Organisations have embraced innovation and technology at an unprecedented rate, especially in their recruitment processes. Human Resources are also increasingly recognising the need for external support for some of the key functions, such as interviews. HR personnel often face situations where the interviewers or teams have a bandwidth crunch and, therefore, cannot make time for interviews. There are also times when the organisation is hiring for new skills and there is no in-house expertise to evaluate the candidate and conduct an interview. At times, the team prefers to hire from a larger pool of candidates that could be beyond what the internal human resources can offer.

In such scenarios, interview outsourcing services can be of great help and a big value add. Many a time, by outsourcing interviews to on-demand interview services, organisations stand to benefit more than by conducting them in-house. Here are some clear benefits that Interview Services offer:

Finding the best fit for the role

Be it domain-level interviews or seeking a defined skill set, interview services can get you the cream of talent. They will find the candidate that perfectly fits the role by accurately assessing the technical skills of candidates and evaluating their problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities to match with the job requirements.

Bringing experts on the job

Interview outsourcing companies offer panellists with vast experience in varied industries to conduct interviews and identify the best candidates. They have qualified subject matter experts with decades of industry experience to be on your interview panels and present you with a filtered set of candidates.

Ushering efficiency and cost-saving

Interview services can help companies hire a candidate who’s the best fit while reducing the spend on time and resources. By removing the tactical hassles of interviewing and delivering results faster, outsourced services help fast track hiring and get the best candidate in the shortest span. Companies can thus expand their reach for a candidate at a fraction of the cost.

Eliminating bias

A key benefit of an interview service is the elimination of bias in hiring. With outsourced interviews, the process is objective, transparent and focussed on hiring the right talent. There is no scope for conscious or unconscious human bias in the recruitment process.

Using advanced tools and techniques

Be it implementation of a new recruitment model or getting a new hire with a rare skill set, smart interview services are attuned to the needs of the organisation. They help with the most modern interviewing techniques and ask questions that are relevant in that particular domain today.

Saving bandwidth of employees

Another enormous advantage of an expert interview service is that it takes the burden of interviewing and evaluating off the present employees and managers, allowing them full bandwidth to carry on with their core functions.

HR departments too can focus on their major business activities while hiring requirements are fulfilled optimally by outsourced expertise. Expert interviewer services can successfully fulfill an organisation’s hiring needs and recruit the best talent.

James Collins, management guru and author of the book Good to Great, once said:
“… the single biggest constraint on the success of my organisation is the ability to get and to hang on to enough of the right people.”

Finding and retaining the right people is crucial for the success of any organisation—this cannot be emphasised enough. Companies are going all guns blazing, scouring for the best talent in the market. In this hunt for the best talent, many companies are turning to experts from outside the organisation to run the interview game. More and more companies are beginning to believe that an outside panel of experts could help them get them the right bunch, with the right skills, from which to choose.
So,why are organisations banking on external support to conduct interviews? In certain cases, companies either do not have in-house experts or face a dearth of in-house interviewers to conduct interviews in specific technologies. Even if there are in-house experts, companies often want to get a third party perspective about a candidate, to confirm candidate suitability and make more informed hiring decisions. Besides, recruiters, at times, experience scheduling conflicts with in-house interviewers. This could result in candidate dropouts arising from the delay in conducting interviews.

Why take the expert interview route?

Improved quality of hire: When key technical positions need to be filled, organisations often rely on companies that provide expert interviewers. These interviewers are adept in the requisite domains and technology, and know the best way to evaluate and select top candidates for the job. Not just that, interviews can even be customised based on the specific role or expectations of the position. This results in a more accurate evaluation and selection, thereby improving the quality of the hire.

Reduction in hiring time: Getting in-house interviewers to evaluate potential candidates can become a scheduling nightmare for recruiters! Delay in conducting interviews leads to longer turnaround times. These situations are rife for candidates dropping out of the interview cycle and opting to join rival companies that have a more streamlined interview process, not to mention the damage it wreaks on the employer’s reputation and branding. Letting the experts take charge of interviews not only lessens the load on the recruiter, but also ensures reduction in the time to hire a candidate.

Cost savings: Outsourcing of interviews saves time for companies’ in-house experts who would otherwise be required to spend a significant part of their bandwidth for conducting interviews and evaluating candidates. This time could be better utilised in performing their regular tasks, resulting in substantial cost savings for the organisation. Once the expert interviewers step in, they enable faster pipeline processing of candidates and nimble scaling up of teams through precise and accurate evaluation.

Eliminate bias in candidate selection: Every organisation would want the best candidate to fill in a particular job opening. However, when companies use in-house interviewers, bias often creeps into the interview process, much to the detriment of the organisation. When interviews are outsourced to expert interviewers, there are fewer chances for any favouritism or partiality to enter the system. This measure ensures inclusive interview practices to select the best talent, benefitting the company in the long run.

Outsourcing interviews lets organisations focus on their core strengths and business activities without the distractions of organising logistics and interviewers for hiring purposes. Allowing experts to handle the crucial aspect of conducting interviews has the potential to help organisations revolutionise recruitment by maximising their own resources. HirePro offers expert interview solutions with qualified subject matter experts who have decades of industry experience. Reach out to HirePro at sales@hirepro.in or 080 6656 6000 to know more.

To create and maintain a steady stream of quality talent in a recruitment landscape that is constantly in a state of flux can be an enormous challenge. In-house hiring teams often find it difficult to cope with the dynamic and evolving hiring demands. They are not only left in the lurch when trying to bring together an in-house panel of experts to interview niche talent but also end up facing several obstacles while trying to engage industry experts when they need a second opinion on candidates.

Besides, organisations that need to hire in high volumes within short timelines tend to experience logistical problems and inordinate delays. With the mounting average cost per hire and average days to fill a position added to the mix, organisations are increasingly opting to outsource interviews to enhance the quality of hire, reduce the time to hire and minimise costs substantially.

Interview outsourcing involves a partnership between an organisation and an interview outsourcing partner, wherein the latter deploys a dedicated panel of industry experts to interview candidates, as per the specifications given by the former, to identify top-notch talent. Interview outsourcing is a subset of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). In RPO, the service provider undertakes the responsibility of executing all the functions in the recruitment cycle on behalf of an organisation, thereby fulfilling talent acquisition and hiring needs either completely or partially. While RPO has been widely adopted, interview outsourcing is an emerging trend.

The brass tacks of interview outsourcing

Let us first explore the steps involved in engaging an interview outsourcing provider.

