Talent Acquisition Strategies for the Remote Workforce During Covid

Corporates around the globe have especially felt the heat during the pandemic as they had to bring in large scale decisions within a short span. As the year dawns to an end, one learning that is clearly on the wall is that organisations can thrive even in adverse conditions if they have a dynamic and diverse workforce.

Recruitment strategies in 2022 saw a slew of innovative initiatives but can the same be expected for 2022? Let’s find out.

A Major Shift in Talent Acquisition Strategies During COVID

The pandemic usurped the way organisations have been hiring for many years now. Many of these changes in the recruitment strategy plan are here to stay for the long run.

• A change in hiring needs across industries

The lockdown brought upon by the pandemic severely dented the growth prospects of businesses worldwide. Many of them had to shut down operations and even relieve entire teams of their duties. A sort of a hiring freeze was seen in industries such as hospitality, tourism, entertainment etc.

At the same time, there have been some profiles for which hiring is going on proactively. These include roles in the pharmaceutical, Ed-tech, remote communication and online grocery sector.

• Hiring strategy is now centered across technological innovations

Technology has fostered in a virtual recruitment environment where companies can interview candidates remotely. This has been possible due to video conferencing platforms and HRM software.

Talking especially about HRM software, it helps your HR department automate repetitive processes, thus leaving them time for more productive tasks. HRM software is also a great supplement for better candidate engagement and providing each candidate a unique interview experience.

• Focus building a diverse workforce

Call it self-introspection or something else, companies have realised that a diverse set of employees working from home is a sure shot way of enhancing profits.

2022 has seen influential movements surrounding social issues so it was anybody’s guess that some of it was going to rub off on corporate hiring as well, making it more flexible.

Remote Workforce Management: It’s Time to Rethink Hiring Strategies

The talk of the town seems to be that of revamping talent acquisition. However, a major part of redefining recruitment strategies in HRM is letting go of those that no longer serve a purpose like complex paper-based processes. Let us explain some of the recruitment strategy plans adopted by today’s organizations.

Considering AI-Based Recruitment

Artificial intelligence based tools help enhance the productivity of recruitment teams by taking over the redundant tasks such as scanning through CVs for specific keywords, creating a talent pool etc.

One added benefit of AI is that you can be fully sure that every selection procedure is based on merit and is free of biases.

Having a Robust Sick Leave Policy

Considering work from home as ‘time off, is a faux pas that SMBs can most definitely avoid. While hiring remote employees, one should keep in mind that sound sick leave policies are still needed as the pandemic is nowhere near being under control.

Strengthening your sick leaves policy in 2022 will make the remote workforce feel that the management prioritises their health over everything else.

Sending Out Candidate’s Feedback Quickly

Your recruitment strategies during COVID should involve providing a good experience to each candidate. This can be done by speeding your interview process a bit and sending out curt and quick responses even if the candidate is not selected.

You can make use of HRM solutions for such purposes as it sends out auto-generated responses through a variety of mediums such as email, message etc.

Suggested Read: 9 Best Employee Referral Program Examples for Quick Hiring

Talent Acquisition Strategies Adopted by Organizations Recently

• Using Marketing Tactics for Hiring

2020 saw recruitment strategy plans showing greater dependence on social media, video and written content for spreading out the word amongst suitable candidates.

A report published in 2018 found out that close to 50% companies were using social media posts as a part of their hiring strategy. This number is expected to have risen in 2022.

• Factoring in candidate poaching

Candidate engagement, no matter whether they eventually join your ranks or not, has been the trend this year. The whole process of providing a unique experience to the candidates starts from the time they are called for the first interview till their first day with your organisation. If you can manage to provide the best experience out there…your organisation will have the most talented recruits in 2022.

• Decoding data for hiring

Data management has emerged as a key proponent of recruitment strategy plans. HR personals are now depending on a candidate’s data more than ever. This includes their personal information, social media posting habits, work history etc.

Some might view it as a violation of privacy, but many organisations are adopting this as a staple method of assessing whether a candidate would be a perfect fit or not.

• Focus on brand building

Your company’s brand plays an important role in attracting the right candidate for available positions. In a recent analysis done by LinkedIn, it was found that more than 70% of candidates do thorough research of the company before submitting their applications.

This was the year when better-reputed companies dashed off with all the mighty talented applicants.

Suggested Read: What is the Role of AI in Recruitment

What Will Be the Recruitment Strategies for Startups in 2022?

Are you an entrepreneur or planning to start your own venture in 2022? Want to know the mantra for success? Invest time and resources on hiring strategies. We mention some important talent acquisition strategies to keep in mind.

• Do cost/benefit comparison before any hire

Startups usually have a paucity of funds while scaling up. It is suggested that you do a cost/benefit analysis to understand whether new joiners are bringing in any value or their pay checks are a liability for your firm.

• Hire flexible personnel

Not having designated departments can turn beneficial for your company. You can look to hire people who can fluidly move across departments and multitask efficiently. This thought process should be the motivating factor behind your recruitment strategy plan for 2022.

• Look out for candidates with a prior startup experience

A startup requires individuals that can function with little or no supervision. Candidates who have worked with a startup in the past would have their work ethic pre-tuned with your expectations. This gives them a slight edge over candidates that have been working in a corporate setup for years.

• Set up an employee referral program

An unspoken fact of hiring strategy- you ought to have an employee referral program in place. Numerous researches have shown that new hires that come from the referrals from the existing ones stay for a longer period with your business and perform better on certain parameters.

We would suggest that this be one of the first things you get running as a part of your recruitment strategies during COVID.

Recruitment Strategies 2023 – Conclusion

2023 is the year where you can reorient your talent acquisition strategies for improved candidate engagement. Such a remodeling will also help in remote workforce management and help feel remote employees feel more productive and satisfied.