Virtual interviews or video interviews, which have become a vital part of the recruitment cycle, are here to stay. They are popular among both candidates and recruiters because of the convenience they offer.

The virtual hiring process includes the following steps:

1. The recruiter screens job applications from various sources for a vacancy and shortlists candidates.
2. Email invitations for the interview are sent to the shortlisted candidates.
3. The virtual interview is conducted online.
4. The recruiter makes a selection based on the interview assessment and score.
5. The results are communicated to the candidates.

Interview platforms like HirePro facilitate virtual interviews. They are conducted at the beginning of the recruitment process to screen candidates and introduce the company to potential employees. Recruiters assess the skills, competencies and suitability of candidates through virtual interviews.

Video interviews are conducted in different ways:

• Live interviews that mimic in-person interviews may be conducted through interviewing platforms or video conferencing apps such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc.

• Skill assessment tests are conducted through online proctoring platforms, alongside live interviews.

• Asynchronous interviews are another method of conducting virtual interviews. Here, the candidates can complete the interview on any device at a time convenient to them.

Virtual interviews are very effective when planned and strategised well.

9 tips for effective virtual interviews

1. Establish a process for conducting the interview: A clear roadmap for conducting the interview must be developed. Specific tasks must be assigned to different team members.
2. Communicate the process to all team members: All team members must be informed about the end-to-end interview process and told in detail about their roles and responsibilities.
3. Choose the best platform for conducting the interview: There are several virtual interviewing platforms available in the market. Selecting the right platform is critical for effective outcomes. HirePro is an AI-powered, all-inclusive remote hiring platform that offers a hassle-free hiring process.
4. Test the platform: Familiarise yourself with the functioning of the platform and test how it works before conducting an interview.
5. Inform the candidate about the platform being used: It is strongly recommended that the recruiter informs candidates about the platform being used. This will help the candidates to be better prepared by making themselves familiar with it.
6. Share relevant details with candidates: It is a good idea to share details such as names of interviewers, expectations, etc. with the candidate. This will help the candidates assess what to expect and take steps to meet those expectations.
7. Develop a standard set of interview questions: It is easier to compare different candidates if they are assessed and scored against a standard set of questions. Therefore, it is recommended that the recruiter prepares a standard set of interview questions.
8. Thank the candidate and explain the next steps: Recruiters must thank candidates at the end of the interview and brief them about what is to follow.
9. Provide and seek feedback: Whether a candidate is selected or not, he or she must be informed about the outcome of the interview. Recruiters can enhance the candidate experience by providing feedback to the candidates. Asking candidates for feedback about their experience helps recruiters optimise the interview process.

Conclusion

Technological advancements have introduced the concept of virtual interviews through recruitment platforms. Online interviews have become the preferred mode of interviewing for recruiters because they are cost-effective and they save time. Besides, virtual interviews minimise the biases in hiring and offer a great candidate experience.

The year 2023 will be upon us before we know it; the current year and the two preceding it have been extraordinary ones for business as a whole and full of surprises for talent acquisition (TA) teams in particular.

Globally, an uncertain post-pandemic business environment coupled with major shifts in employees’ expectations translates into one learning: there is no guarantee that TA strategies that worked previously will continue to be effective in 2023.

How do recruiters stay competitive and successful in this hazy, shifting landscape? For one, it is a worthwhile exercise to look back and analyse your 2022 strategies across various metrics. Were your recruiting processes effective? Did your job descriptions resonate with candidates? How fruitful were your talent sources? Looking ahead, it is essential that you read the tea leaves, so to speak, on broad trends in recruitment and sync your recruitment strategies with them for 2023.

Here is a sampling of talent acquisition trends that business leaders worldwide are keenly watching and which we are likely to see in 2023:

• Data: A recruiter’s best friend

Job seekers can be unpredictable and market forces will keep shifting. Data, however, does not change. In a talent acquisition environment that is akin to driving through fog, data-driven hiring processes have proven to be a guiding light and are being rapidly adopted by diverse industries. Technology-driven tools now provide increasingly fine-grained data on candidates. Analysing such data has enabled recruitment companies and HR managers to make more informed, efficient hiring decisions and finesse their processes rather than go solely by gut feeling or work experience. Organisations that shun this trend will struggle to keep up with competitors who have embraced data-driven recruitment to source and hire high-quality talent.