Assess your requirements

Auditing and assessing your specific requirements ensure that you secure buy-in from all the relevant stakeholders on the need to partner with an interview outsourcing provider. Doing so also gives the interview outsourcing provider a clear picture of the goals that your organisation is aiming to achieve with interview outsourcing. Your goals may include scaling up your teams rapidly, gaining speed and flexibility in the interview process, improving the quality of candidates, ensuring a cost-effective and standardised interview process and introducing interview technology to enhance the interview process for more accurate talent acquisition results.

Choose the right interview outsourcing partner

The difference between a good interview outsourcing partner and a great one is their focus on consistent delivery of interview excellence by employing both a highly qualified and competent panel of experts and leading-edge interview technology. In addition, the right interview outsourcing partner will make efforts to precisely understand your interview requirements, imbibe and honour your organisational culture and offer a customised and holistic strategy to ensure that the best candidates are selected during the interview process. They will also ensure timely delivery of a sustained stream of candidates that meet your specifications, at minimum cost and without any hassle.

Select the best-suited interview panel

Your interview outsourcing partner will present you with the portfolios of relevant and highly skilled individuals from their large pool of industry experts, hand-picked after in-depth analyses, to meet your specific requirements. You can select the right set of qualified experts to constitute interview panels for various domains and departments within your organisation. These interview experts will possess the skills, mindset and experience to accurately identify top talent for your organisation. Further, your interview outsourcing partner will provide the industry experts with interview skills training from time to time and update them on the latest interviewing tools, techniques and technologies for superior results. Be it technical interviews or non-technical ones, you can choose the right set of vetted and verified experts to interview candidates for the various job descriptions for which your organisation wishes to hire candidates. What’s more, virtual benches can also be set up to facilitate remote interviews.

Opt for an apt interview mode

interview outsourcing providers offer several interview modes that you can choose from. Some of these interview formats include traditional face-to-face interviews, panel interviews, group interviews and video interviews. You can also choose between synchronous or live video interviews and asynchronous or pre-recorded video interviews. Apart from interviews, technical or coding assessments and functional assessments can also be outsourced. Besides, up-to-date and tech-first interview outsourcing partners will offer interview services on mobile interview platforms for added ease of use, scalability and flexibility.

The mechanics of a winning partnership in interview outsourcing

Now, let us delve into the services provided by your interview outsourcing provider after being apprised of your specific requirements and preferences.

Analyse your requirements and challenges

At the start of your interview outsourcing engagement, your interview outsourcing partner will meticulously analyse your requirements and dissect the various talent acquisition challenges faced by your organisation. It will also identify opportunities and the scope for improvement in hiring quality talent. It will work closely with your talent acquisition team and hiring managers to learn your organisation’s long-term hiring goals and strategy. It will absorb your company culture and study your target market, competitors and industry. Besides, it will conduct a thorough analysis of the job descriptions and selection criteria provided by you. It will also share relevant information with your chosen panel of experts for their perusal.

Design a customised interview programme

Your interview outsourcing partner will use the details provided by you, the insights gained from analysing your inputs and the inferences drawn from conducting additional research to formulate a highly customised interview strategy and framework. It will create a made-to-measure matrix of experts, tools and technologies to ensure the selection of quality talent. It will shoulder the entire responsibility of managing scheduling and logistics. It will not only resolve common challenges faced by candidates and interviewers but also employ strategies to tackle obstacles unique to your organisation. The harmonious blend of consultation, partnership and efficient execution, coupled with a tailor-made approach towards interview excellence, is what sets apart an experienced interview outsourcing partner from a staffing agency.

Communicate with candidates

One of the main reasons why candidates have a poor interview experience is the lack of communication and engagement by hiring teams. Your interview outsourcing partner will accept the responsibility to regularly communicate with candidates and proactively engage with them on your behalf. It will provide candidates with guidance at every stage of the interview process, keep them informed on the next steps, have regular conversations with them, answer their questions, provide transparent feedback and address any problems that they may experience. It will also tactfully handle candidates who do not clear the interview process such that they hold your organisation in high regard. Further, your interview outsourcing partner will be skilled and experienced in treating all candidates with respect and consideration, thereby enhancing your employer brand.

Implement interview technology solutions

The adoption of new and innovative technologies in the recruitment and interview space has been rising in recent years. Today, interview outsourcing providers have the capability to incorporate AI technology, machine learning, data analytics, predictive analysis and more into the interview process. Now, you can instruct your interview outsourcing partner to deploy and implement any combination of these tools and technologies to simplify, streamline and optimise the interview process while simultaneously reducing the cost to hire and time to hire. What’s more, leading interview outsourcing providers deploy tools and technologies, developed keeping interviews and assessments in mind, such as AI-based tools for identity verification, which drastically reduce instances of impersonation. They also employ tech-assisted live human proctoring and AI-powered proctoring technology to detect and deter fraudulent behavior and suspicious activity.

Conduct interviews

The industry experts chosen by you to conduct interviews will be well-versed in the best practices and skills for interviewing. The interviews will be conducted professionally, transparently and in the format of your choosing. The interviewers will prepare the interview questions in advance, listen to the candidates intentionally and actively, take exhaustive notes for future reference, give candidates sufficient time to ask questions, provide constructive feedback and give them information on the next steps after the interview. Further, the interviewers will maintain the highest standard of professionalism and embody your company culture to provide all the candidates with an exceptional interview experience.

Filter suitable candidates without bias

After the interviews, the interviewers will take additional notes to record their final observations. Then, they will review each candidate’s technical or functional assessment, if any. In some cases, interviewers may also conduct follow-up interviews. While screening candidates for niche skills, the interviewers will be trained to avoid conscious and unconscious biases such as stereotyping bias, generalisation bias, gender bias, racial bias, recency bias and more. Besides, the use of AI technology, automation and data analytics will assist interviewers in making objective and balanced decisions while filtering candidates for your organisation. You can rest assured that the outcome of the interview process will be a diverse selection of top-notch candidates that personify your company culture.

Provide a detailed report to your organisation

After filtering suitable candidates, your interview outsourcing partner will collaborate with the interviewers to create and share a detailed and data-driven report with your organisation. This report will include details about candidates such as communication skills, overall behavior, technical knowledge, previous experience, potential for growth and forecasts on employee retention in the long run. The remarks by the interviewer will also include any observations that stood out during the interview and which may have a bearing on candidate selection. Thus, these customised and comprehensive reports will enable you to efficiently and effectively select the best and brightest candidates for your organisation.

