It’s no secret that the recruitment industry has seen major changes in the wake of the world-changing pandemic in 2020. With more recruitment consultants having to connect and onboard candidates remotely, this has raised the question of virtual hiring becoming more relevant in the future. Whether this has been successful or not; it is one of the key factors reshaping the future of recruitment. 

As well as virtual hiring, there are also other factors that are playing a part in changing the world of recruitment. 

Post pandemic 

The recruitment industry wasn't the only sector to have been forced to operate differently over the past few years; with common practices having to be heavily altered – with the aid of modern technology. 

This is perhaps one of the biggest drivers that will reshape the recruitment industry moving forward. From the way candidates are screened and interviewed, to onboarding - it has changed dramatically. The thing that has changed most is how businesses hire new candidates. With face-to-face interviews quickly being a thing of the past, hiring managers had to rely on video technology to find out more about their candidates.

Like hiring managers, recruitment consultants had to rely on the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams to build a relationships with candidates. Although this may be less costly and convenient, questions have been raised as to whether technology decreased the ability for businesses to connect with candidates. 

Does their online presentation accurately reflect their true personality? Am I able to assess their hard skills accurately? These are questions businesses will be asking before they make a decision. On the flip side, should candidates be successful, then their onboarding process is likely to be different. 

Humans & Robots

There has been much talk over the last few years as to whether robots will eventually make jobs obsolete; and also whether a robot could replicate a human's behavior accurately enough to do this. 

We’re beginning to see AI technologies being invested in by businesses – influenced by the impact of Covid-19. The benefit AI will pose for businesses is its predictive nature; taking into account characteristics of a candidate to determine whether they are the right fit. Considering the cost of hiring and potentially letting go of an employee, businesses do not want to get hires wrong. 

Businesses as a result of AI influence, will spend less time searching for candidates and spend more of their time developing their new employees into successful team members. Although the method of AI reduces the amount of time spent searching for candidates who could be a potential fit, there is no guarantee that an AI robot will be 100% accurate on most occasions. 

AI is certainly having more of an influence, but will this diminish the value of the human touch in the long term? 

Remote Work Will Help Diversity 

According to research conducted by LinkedIn, 77% of talent professionals say that diversity will be ‘very important’ to the future of recruiting. With the issue of diversity being tackled as a nationwide initiative, candidates are looking for answers and action from businesses. 

The increase in remote working will allow greater access to the wide talent pool, which will feature candidates from different backgrounds. Recruiters will be able to present a diverse group of candidates to their clients and this could in result, restructure the hiring process. 

Vice President of Microsoft, Lauren Gardener said: “Recruiters have to be able to answer questions on culture. They have to be able to answer questions about the company’s stance on diversity. They have to teach leaders and managers how to think more broadly about their own choices and coach them to gravitate not toward who they ‘like’ but who adds to the organization.”

Brexit remains an issue 

The announcement of Brexit generated concern across many sectors, and not much has changed since. The full implications of Brexit to businesses have yet to be revealed; and according to HR News, 37% of UK businesses say this has had a huge effect on business hiring effect and strategy. 

Hiring talent from abroad has always been a popular and successful strategy for businesses; but since parting ways with the EU, it has become more difficult. The benefit of remote working can still come into play to address this issue. Businesses can still hire talent from overseas without the paperwork and the financial effect of moving the candidate to the UK. As the trend of hybrid working is set to remain for the foreseeable, this remains a valid option for businesses. 

If businesses are to adopt this approach, they will have to closely look at the behavioral traits of their employees; their communication in particular. Once they have assessed both strong and weak points, they can then decide the best way to onboard them. 

Businesses will be making changes as a result of the past year, however, there are still emerging trends that industry professionals will need to keep on top of to create an effective and successful workforce.