• Digitalising the hiring processes

Remote hiring, a process forced upon the business world by the pandemic, has found quick acceptance by recruitment managers. From virtual career fairs to online assessments, video interviews and virtual onboarding platforms, the digitalisation of the hiring cycle, powered by ever more sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI),  is a trend that will gain more traction in 2023.

HirePro’s AI-powered platform, for instance, covers sourcing, fraud-proof assessments and online remote proctoring tools to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the recruitment process. Of particular advantage for high-volume college hiring programmes are its Campus Hiring Workflows, which can be used by all stakeholders to ease administration processes and vastly speed up hiring schedules across varied geographical locations.

• Preventing “quiet quitting”; preserving employee satisfaction

Even as exciting AI-powered solutions ease the burden on HR teams, there is no substitute for the human touch when it comes to employee satisfaction. Quiet quitting is the current phrase widely used to describe employees who, to quote a Forbes study, “are neither engaged or disengaged” and “show up only to do the bare minimum.” This, along with employee attrition and dissatisfaction, will continue to be a major negative trend.

A 2022 study by Gallup ties low employee engagement to mediocre managers. Further, says the study, “only one in 10 people possess the talent… to engage team members, retain top performers and sustain a culture of high productivity.” To reverse this dismal trend, companies must consistently train and develop managers to become more effective at motivating and engaging a young workforce.

• Promoting internal mobility with AI to enhance employees’ career growth 

The uncertainties of a job market that is just emerging from the shocks dealt by the pandemic-induced lockdowns, the global chip shortage and now the consequences of the long drawn out Russia-Ukraine war have all contributed to recruitment managers focussing more on promoting internal mobility—another talent acquisition trend that is set to continue into 2023. Business leaders have realised that it is easier and more cost-effective to focus on nurturing their current workforce rather than chasing elusive new talent. This translates into building positive relationships with employees, providing mentorship and offering them reskilling or upskilling programmes. Artificial intelligence platforms will also come into play here, where predictive analytics can help cherry-pick promising employees and, based on their aptitude and goals, provide them with career development avenues.

• The hybrid work model

The work-from-home model mandated by Covid-19 restrictions overturned many assumptions about the sanctity of the traditional 9-to-5 office routine. However, as lockdowns stretched on, many young employees began to feel the absence of in-person contact with office coworkers. Enter the hybrid work model, a happy combination of the in-office routine and work-from-home, with all-round positive outcomes. Some of these benefits are:

• Workers have a good work-life balance and flexibility of hours.
• Employee retention benefits organisations.
• Employee productivity gets a boost.
• Company culture undergoes robust growth.

Going forward, companies reluctant to adopt this trend could find themselves out in the cold when it comes to hiring high-skilled candidates.

• The gig economy and moonlighting

The popular perception of gig workers in India is that of low- or medium-skilled individuals employed as taxi drivers, working in sectors like courier or food delivery, or providing services like beauty treatment, plumbing and carpentry. That notion is set to change. A Business Standard report from March 2022 observes that with the growth of tech-enabled platforms for gig employment and the post-Covid demand for flexible working arrangements among millennials and Gen Z, the profile of gig workers is rapidly diversifying to include job seekers qualified in areas like web design, project consultancy, software development and content writing.

Moonlighting—taking up freelance projects on the side while being formally employed in a full-time job—is a common occurrence worldwide, especially in the tech industry. In recent times, remote working, economic uncertainties derived from the pandemic period, low pay rises and other concerns have boosted this trend. In October this year, a Financial Times report quoted AuthBridge, a moonlighting detection agency, as saying that 8–9 per cent of Indian IT workers were engaged in moonlighting. While most large Indian IT companies have strongly opposed the practice, others have cautiously begun to accept that this could be the start of a big new trend. They are considering arriving at a flexible arrangement with conditions attached, such as employees not taking on gigs with rival organisations or declaring upfront their part-time projects.

