The year 2020 was a disastrous business year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that affected several business spheres and trends. The pandemic was just one big factor in the inevitable change in business trends and strategies. Over the decade, technology and its byproducts constantly changed the usual business routine in multiple ways. 

As a result of these factors, the conventional recruitment methods are no longer optimal to select ideal candidates that will become choice employees in a company. New recruiting trends have evolved for effective recruitment to companies and businesses. In this article, we reveal 2021 recruiting trends shaped by the pandemic.

2021 Recruiting Trends Shaped by the pandemic

Here are new effective recruiting trends shaped by the pandemic: 

Virtual Hiring

COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was contagious, and countries worldwide and their citizens were forced to reduce any form of contact by staying home if possible. To cope with the change, society members used virtual platforms as a means of communication. This change also affected businesses. For instance, remote jobs became common for people to work and communicate from home comfortably. 

Relatedly, virtual hiring will become a norm in the business sector due to the several benefits the process offers. As a result of virtual correspondence emerging as a norm, platforms that support virtual hiring have been developed to assist interested companies.

 For instance, Brazen, a virtual recruitment platform, is tasked with helping companies streamline their recruitment strategy process. Research conducted by business experts at Easy Essay shows that virtual hiring helps companies save time and expenses while simultaneously providing results. However, even with the recent development of the hiring process, we humans are social creatures. At some point in time in the business world, changes may need to be made to the virtual hiring process. 

Recruiters Will Expand Required Skill Sets

COVID-19 taught marketers, recruiters, and other business specialists that for a business to continually succeed, an indispensable factor is a speedy adaptation to new challenges and problems that may arise. Unsurprisingly, adaptability is now among the required factors recruiters consider before hiring job candidates. 

During candidate selection for various job positions in a company, a required skill that is also leveraged is versatility. To be skilled in several areas comes in handy at unexpected periods. Business enthusiasts at assignment help state that people with diverse skills were able to secure jobs during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Remote work

Before the era of COVID-19, remote jobs existed, but most companies and businesses did not prioritize them.  However, after the year 2020, companies discovered the usefulness of remote work and the optimal impacts it can bring to a business. Many companies that transitioned to remote works continue in 2021, and unavoidably, the change also affects the recruitment process. 

Companies now look for individuals that can work effectively remotely without a face-to-face consultation with their coworkers and colleagues. Online interviews and other virtual hiring processes can be used to narrow down the best candidates. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has evolved over the years to aid members of society in the running of specific tasks. Through the brilliance of technology, you can resolve issues and effectively carry out specific objectives smoothly and efficiently. This also applies to the hiring process in a company.  

The conventional recruitment process has always been a critical process. However, there is room for improvement, and an effective tool that can be used for such improvement is Artificial Intelligence. 

AI is a major channel for change in the realm of talent acquisition. AI helps automate the repeatable schedules allowing hiring managers to concentrate on the sensitive and crucial parts of recruitment. Furthermore, AI can quicken the tracking process for ideal candidates for job positions. 

Project-based Contract Hiring

The usual hiring process involves recruiting candidates for a certain company position to run tasks that will benefit the company for a period that is not fixed. To this end, some individuals end up working for a particular company throughout their life if there are no hitches. However, the gig economy differs significantly in terms of process. 

The gig economy centers around project-based contract hiring that involves hiring an expert individual to run a specific project. After the job performance, the deal comes to an end. The gig economy received noticeable attention over the years, but the pandemic tripled the initial recognition level. 

Freelancers in search of projects they are best suited to are a major part of the gig industry. Hiring for one-time projects is a strategy the pandemic has put at the forefront of the recruitment process.

Employee Wellbeing

The year 2020 was a tasking year, health-wise and emotionally. Approximately 33% of workers in the US complained of feelings of depression during the first few months of the pandemic. However, to adapt to the situation, most workers became conscious of the effects of a mentally challenged workforce. So, as a result of all these factors, in the recruitment process, the mental health of candidates is now considered.  Stress is usually associated with most jobs, and it can cause several long and short-term health issues if steps are not taken to prevent such. 