Conclusion

The global RPO market, which includes interview outsourcing, was valued at $6.32 billion in 2020. It is estimated to expand to $14.5 billion by 2026 and grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% during the forecast period. Today, organisations are aware of the ground reality where a large pool of talented professionals remains untapped due to constraints of time, costs and lack of expertise. Hence, in the near future, we can expect to see a steady rise in the number of organisations partnering with interview outsourcing providers to optimise and streamline interviews for smooth and timely acquisition of superior quality talent.

The interview outsourcing vertical at HirePro can speed up the processing of your talent pipeline like never before. Our interview services help scale your teams with agility and ensure the selection of the best candidates without interviewer bias and at a minimal logistical cost. As your partner, HirePro takes up end-to-end responsibility to schedule, coordinate and conduct interviews on your behalf in a seamless manner. HirePro’s data-driven reports, customised feedback and other value-added services make candidate selection a smooth and hassle-free process. Find out how HirePro can help you clinch top-notch talent today!

References:

• www.globenewswire.com
• www.grandviewresearch.com

“Welcome my son
Welcome to the machine
Where have you been?
It’s alright we know where you’ve been”

Pink Floyd, “Welcome to the machine”, in their 1975 album “Wish You Were Here”

Humans have been fearing the rise of sentient machines for much of the 20th century. Now that we are well and truly in the machine age, it’s somewhat amazing to see how the machines have insinuated themselves into our lives, in ways big and small.

In the context of recruiting for jobs, the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can best be described as ‘Rising and Rising’. From taking over monotonous, repetitive jobs and time consuming tasks, AI engines are powering modern-day recruitment platforms in supporting decision making and data analytics.

However, will this rise of the machines include AI taking over actual job interviews as well? Can we expect to talk to AI, particularly in today’s virtual interviews, before we get a job offer? The notion of Artificial Intelligence in interviews seems daunting, even dystopian to many. Let us parse the tea leaves to understand AI-powered virtual interviews better.

Will AI Take Over Job Interviews?

What makes for successful interviews? On the part of the interviewee, it involves adequate preparation with regard to the role being interviewed for. This could mean research on the company, revision of possible technical/functional areas the person will be interviewed in, and preparation with the right attire and logistics for the interview.

For the interviewing team, interviews form the crux of the recruitment process. From filtering for the must-have criteria via the initial interview rounds to determining technical and functional skills as well as cultural fit in later rounds, interviews help hiring teams find the best fit for their open roles.

A high-level review of the interviewing process shows many areas where AI can assist the hiring team in the process, particularly the repetitive, ‘codable’ parts that operate within measurable constraints.

Here are some tasks that AI can take on:

• Optimise initial filtering interviews: Instead of person-to-person ‘top of the funnel’ rounds, which can consume many cycles in terms of logistics and time, recruiters can ask candidates to send in short video responses to pre-set questions.

AI is employed in this round to do facial analysis of the videos submitted to screen candidates. Criteria such as word choice and intonation can be set to gauge the candidates’ suitability for the next round.

• Provide convenience to interviewees and interviewers: The advantage of such AI-driven filtering? Candidates can login at their own convenience and finish these rounds. Some platforms offer candidates ‘practice rounds’ so that they submit their best videos for consideration.
  The benefit for the interviewing company? Scale! One AI interviewer bot can potentially pare down among 20,000 candidates with such filtering rounds for a role with many applicants.
• Conduct online coding assessments: Now considered a common tool to filter candidates, online coding tests and hackathons driven by AI engines are a surefire way to assess the problem solving and analytical skills of candidates, not to mention their knowledge of programming languages and APIs.
• Reduce human interviewer bias: Although AI systems have been found to be vulnerable to bias, primarily due to the bias inherent in their training data sets, recruiters have found that using AI can help lessen discrimination by human interviewers.
• Provide feedback to candidates: With AI powered virtual interview rounds, candidates can get personalized feedback on their performance instantly as well as coaching tips for improvement. This is something harried human interviewers may not have the bandwidth to do, particularly when undertaking high-volume hiring.

Leading recruitment platforms including HirePro’s AI powered virtual interview platform offer many of these features. These can help to immensely reduce the time recruiting teams spend on sourcing and screening candidates, particularly high-volume, low-skill roles.

Even for many high-skill roles, the platforms remove the need to waste HR professionals’ precious time, especially during the initial rounds. The repetitive nature of screening rounds make them an apt fit for being conducted by AI. The HR team can step in to support and close in the final interviews after the hiring managers have made their decisions and given their inputs about technical and functional skills.

In a nutshell, that ‘interview with a machine’ that you and I were apprehensive about is already happening. It is not as fearful as the drum beaters make it sound. In fact, the converse is true: AI powered interviews can bring a wealth of productivity and efficiency to the recruitment process. What is undeniable is that AI powered interviews are here to stay, and recruitment specialists couldn’t be happier about it.

As clichéd as it may sound, it cannot be denied that 2020 and 2021 completely upset all business models, priorities and plans as organisations were forced to navigate a rapidly changing business environment. From managing work from home/remote locations to marketing methods and hiring techniques, almost every practice has been overhauled. Certain changes appear to be here to stay. And from where we’re standing now, 2022 doesn’t look very different. Only time will tell whether this will finally be the year of stability or one of continued transitions.

Here’s a look at some of the workspace trends that marked 2021 and are very likely to continue in 2022.

1. Productivity, remote work and tools

The hybrid work model appears to be here to stay. It is already transforming the business world and affecting the global economy.

• The pandemic has increased the size of the remote workforce many times over, and flexibility now extends to flexibility in time too. With the change in outlook, employees are becoming more empowered and are demanding flexibility. Organisations are responding favourably too. This has created new work opportunities for many.
• With remote work becoming so big, developments in technology are booming, both in terms of business as well as tools. Better cameras, sound equipment, video tools and connectivity tools are being designed and manufactured at a fast pace.
• Although a hybrid work model is feasible for many industries, it obviously cannot work for frontline workers in healthcare, public service, transport, security and retail, to name a few. However, the tools they use to collaborate and provide better services have become virtual in many cases. Online consultations in healthcare is an example.
• A Microsoft survey found that while employees appreciated the flexibility offered by remote work, they craved in-person time with their team too. In fact, Glint data shows that about 81 per cent of employees prefer to work remotely at least half of the time, and with a team at the office the rest of the time.
• It has been widely reported that overall employee productivity increased during the pandemic. However, employees are known to have sometimes felt demotivated and stressed. Mental health concerns of employees can no longer be swept under the carpet.
• Unfortunately, many have either lost their jobs or have had to leave the workforce to provide care for children or older family members at home. Women seem to have been more impacted than men.
• In some cases, the absence of adequate tools to work from home has forced people to leave their jobs too.