• Gamification in recruitment 

A not-so-new but fast-growing practice in the hiring cycle, gamification is a tool that many companies are adopting to make their job postings more appealing to millennial and Gen Z job seekers. For example, companies may offer online quizzes, puzzles and platform games to assess candidates’ agility, endurance and problem-solving abilities—qualities that are invisible on resumes. Incorporating gamification into hiring has been shown to have several advantages, such as more objective evaluation of candidates and reduced hiring time. Much of the value of gamification as an assessment tool, however, will depend on how well the games are designed. As gamification gains more traction with companies, it will also become a widely adopted tool in employee skill training, say recruitment experts.

• Social media hiring

When people connect with friends, shop and consume news and entertainment on social media, why should they not search for jobs on the same platforms?

For companies seeking to hire new talent, social media has become a happy hunting ground. With about 3.50 billion people active worldwide on various platforms, this is one trend that is set to continue.

Further, social recruiting worldwide has acquired even more strategic dimensions and is no longer confined to posting job openings and attracting more applications. A report by Content Stadium reveals that 64 per cent of the talent acquisition and employer branding teams they surveyed publish company news on social media platforms. 62 per cent use social media to showcase company culture in the form of office celebrations, staff at work or workplace tours; 55 per cent upload event promotions as part of their recruitment strategy.

HirePro’s AI-driven agile platform is specifically built to address the unique challenges that talent acquisition leaders encounter today, be it in campus or lateral hiring. Our cutting-edge systems, coupled with people deeply committed to customer service, enable enterprises to stay in touch with current recruitment trends and hire the best talent available. Do call/mail us at …………..to know more about our services.

“There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better” ~ Elon Musk

Rapid advancement in technology has rendered many vocations obsolete. Switchboard operators, typesetters, leech collectors and compounders no longer exist. It is predicted that in the next 10 years, newspaper delivery, postal worker, retail cashier and many other job categories will also disappear.

Just as jobs are being phased out, new ones are being created. People hardly knew about artificial intelligence (AI) half a century ago. Today, data sciences (of which AI is a subset) are gaining popularity as employment options. By extension, present schoolchildren will be in jobs that don’t exist yet.

With scant knowledge of what future roles demand, can we be sure that the technical skills taught in universities today will be relevant and sufficient for tomorrow? A big NO.

Why university education falls short

The world is changing fast, and revolutionary technologies are emerging rapidly. Universities are unable to incorporate the required education into their curricula at the same rate.

Plus, work dynamics are also changing. Our parents and grandparents stuck to the same job (they called it “job security”) all their working lives. They worked a strict 9-to-5 schedule. On the other hand, we have jumped from job to job and are now working flexi hours.

Lately, it’s all about remote working, freelancing and contract jobs, otherwise known as gigs. Gig workers depend on self-discipline, self-management, creativity and a growth attitude among others to be able to sustain themselves in the market. But these are not university-taught skills.

Like gig workers, employees too need to have a mix of technical knowledge and soft skills to navigate their complex workplace. Problem-solving, effective communication, a collaborative mindset, teamwork, etc. are as vital to success as knowing how to code.

Another critical element to consider is that the current half-life of a talent is only five years. This means that you must constantly upgrade your skills in order to remain relevant.

This raises an intriguing question: If universities don’t teach these skills, from where can individuals learn them? Fortunately, non-traditional teaching modes that offer courses to augment university education have sprung up.

MOOCs (massive online open courses) have risen in prominence in recent years and an increasing number of people are taking their courses for a fee. Businesses are also taking Coursera or Udacity seriously.

Preparing for the future

“Knowledge is the understanding of what, how and why we need to do something. Skill is applying that knowledge in a practical situation…” — Bill Capodagli

The most effective way to prepare for an unknown future is to become a lifelong student and be flexible—this is the advice that world leaders give students.

The motto to live by is “learn, unlearn, and relearn.” There is no doubt about it: education does not end with college. It started in school and will never end—this is the mindset to adopt.

