Stepping into the 'Future of Recruitment' with hybrid hiring

The COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent need to adopt virtual recruitment and onboarding processes. Virtual recruitment platforms, including testing platforms, interview platforms, and assessment platforms, have been enabling talent acquisition leaders to safely continue the hiring process. As we move into the future of recruitment, we continue seeing the significance of these platforms in the form of hybrid hiring.

Hybrid Hiring: A Perfect Mix of Physical and Virtual Recruitment

Hybrid hiring is an amalgamation of virtual hiring and in-person recruitment methods. It brings together the best of both worlds to make the recruitment process more streamlined, extending benefits to both the employer and the potential employees.

Remote operations have highlighted the many benefits that virtual hiring brings to the table. Even though in-person interviews are a proven effective way of identifying the right candidate, talent acquisition leaders around the world can leverage digital capabilities to modernize the hiring process. The way forward brings together the effectiveness of traditional and efficiency of digital to give rise to the hybrid recruitment process.

Realizing the Full Potential of Hybrid Hiring

Establishing a hybrid process of hiring is less about making technical or operational changes and more about making it a part of the company culture. Sure, the right infrastructure is a basic need, but to realize the full potential of hybrid hiring, we need to adapt our mindset to grow

Here are two key strategies that HR leaders can use to make a hybrid hiring model a successful part of the company’s recruitment process:

Redesign the guiding principles

People do not trust companies, they trust people. Video conversations help in establishing trust with candidates, but face-to-face interactions allow the recruiter to read the candidate’s nonverbal cues that can help build rapport and gather more information in a shorter period. Similarly, the look and feel of the office infrastructure creates a lasting impact on a candidate. HR leaders will have to focus on understanding the challenges related to virtual hiring and redefine a fresh set of guiding principles for the interview process that aligns with the new normal.

Set the tone for inclusivity

Candidates require an inclusive and personalized interview and onboarding experience, especially in a virtual environment. We can create the right expectation by focusing on open and frequent communication with the candidates. HR leaders will need to clearly outline how the interview process will be or how the first week will look like and communicate the same well in advance to the candidates. We can set the tone for inclusivity by encouraging personal interactions and connections with the prospective candidates and highlighting best practices through storytelling sessions.

The Way Forward

Challenges always give rise to opportunities, and the current circumstances provide an extraordinary chance for us to take the time and reflect on how we have been hiring, what has worked in our favor, and how we can revamp the process with the help of technology. Making hybrid a part of our recruitment process is an important step towards building a modern hiring model.