2. Skills and demand

With changing needs, the demand for skills continued to change too. Managers are being encouraged to focus more on skills instead of roles. While organisations are encouraging employees to upgrade their skills, there has also been an uptake of freelance workers with the right skills being hired on demand. This has opened up a multitude of opportunities for the freelance workforce. It’s not surprising then that the gig economy appears to be here to stay.

3. The gig economy

The gig economy matches business needs and opportunities with individuals with the right skills. It offers flexibility, variety in terms of tasks and organisations, and good wages. Individuals have the option of completely moving out of a full-time job and taking on one or more additional jobs. The phenomenon has been growing steadily. From USD 204 billion in 2018, the worth of the global gig economy is expected to reach a massive USD 455 billion in 2023.

Design and technology are the two areas most popular among freelance workers, contributing to about 59% of the gig economy. In the US, other successful sectors are transportation services such as Uber, asset-sharing platforms such as Airbnb, handmade goods and household services, and professional services. About 79% of independent workers have reported to be happier working on their own rather than doing a traditional job.

Of course it’s not all rosy. Most gig workers do not receive any employer-sponsored benefits, and are generally more anxious about their financial security. And if we look at the gender divide, only 40% of women depend on the gig economy as their primary source of income.

4. Women in the present economy

Safety at work for women has always been a matter of concern. In the freelance sector, it is even more so given that there is no panel to which to report. For example, drivers of taxi service are known to have been assaulted by customers hundreds of times. The drivers are background checked and vetted but obviously the customers are not. Women are naturally concerned about their personal safety first, and some might prefer to avoid this type of work even if it means giving up lucrative wages.

More women have probably left the workforce because of the pandemic than ever before. Most women need flexibility to remain in the workforce under the existing conditions. Further, in a gig economy, career growth is not well-defined. Any advancement requires skill advancement. However, in a W2 gig economy model, gig workers have access to full-time in-house opportunities. This translates to significant career advancements. Women often prefer these types of opportunities where there is flexibility as well as constructive opportunity. It allows women to work in a flexible environment and take up challenging roles.

In the midst of all these challenges, 41 women CEOs broke all records and took up positions of power in leading Fortune 500 companies in 2021. They shone as strong leaders and took firm decisions in favour of supporting diversity in the workspace and helping employees manage their work-life balance.

5. Hiring and retaining talent

• Workforce restructuring has become a regular phenomenon during the pandemic. While 2020 was a year of uncertainty for many, 2021 was a little more hopeful. The trend is expected to continue in 2022.
• The ‘Great Resignation’, also called the ‘Great Reshuffle’, has been too big to miss. A Microsoft survey, done in 2020, said that 41% of the participants planned to leave their existing employer in 2021. And sure enough, in September 2021, a record 4.4 million people in the US left their jobs.
• Leaders are diversifying by employing people with different skills and backgrounds such as those with disabilities, those with military backgrounds, skilled personnel from the LGBTQ pool and from new geographies. Skills are clearly not limited by gender or geography.

6. The gender-wage gap continues to exist as employees return to office

Many organisations are already on the hybrid work model and employees have started returning to the office. A trend that has been observed is that given a choice, more men are returning to office while more women, especially those with children, are continuing to work from home. Unfortunately a pre-existing belief that employees perform better at office and, therefore, deserve better rewards may worsen the gender wage-gap that already exists. However, data collected during the pandemic shows that remote workers have been performing better than those working at the office. It’s time to bridge the gap.

7. Boosting mental and physical wellness of employees

• Employers have had a far closer look at the lives of their employees during the pandemic years than ever before. As employees continue to grapple with professional and personal difficulties, organisations have had to shift their outlook and begin helping their employees manage their life experiences too.
• Employees who received organisational support in their personal lives clearly performed better. In fact, Gartner’s 2020 ReimagineHR Employee Survey showed that supportive employers saw a 21% growth in the number of high performers.
• The definition of wellness has now expanded to include mental health. The pandemic has brought home the critical importance of employee health, both physical and mental health. The Gartner survey showed that organisations with support systems saw a rise of 23% in the number of employees with better mental health and a rise of 17% in the number of employees with better physical health.
• Just as mental health is being de-stigmatised in the wake of Covid-related stress, the importance of sleep is being discussed too. Sleep, a subject rarely discussed earlier, can no longer be ignored.

Change is here to stay

At the end of the day, the challenges facing the world today are new and unpredictable. The hybrid work model, the great reshuffle and the gig economy are all creating fundamental changes in the workspace. History shows that there is always opportunity in turbulent times. Organisations that are quick to adapt to evolving changes and ready to innovate will come out of it shining. Retaining talent will continue to be a challenge and only those organisations that consider both the bottom line and employee benefits will retain the best.
The stresses of 2020 continued into 2021, and many will continue in 2022. Most organisations have handled challenges the best way they can. As they continue to address the evolving needs of the workforce as well as the economy, long-term solutions will continue to emerge.

Sources

• www.hbr.org
• www.microsoft.com
• www.blogs.microsoft.com
• www.linkedin.com
• www.brodmin.com
• www.forbes.com
• www.fortune.com

Organisations are always on the lookout for talent. But scouting, screening and selecting suitable candidates is a time-consuming and laborious process. It often keeps an organisation’s talent pipelines in the doldrums. To overcome these challenges, an increasing number of organisations are opting to outsource the tedious part of interviewing to interview outsourcing providers. With interview outsourcing, you can now put the onus of interviewing and shortlisting candidates on your interview outsourcing partner, leaving you with the sole task of selecting the best candidates for your organisation.

Here are the different types of interviews you can outsource to your interview outsourcing partner.

Here are the different types of interviews you can outsource to your interview outsourcing partner.

Behavioural interviews

Behavioural interviews or situational interviews aim to assess a candidate’s skills, calibre and potential to meet the job requirements, predicated on their past performance. Your interview outsourcing partner will use the latest behaviour interview techniques to gauge whether the candidate will be able to perform the functions the job demands. They will evaluate the candidate’s potential performance and interpersonal competency based on their previous problem-solving experiences and their approach towards tasks and challenges.