Companies like Apple and Google realise that a person’s potential is not determined by his or her university education and that there is a significant knowledge-skill divide that university education alone does not bridge. Plus, corporates trying to fill the gap is an expensive prospect, especially now with the MOOC model available. Therefore, these companies have embraced the concept of skill-based hiring.

Does this imply that attending university is a waste of time and money? Certainly not. Soft skills augment technical skills; they do not replace them. So, while a college diploma is advantageous, it is not adequate.

Apart from being able to complete tasks swiftly, it is critical to grasp how to deal with the market’s complexities and the changing economy. This is where college education and soft skills come into play.

After all, isn’t it true that opportunities knock on the doors of those who never stop learning? Besides, having a variety of career options is always a smart idea, right?

The digital disruption of recruitment has meant that the hiring process has been indelibly transformed. Online talent assessments are now increasingly popular due to the many benefits they offer. This brings a very important aspect of assessments under scrutiny, namely, remote proctoring. With candidates appearing for online talent assessments, proctoring needs to be fool-proof and ensure that no one can resort to unfair means. Several hiring tools and platforms have built-in remote proctoring features, which means that recruiters have the flexibility to conduct talent assessments, candidates can appear for tests at their convenience and recruiters can now reach a wider pool of candidates than ever before.

There are different types of remote proctoring: live, recorded and automated. In live proctoring, a person remotely monitors an online assessment, pretty much as in the case of an offline assessment. Rules are established for the examination to ensure that the proctor can get a good view of the candidate and the surrounding environment. The proctor is trained to monitor the session for any suspicious movements, facial expressions and so on. There may be a limited number of candidates allowed per assessment to ensure effective proctoring.

In recorded proctoring, the online assessment is recorded and played back later to ensure that the candidate has not resorted to any unfair means during the examination. On the other hand, automated proctoring solutions eliminate the necessity of roping in human proctors. By using online assessments with AI-driven automated proctoring, recruiters have the complete freedom and flexibility to conduct large-scale talent assessments with minimal human intervention.

The benefits of remote proctoring 

Remote proctoring tools are a crucial link in a virtual and hybrid recruitment process. They offer several features that make them attractive to recruiters.

Automated candidate authentication: Candidate registrations can be automated. AI-powered impersonation detection ensures that only verified candidates take the assessment. Face recognition technology can be used for ID verification.

Cost and time savings: Convenience and flexibility for both recruiters and candidates are obvious advantages. Automated proctoring means that recruiters need only a minimum number of human proctors, and this is especially beneficial for large-volume hiring such as campus recruitments. Candidates need not travel for assessments, and companies can save significant costs due to fewer logistical requirements for conducting the tests.

Remote monitoring: With video and audio surveillance, the assessment can be monitored for its entirety, minimising the possibility of fraud. Backed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), both live and automated proctoring tools offer alerts in case there are cross-conversations, blocked cameras or missing candidates. With features such as browser monitoring and navigation control, tighter security can be ensured. Suspicious activity can be flagged.

Wider candidate pool: By employing remote proctoring tools in conjunction with virtual talent assessments, recruiters have access to a wider candidate pool. You can now access candidates in remote geographic locations, and have your pick of the best talent.

Scale up with ease: Automated remote proctoring adds scalability to virtual recruitment. Recruiters no longer need to worry about the availability of proctors to schedule talent assessments.

Minimise bias: Remote proctoring tools offer complete session recording and audit trails. This enables data-driven decision making and ensures that all candidates get a fair and equitable assessment.

Ease of integration: Remote proctoring tools can easily integrate into the recruitment tool stack or hiring platform. This speeds up the hiring process and results in reduced turnaround times.

Acquiring top talent has several challenges, not the least of which is conducting fair online assessments. Remote proctoring solutions enable a data-driven, bias-free hiring process while improving recruiter productivity and increasing flexibility for both candidates and recruiters. Providing a secure environment for candidates to take online assessments with a fair and equitable selection process is a necessary criterion for the virtual hiring process. Companies must choose the best remote proctoring solutions without compromising candidate safety and privacy while ensuring compliance, protecting intellectual property and ensuring test integrity.