Transparency In the Recruitment Process

 Usually, in the process involving client acquisition, most employers are usually tight-lipped about details concerning their company. Transparency in the recruitment process is now being promoted in the recruitment process because it helps the candidates to be more interactive during their interview sessions. Transparency in the hiring process involves: 

●      Employee Benefits: Before choosing to work with a particular company, most candidates prefer being aware of the employee benefits. Hiring managers Being straightforward about what their company offers increases the chances of hiring loyal employees.

●      Selection Process: Informing the candidates of the selection process you will be using is crucial. For example, you can share if the recruitment is going to happen in stages. 

●      Salary Range: Stating the salary range for the job you are offering is an effective method to filter candidates in the hiring process. 

●      Timeline for Recruitment: This is the most important aspect you need to share with the job applicants. Most candidates that will apply for the job position may be out of work, so a long hiring process may not be ideal for them. Try and be specific about the length of time of the job recruitment. Let the applicants know the specifics of the situation they are entering into. 

If your actions as a hiring manager reflect transparency, the chance that the honesty will be reciprocated is high. 

Detailed interview Feedback

No company or business enjoys rejecting job applicants, but they will prioritize hiring qualified candidates. The job industry currently notes the importance of providing constructive feedback to successful and unsuccessful job applicants. When you provide detailed feedback stating the reasons for hiring or rejection, it reflects the fact that you respect the candidates. 

Additionally, it creates an opportunity for applicants who may feel unfairly treated to be aware of the reasons they were not hired. An aggrieved job applicant that feels wronged can share the details concerning your company on the internet through social media. That can spell doom for your company, so to avoid this provide detailed interview feedback as a form of justification. 

Fairer hiring process

Earlier on, we shared the fact that due to the pandemic, most recruiters will be focused on hiring diverse and versatile applicants that can easily adapt to unforeseeable situations. To solely achieve this recruiting trend, most companies usually adopt a fair and more consistent hiring process. A fair recruitment process usually includes: 

●      Training hiring managers on the interview process: Instead of relying on conventional hiring methods, hiring managers can adopt standardized methods they can use to sieve through qualified candidates. Recognized and tested templates that will help in finding the best candidates for a specific job position should be used. 

●      Create a diverse hiring team: One person should not be in charge of recruitment which is a sensitive task. No matter how impartial a person is conceived to be, a certain element of bias still resides in the person. A team consisting of multiple individuals that can make constructive decisions should handle employee acquisition. 

●      Set fair interview questions that will expose all the job applicants to the same interview experience. 

●      Consistent tests: Let the skill test you set for screening be void of inconsistencies. 

●      Maintain contact: Be in close reach with the job applicants throughout the recruitment process.

Applicant Data Protection

Cybercrime, which includes fraud and internet hacking, is the downside of technology enhancement. Personal data can be used fraudulently if one is not careful. From the start of the pandemic, the FBI recorded a shocking 300% rise in cybercrimes. The increase in remote work in the pandemic, which involves the exchange of personal data, added to the increase in cybercrimes. However, despite this setback, it appears that remote work is becoming an inseparable part of our current business world. Job applicants’ data is now being considered as a priority to safeguard them from internet hackers. 

Using Soft Skills as a Hiring Recruitment

In a company, apart from the cut-out assigned roles your qualifications can accomplish, there is another set of skills that are needed. This set of skills are referred to as "soft skills." Soft skills due to the pandemic are now a crucial part of hiring requirements. Soft skills include leadership, adaptability, creativity, communication, among others. They assist in job performance in a company. 

Hiring Generation Z

A Gen Z member is anyone born between 1997-2012. Over the years, people from this age grade have been slowly entering the workforce. However, 2020, the pandemic year, significantly changed their work perspective. It caused a good number of Gen Z members to view the workforce in a positive light. To hire Gen Z members who are better adapted to the recent changes in the business sectors, unlike the millennials hiring managers should: 

●      Solely concentrate their actions on selling the role. 

●      Include technology in your hiring process. 

●      Include remote work.  

Final Thoughts

The first crucial step that leads to the running of a successful company is the recruitment process, where you have the option of selecting qualified candidates that will assist in achieving company goals. The conventional methods used by the workforce were changed by the pandemic resulting in new hiring trends highlighted in this write-up.

Guest Contributor: Tiffany Harper