Case interviews

In a case interview, your interview outsourcing partner will present candidates with a realistic business scenario that they might come across while working for your company. It will test the problem-solving skills, analytical skills and soft skills of the candidates, based on their solutions to the given business problem or case study. This will help the outsourcing partner gain insights into the suitability of candidates for the job.

Depth interviews

A depth interview examines the in-depth knowledge and expertise of candidates in a special area of interest. Your interview outsourcing partner will arrange subject matter experts to test the niche skills and knowledge of candidates in domains such as coding, data science and machine learning. The experts will then analyse the detailed responses given by the candidates and filter them for you to decide their fit for the job.

Stress interviews

Stress interviews analyse the response of candidates under immense pressure. Candidates undergoing a stress interview will be given intimidating questions and scenarios geared to assess their ability to juggle high-stakes tasks in high-pressure situations, deal with demanding clients or handle awkward situations with colleagues or superiors. Your interview outsourcing partner will filter candidates based on their ability to handle these adverse situations.

Interviews based on mode of delivery

Phone interviews

Phone interviews are generally early-stage or pre-interview screening calls that help determine whether the candidate ought to be invited for an in-person interview. Your interview outsourcing partner will help narrow down the pool of candidates by asking them a series of pertinent questions focused on their experiences and goals.

Video interviews

In video or remote interviews, your interview outsourcing partner will use video technology to interview candidates located in various geographical areas. This type of interview can be conducted in a live, synchronous format or an on-demand, asynchronous format. Video recordings from these interviews will be made available to you for further review.

Group interviews

In a group interview, the interviewer will interview several candidates simultaneously for a similar position. These interviews help the interviewer observe the soft skills of a candidate such as problem-solving, interpersonal communication and teamwork. It helps your interview outsourcing partner filter a large number of candidates in a short span of time.

Panel interviews

In panel interviews, multiple interviewers interview a single candidate. Your interview outsourcing partner will arrange for a panel of industry experts with several years of experience in a specific domain. The panellists will collaborate to draw up a comprehensive set of questions. They will carefully study the behaviour, competence and niche skills of candidates in a particular field and collectively shortlist them, based on their interview performance.

Conclusion

Every candidate wants to feel valued and sought after. When you outsource interviews to an experienced interview outsourcing partner, it goes above and beyond to provide your candidates with an experience par excellence. It regularly communicates with candidates, keeps them engaged, gives ample feedback and provides them with a superior interview experience that may not be possible to achieve with an in-house hiring team. It exemplifies your company culture and ethos so much that candidates cannot often discern that your organisation has outsourced interviews.

HirePro’s highly customised interview outsourcing services lighten your interview load, with external experts and diverse interview panels, for bias-free and effortless shortlisting of quality candidates. Tap the crème de la crème of talent by partnering with HirePro today.

Organisations across the board are gearing up for an increasingly hybrid world that blends virtual and in-person interactions. In this context, the campus recruitment landscape has experienced a paradigm shift. Earlier, organisations deployed traditional campus recruitment strategies consisting of in-person interactions and events such as on-campus job fairs and face-to-face interviews. Then, to derive the benefits of technological advancements, they began adopting virtual recruitment strategies that included video interviews and customised virtual events. However, with disease outbreaks and unpredictable economic conditions posing a constant threat to the talent pipeline, organisations are now opting for a hybrid campus recruitment strategy to remain flexible and agile in the changing circumstances.

A hybrid campus recruitment strategy is a harmonious fusion of various permutations and combinations of in-person and virtual recruitment strategies based on the specific hiring requirements of an organisation. Virtual tools allow sourcing diverse talent from campuses across the globe, speeding up time-to-hire, eliminating travel expenses and reducing logistical costs. On the other hand, in-person interactions provide the essential human touch in recruitment. They enable getting to know the most talented students better, allowing students to interact with multiple employers at the same place and providing students with an opportunity to have their queries addressed in real-time. Hence, a made-to-measure hybrid campus recruitment strategy, which aligns with specific hiring requirements, is set to become the norm in the future.

Here are six steps for transforming your campus recruitment strategy to stay ahead of the curve in the hybrid world.

Re-strategise as per your campus recruitment needs in the hybrid world

New avenues of talent acquisition have opened up for organisations in the post-pandemic era. With educational institutions encouraging both in-person and virtual events, a hybrid campus recruitment strategy can unlock access to talent from around the globe. In order to capitalise on this expanded talent pool, your recruitment strategy must be redesigned for enhanced flexibility and scalability. Carefully gauging current and future talent needs, listing out the exact positions you aim to hire for, matching specific skills with target universities and identifying the most successful events and activities from the past can help you formulate a highly focussed hybrid campus recruitment strategy.

While redefining your strategy, it is recommended to take stock of the availability of resources, logistical support, technology and timelines for delivery to understand operational bandwidth. Then, map the list of events and activities to be held in-person or in the virtual format, and roll out the preparations for execution. At present, it is a common practice to conduct screenings, assessments and the initial rounds of interviews in the virtual format, with large parts of pre-placement talks, employer branding and coordination with colleges and universities preferably being carried out in-person.

Establish and streamline your hybrid campus recruitment process

After identifying whether events and activities are to be held in-person or virtually, you can fill out a schedule comprising an optimal mix of both formats to reach the best candidates beyond your usual target group. Since hybrid campus recruitment is new, streamlining the process may take some time. Hence, it is advised to stay adaptable and leave some spots in the schedule open to test out adding new events and opportunities as and when they arise. Your hybrid campus recruitment process could consist of stages, such as candidate application, pre-placement talks, screening, assessments, group discussions, interviews and post-placement discussions.

When planning your hybrid campus recruitment process, you will need to sequentially record the stages, supplemented with a list of materials required for each stage. Name tags, giveaways and business cards will be needed in case of the in-person format while laptops, tablets and campus recruiting software will have to be arranged in case of the virtual format. After finalising the process, you can synchronise all the stages with your team; this will help them plan the acquisition of resources required at every stage. Planning the internal and external logistical support for each stage will also ensure that the hybrid campus recruitment process flows smoothly and efficiently.

Choose the right hybrid campus recruitment technology solutions

The slew of features offered by campus recruitment technology platforms includes automation, scheduling, candidate database organisation and management, deep-dive analytics and comprehensive reports. They not only eliminate paperwork and manual intervention but also crunch reams of data in record time for real-time insights that help pivot your strategy if and when required. Technology solutions also help scale quickly and cost-effectively. One of the important features to consider while choosing the right software for your hybrid campus recruitment needs is the ability to seamlessly integrate the in-person and virtual stages of your recruitment process to establish a single unified system.

