hiring managers saying they will continue to interview using video once the pandemic is over,” Stuart Gentle adds. 

That’s largely because of the major benefits that remote hiring technology provides, including:

• Greater efficiency
• Time savings
• Reduced costs
• Streamlined onboarding 

You just can’t put the genie back in the bottle on something like this, and it’s clear that a growing number of talent acquisition teams will continue to embrace remote processes in the future.  

How to Adapt Post-COVID

Now the question is, how exactly can you get your HR team up to speed with remote hiring technology?

Maybe you had already made some small initiatives prior to the pandemic. Or, maybe you hadn’t made any initiatives at all. 

What are some specific steps you take to adapt moving forward?

Here’s the general four-step formula you’ll want to follow. 

1. Examine Your Current Recruiting Process

First, you’ll want to map out the process you’re currently using step-by-step so that you have a bird’s eye view of your methodologies, technologies, tactics, and so on. 

2. Identify Which Recruiting Steps Could Be Done Remotely

Next, look over your current recruiting process to identify specific areas where technology could potentially be implemented to be done remotely. Maybe, for instance, it would be possible to interview candidates through a video conferencing platform without skipping a beat. 

Or, rather than having HR members meet with one another physically to assess candidates, they could use a recruiting and hiring platform to find top talent based on core selling competencies. 

3. Determine Which Technologies Could Be Used

Once you know the areas where technology could realistically be applied, you’ll want to figure out which specific technologies you could use. For interviewing, you may want to use a leading video conferencing software like Zoom. And for candidate assessment, you could use HireDNA, which assesses candidates on 21 core selling competencies such as motivation, desire, and coachability. 

4. Implement Those Technologies In Phases

From there, it’s just a matter of putting those technologies to use. The key to being successful is getting everyone in your company to buy in from the top down. It starts with senior leadership and trickles down to HR leaders and eventually everyone else within your HR team. 

Move in phases so as to not overwhelm anyone, and offer a comprehensive knowledge base featuring answers to FAQs, videos, and tutorials to make it simple for your team to learn the new technology. 

This quick guide from Atif Siddiqui of employee engagement platform Achievers should help make the transition as seamless as possible. 

Helping HR Adapt to a New Recruiting Reality

COVID has drastically changed many aspects of how modern businesses operate, and HR is no exception. Basically overnight HR teams have been forced to figure out new techniques for recruiting and hiring, with the vast majority adapting their strategy to accommodate remote processes. 

And this is something your company can do as well by following the four key steps listed above. That way you can find and onboard top talent regardless of what happens next. 

See how HireDNA can help improve your hiring, while embracing a more remote-centric approach. 92% of recommended candidates reach the top of the sales force within a year of being hired. 

Book a live demo now.