During the in-person stages, campus recruitment technology platforms can be accessed via laptops, tablets and mobile devices to facilitate registrations, candidate verification, interview scheduling and email follow-ups. Technology solutions for virtual stages include cloud-based platforms for online events such as online job fairs and virtual campus hackathons, online assessments and live or pre-recorded online interviews.

HirePro provides a comprehensive, customised and automated solution for hybrid campus recruitment. It enables you to effortlessly merge the in-person and virtual stages of campus recruitment as per your specific requirements for a holistic view on a single intuitive and feature-rich dashboard.

Promote your hybrid campus recruitment strategy

Once the recruitment process and technology solutions are in place, it’s time to promote your unique hybrid recruitment strategy. Students from target colleges and universities must be made aware of the recruitment stages to be held in-person or virtually. Since students are active on social media, your organisation should have a social media presence on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to inform and engage students regularly. On social media, you can share posts about your organisation’s mission, goals and work culture as well as useful content on career orientation. Besides, you can share sign-up links and intimation posts on upcoming events and activities. You can also send email alerts, SMS and push notifications to keep students in the loop. Further, search engine optimisation using relevant keywords must be done to secure maximum visibility and reach.

Students tend to visit websites of organisations to gather further information on recruitment events or contact them directly. Hence, it is vital to keep your organisation’s website and careers page updated. It is also recommended to add a section on your careers page, allowing interested applicants to register and upload their resumes online. Optimising your site for mobile usage is advised as most students conduct job searches on their mobile phones. In addition, you can advertise on university and alumni websites. Apart from online promotion, offline promotional material should be crafted carefully to convey your message to target students in a compelling manner. It could include printed flex banners at campus recruitment booths, brochures, pamphlets, flyers and branded merchandise giveaways.

Enhance your employer brand

Your employer brand must reflect your new hybrid recruitment strategy in online aspects such as careers page and social media posts and offline aspects such as recruitment booths, brochures and giveaways. Your organisation’s logo, colours and messaging must be consistent and uniform to create a positive impression in the minds of students. Your employee value proposition (EVP) must be clearly conveyed so that you can attract students with specific skills and traits. Showcasing your organisation’s vision, mission and culture will improve brand reputation and make your organisation stand out from the competition. Constructively addressing any negative comments on review sites, such as Glassdoor, also fortifies your employer brand.

To further elevate your employer brand, you can appoint campus ambassadors to act as spokespersons for your brand. They help spread information on your offerings and the organisational culture via word of mouth. They also amplify awareness about your expectations among interested students and address their doubts and queries. With respect to your target colleges and universities, you could go beyond the initial in-person talks with campus stakeholders and conduct regular meetings with them. Providing useful information on your campus recruitment programs and activities to campus administrators is vital to improving your employer brand.

Nurture an enduring relationship with your campus partners

Building a robust and mutually beneficial relationship with your college or university campus partners is crucial to ensuring the success of your hybrid campus recruitment strategy. A hybrid strategy widens your talent pool. However, without a customised campus nurturing strategy for your list of target campuses, it could be challenging to clinch the best talent across different geographic locations. Your campus recruitment technology platform will allow you to efficiently manage and reach out to career centre directors, deans, professors, student groups and alumni associations of target campuses through personalised emails and notifications, enabling you to stay actively connected. Alternatively, you can also meet the campus stakeholders in-person to build a stronger relationship with them. Bringing campus stakeholders on board for the various in-person and virtual stages of your hybrid recruitment process is also an important step towards frictionless implementation.

Keeping the lines of communication open with all target campus stakeholders ensures that you receive important information about campus recruitment guidelines, events and timelines. It also allows you to keep campus stakeholders in the know about your evolving recruitment needs. When a trust-based rapport is established, you can enter into an agreement with the college or university to develop degree or certificate programs for subjects or disciplines in which your organisation is facing a shortage of skills. It will help bridge the skills gap and ensure a steady supply of fresh talent equipped with skills that match your most critical requirements.

Conclusion

A personalised approach and an authentic engagement with students during campus recruitment is the need of the hour. By harnessing the best of both virtual and in-person solutions, you can transcend limitations and capitalise on the benefits of both to ensure a steady flow of top-notch talent from campuses the world over. What’s more, you can future-proof your talent pipeline by enhancing your ability to pivot swiftly in response to unforeseen challenges. Thus, a hybrid campus recruitment strategy not only meets your immediate talent requirements efficiently but also helps you stay future-ready and competitive for years to come.

HirePro’s end-to-end University Hiring Solutions enable you to manoeuvre hybrid campus recruitment to onboard top-notch candidates worldwide. Our solutions include advisory services to help you choose the right colleges and universities, managed services for resource-intensive recruitment operations management at scale, AI-powered technology platform for automated recruitment workflows, customised content services, interview services, on-ground assistance for in-person events and 24/7 technical support for virtual events. Partner with us today to redefine and ace campus recruitment in the hybrid world.

The work landscape has changed drastically over the past few years. Remote work and hybrid models of work, adopted as a result of the pandemic, will now continue to be the norm. Organisations around the world have rapidly adopted technology and digitisation to thrive in this new environment. Finding, attracting, and hiring the right candidates for internships or for entry-level jobs through campus recruitment remains a key requirement for enterprises. So, campus recruitment must also be modified to suit the new norm.

Most businesses and educational institutes have risen to the occasion by organising virtual campus recruitment events and fairs. Virtual campus recruitment is in fact a preferred mode of hiring for employers as it saves them both time and effort. However, to make the best of this opportunity, you must ensure that your virtual hiring tools are able to overcome the challenges that this mode of hiring throws up.

Let’s take a look at some of these hurdles.

Internet constraints

54 per cent of employers responding to a HirePro study quoted low internet bandwidth at the students’ end as a major challenge to conducting online assessments. 61 per cent of employers attributed the same constraint to conducting online interviews too. These facts need to be read in tandem with the fact that 52 per cent of students report that they use mobile hotspots to attend interviews and assessments.

At the other end, 95 per cent of employers do not use a dedicated video interviewing software for campus recruitment and rely on popular video calling apps such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom and Webex. This makes for an inefficient combination.

It is imperative that employers adopt virtual recruitment platforms which enable low bandwidth tests. This will allow them to deliver a smooth and superior interview experience even at a low bandwidth.

Impersonation

Virtual hiring leaves the door open for impersonators, if the recruiter does not take the necessary steps to prevent this malpractice. One in three recruiters said that their current virtual hiring solutions do not detect impersonations. Recruiters must invest in a virtual hiring platform that provides live/ automated proctoring with voice and face recognition.

Malpractices during assessments

In-person assessments give you the opportunity to proctor and make sure that the assessment is fair and transparent. Virtual assessments do allow candidates the opportunity to commit fraud if the online assessment tool is not fraud-proof. HirePro’s virtual campus hiring platform comes equipped with live and automated proctoring modes which use live proctors or AI powered proctors.

Managing candidate experience and expectations

A smooth and hassle-free candidate experience is necessary to attract the right kind of talent to your organisation. A well organised, streamlined process with clear communication is essential for a superior candidate experience. The HirePro study indicates that many employers are not ready with the necessary tools required for an efficient virtual hiring process. 16 per cent reported that they lack the tools for scheduling assessments and interviews following post-offer engagement, for communication with candidates, identity verification, and dashboard.

An advanced end-to-end virtual hiring platform can help you deliver a candidate experience that showcases your organisation as an adaptive, tech-savvy and forward-thinking establishment.

Virtual onboarding

A clear and efficient virtual onboarding process is essential for new hire retention. It is an opportunity to introduce new hires to their team members and the organisation’s culture. Organisations should invest in virtual onboarding tools that will ensure a smooth and effective onboarding process.

Virtual campus recruitment is here to stay, essentially because it’s a more efficient way of hiring. Contact us at sales@hirepro.in to know more about the HirePro virtual campus hiring solution.

When our planet was in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, things at the workplace drastically changed. Most organisations responded with surprising agility by extending options for employees to work remotely. Even companies that had earlier frowned upon work from home options were really left with no choice but to make arrangements to enable employees to work remotely. Though flexibility for employees had always been a matter of debate, the pandemic drew focus on the need for it like never before.

What does flexibility at the workplace mean? Workplace flexibility for employees entails allowing them to work on a schedule and at a location that is most convenient for them, in the midst of managing their personal lives. It focuses more on what the employee has accomplished rather than when and where the work was done.

An absolute win-win

Two years into this pandemic, most companies have made remote work really work. Organisations reported positive experiences with remote work and flexible arrangements for their staff. With commute times becoming non-existent, productivity even went up during the initial months of the pandemic.
In general, the benefits to companies that provide employees flexible work options are multifold. Flexible workplaces are built on trust and communication, boosting employee morale. Such workplaces see improved productivity since the employees are able to bring their best selves to work, with working hours and locations that are most suitable for them. Flexibility promotes wellness and reduces stress for employees. Organisations also benefit from access to a larger talent pool. In fact, a LinkedIn study showed that women and Gen Z are more likely to apply for remote jobs.

The future is hybrid

Liz Fealy, EY Global People Advisory Services Deputy Leader and EY Global Workforce Advisory and Solutions Leader, says “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that flexibility can work for both employees and employers, and flexible working is the new currency for attracting and retaining top talent. Employers who want to keep the best people now and in the next normal will need to put flexible working front and centre of their talent strategy.”
With the pandemic now showing signs of ending and moving to the endemic phase, organisations are wondering what the “next normal” will look like. Since job-seekers and employees have now experienced the benefits of flexible work arrangements, most are looking for similar options even in a post-pandemic scenario.
As per the EY 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey, approximately 54 per cent of employees surveyed from around the world would consider leaving their job post-COVID-19 pandemic if they are not afforded some form of flexibility with regard to the where and when of their work. The survey found that nine in ten respondents want flexibility in work location and timings, with millennials twice as likely to quit as baby boomers.
Business leaders are feeling the heat and realising that they need to adapt to the situation. According to a study conducted by Plugable, in 2021, 87 per cent employers stated that they were feeling the pressure as other employers begin offering more flexibility or fully remote positions.

The way forward

It is clear that before the pandemic employees hoped that their companies would provide flexibility at work; whereas, they now expect their companies to provide flexible work options. Flexibility at work could encompass several work arrangements — remote work, night shifts, shortened work weeks, opportunities for sabbatical or work breaks (depending on personal situations such as elderly care) or extended medical leave. While it might be difficult for employers to provide and accommodate all types of flexible working arrangements, it would be prudent to provide as many solutions as possible to support the maximum number of employees. If companies focus on the results driven by their employees instead of the number of hours they are clocking, it could lead to a highly thriving and productive work culture.
HirePro is the preeminent technology platform for enterprise recruitment and supports the remote hiring cycle with an AI-powered platform. Contact us at sales@hirepro.in to know more about the HirePro virtual campus hiring solution.

Sources:

• ey.com
• plugable.com
• linkedin.com

Generations are shaped by the environment into which they are born. Generation Z or simply Gen Z refers to the people born between 1997 and 2010, following the millennials. They are simply referred to as Gen Z, and colloquially also known as zoomers, iGen, or centennials.

They seek authenticity, more freedom of expression and openness to diversity. Some of the oldest zoomers finished college in 2020 and have entered the workforce. The first generation of true digital natives, Gen Z members have grown up on a very high dose of the Internet and social media. In short, they are a hypercognitive generation, which is very comfortable with tuning into multiple sources of information and integrating virtual and offline experiences.

What sets Gen Z apart?

Gen Z members refuse to define themselves through any one stereotype. Instead, they experiment with different ways of being themselves and let their experiences shape their individual identity over time. A 2020 survey by The Center for Generational Kinetics, on 1000 members of Gen Z and 1000 millennials revealed that the former is likely to seek the most value for their money as many of them are already saving money to buy a house and planning for their retirement. Another distinct factor is that they generally have high digital literacy and influence. For them, mobile-friendly websites and social media engagements are indispensable.

Since Gen Z was raised with smartphones and have always had constant information access no matter where they were. They never had to wonder about anything for too long and rarely had to make uninformed decisions. This has certainly helped their natural drive for knowledge and perfection. However, it does leave room to improve their ability to make difficult decisions.

Why is it vital for companies to focus on the needs of the Gen-Z workforce?

Generation Z will soon surpass Millennials as the most populous generation on earth and form one-third of the world’s population. In the US, Gen Z already constitutes more than a quarter of the population and is the most diverse generation in the nation’s history. India has the world’s largest Gen Z cohort with 256 million young people.

The future of work will call for people with many talents, diverse interests and wider areas of knowledge. Key skills in the future workforce will include expertise in handling digital tools and technology, ease with data and analytics, and a natural leaning for design, besides management skills.

As Gen Z-ers are about to step onto the world stage they will profoundly impact the workplace, retail consumption, technology and culture. Radically different from Millennials, this generation has an entirely unique perspective on careers, which will change the meaning of success at work and in life. Therefore, as the future workforce, HR leaders need to clearly understand how to communicate with Gen Z.

Ways to inspire and motivate Gen Z employees

Understanding how Gen Z works, their workplace expectations, and how they approach work are essential to understanding how to create a workplace that maximises their unique skills. In order to attract Gen Z employees, organisations must be ready to adopt evolution at a speed that matches the external environment. It means developing robust training and leadership programmes, with a real focus on diversity. Here are some approaches HR leaders will need to adopt to motivate and create a sense of purpose for their next-generation workforce.

1. Be digital from the start

   The ongoing turbulent times have pushed recruiters to switch to digital hiring and adopt technology for driving recruitment at campuses. This shift to digital platforms like HirePro’s Automated Virtual Recruitment has made it simpler to conduct placement drives remotely. Digital offerings, automated assessments, video interviews and seamless remote onboarding have eased the operational complexities of campus recruitments and made the process more efficient for recruiters and potential hires. For this ambitious and self-aware generation, an organisation’s relationship with technology is a primary indicator of how advanced the company is.

   Since Gen Z individuals are natives of the digital world, it reflects in their education, interactions and life choices. A study by Dell Technologies showed that nearly 80 per cent of Gen Z students aspire to work with cutting-edge technology while 91 per cent stated that technology would influence their job choice. This cohort is likely to be a major influencer for companies to fully embrace the digital age. Employers must find ways to attract young talent through greater reliance on technology.

2. Build trust through transparency

   Positioning them to excel requires their engagement. It is also crucial to build trust between young talent and senior leadership through clear communication and transparency of processes. As the generational divide becomes apparent, having managers who can understand their unique challenges and experiences becomes critical for creating a culture that helps Gen Z thrive. Make check-in conversations a sincere dialogue with Gen Z.

3. Plan for effective coaching/mentorship

   Future-focussed Gen Z employees are looking to work with organisations that invest in them and offer dynamic career growth opportunities. They are driven by job security, growth and opportunities to learn. HR personnel can develop strong employee profiles to hire the best talent and incorporate apprenticeship programs that advance the skills of new hires. Creating latticed career paths with multiple work formats options works well with Gen Z individuals. Organisations can also set up internal marketplaces to match projects with the required skill sets to help them scale up. These youngsters are better positioned to coach and be coached using a methodology proven by their own experience. Helping Gen Z employees become coachable will empower them to even coach their peers.

4. Demonstrate company culture, communicate values

   Organisations must communicate what they stand for and what values are driving them to attract talented centennials. A great company culture is essential to retain employees and keep them motivated for the business’s overall success. Gen Z is a highly self-motivated and goal-oriented generation and, therefore, employers have to demonstrate that they truly value their employees. They are socially conscious and tend to choose companies that demonstrate a strong purpose, are value-driven, encourage an entrepreneurial mindset and support innovation. In addition to access to the latest technologies, flexibility at work and transparent work culture are key for this generation to succeed at work.

5. Embody diversity and inclusion

   Gen Z is the most inclusive and diversified generation. Diversity on many dimensions including race, gender, orientation and identity matters to centennials. They find it inspiring to interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Companies that represent the spectrum of differences better in their external and internal communications are much more likely to attract the best talent from this cohort. By promoting diversity and inclusivity, organisations will be encouraging Gen Z-ers to be more interested in the company’s affairs and happy with the workplace culture.

6. Create a sense of community

   It is essential to create a sense of belonging and nurture a community for the employees. Technology can be of great aid here. Though employees have different preferences and goals, at the core, everyone seeks three things in the workplace, namely, respect, purpose and stronger connections with the people they work with. These vital elements bring people closer and give meaning to one’s daily efforts. This generation of workers have high expectations of themselves and they constantly want to make sure that they are on the right track. They also prefer two-way open communication and give frequent feedback. The combination of clear communication and recognition can create a safe space for them and foster deeper connections between their multi-generational employees, which will bring them closer to the organisation’s overall purpose and mission.

7. Ensure a work-life balance

   Like Millennials, Centennials value having a good time and balancing it with working hard for the organisation. They heavily factor in a company’s approach to work-life balance, closely followed by compensation and benefits. Rather than counting the hours of work, managers can be encouraged to focus on productivity and the completion of a particular task. Days that need long hours to complete a task can be offset by periods when the young employees need not do a full eight-hour day. The benefits of a healthier work-life balance to any organisation are phenomenal. It leads to happier and more productive workers and helps the company hire and retain the best of Gen Z talent.

8. Offer greater freedom and flexibility

   Ever since the pandemic, the nature of work and workspaces have become heavily technology dependent and this scenario is likely to prevail. This is conducive to Gen Z workforce. Gen Z-ers are creative, independent and entrepreneurial in their approach to work. Personalised options suitable to an individual’s needs are important. It can be something as simple as allowing employees to choose their dress code, work from home when they wish to or design their flexible work schedule. Gen Z-ers need freedom, especially in their technology-reliant workplace where they can work from literally anywhere. The traditional construct of a workday, with a defined start and end time, might not work for them. They also choose to be involved in the decision-making process and be in control of their career. This will lead to higher levels of motivation and an increase in their ability to take on responsibilities, resulting in them becoming an asset to the organisation.

Conclusion

The young have always embodied the zeitgeist or defining spirit of their times and deeply influenced trends and behaviour alike. Gen Z comprises true digital natives, and technology has given them an unprecedented degree of connectivity, both among themselves and with the rest of the world. The generational shifts have become more apparent; they shape technological trends. This phenomenon will bring both challenges and opportunities for companies looking to attract Gen Z-ers.

Employers must be ready to find the best practices to communicate with, manage, and engage them. Through regular feedback, promotion of interpersonal relationships and showing a clear pathway to career development, leaders can empower Gen Z-ers to perform at their full potential. Besides, to win their hearts, companies and employers will need to demonstrate a greater commitment to a broader set of societal challenges such as sustainability, climate change and hunger, and highlight their efforts as good global citizens.