HirePro’s AI-powered proctoring solution offers fraud proof assessments and interviews, with both live and automated proctoring modes. AI-based solutions can authenticate candidates by employing facial recognition technology, and enable automated proctoring with eye movement detection, facial detection, and monitoring the audio and video feed. A holistic remote proctoring solution should be balanced, with an optimum combination of technology and human intervention where necessary.

While recruiting new hires, talent acquisition teams make use of strategies that facilitate the onboarding process. Several candidates receive numerous offers from companies and HR recruiters need to strive to increase their pool of employees.

Keeping the candidates interested in an opportunity by finding the right ones is crucial for a company’s growth. If they understand the company’s vision, it becomes easier for the recruiting teams to scout for the right talent. After receiving the offer letter, it is the sole responsibility of the HR managers to communicate with the prospective employees and ignite their enthusiasm towards working for the organisation.

Platforms such as HirePro ensure that HR recruiters and talent acquisition teams develop strategies for an effective post-offer engagement.

Here’s a rundown on why a post-offer engagement is necessary for reducing offer declines:

Provides information about the company and the onboarding process 

By providing necessary information about the organisation, the HR personnel can spark the interest of the employees. The potential hires may be introduced to new colleagues, offered welcome letters and updated on the seminars or workshops that are to be conducted.

Recruiting talent that nurtures the company’s growth is a smart move. Organisations can introduce the prospective employees to the practices they follow and give them an insight into the workplace through constant interaction with potential employees.

Walking the candidates through the process by giving introductory lectures and presenting videos is a good way to inculcate a good work ethic. By having effective conversations with HR managers, the potential employees get to learn about the company’s ethos.

Also, a healthy interaction with the prospective employee removes all ambiguities about the job. It provides him or her with some peace of mind as he or she gets to understand and assimilate the work process.

Apart from this, the potential hire may also be told about the protocols that the company follows. The individuals may be introduced to the fundamentals of the firm and the structure of work that it follows, thus allowing them to make sensible decisions.

The panel should communicate with the employees in a polite tone, convincing them about the advantages in availing of a good career opportunity. Besides, it is essential to make every person feel valued by being respectful, listening to them and offering valuable suggestions.

Bridges the communication gap

With the use of conference apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, the hiring team sets up virtual sessions with the prospective employees. These ice-breaking sessions might be a welcome gesture that invokes interest and creates a light atmosphere.

In addition, telephonic conversations, social media and WhatsApp messages might be effective ways to build a rapport with the candidates. The recruiters and the employees develop a liaison through effective communication,  such as sending mail, exchanging text messages, making video calls and talking over the phone.

The talent acquisition team could provide a worthwhile candidate experience by addressing their queries and resolving their issues at the earliest. HR personnel should not hesitate to answer queries. They should  try to learn more about the prospective employee’s past experiences, work profiles and things that interest them. They can build camaraderie by sending season’s greetings, birthday messages, newsletters, cards and other messages. These could drive onboarding activities towards active engagement.

Besides, the recruiters or HR team members may discuss task requirements with the potential hires. They can go over the guidelines or pointers that need to be followed without fail. The HR personnel may communicate the expectations of customers and clients and persuade them effectively. The companies must have backup plans if things don’t go as planned.

Works towards elevating the stature of the organisation 

Offering a few words of encouragement to the prospective recruits boosts their morale. They are motivated to be the best version of themselves at work. Talk about job security, elaborate on the new opportunities for growth and highlight value-addition. The scale might tip in your favour and the person might wholeheartedly accept the offer.

Also, it is extremely important to provide the person with constructive feedback so that he or she may work on the grey areas. Wherever there is potential for professional development, the HR staff could share their insights at each stage of the hiring process.

Thus, companies must communicate effectively with the prospective employees. They need to discuss all the aspects of recruitment with the candidates and engage with them in a way that ignites their interest in working for the organisation. Nowadays, it is necessary to have healthy interactions if you wish to reduce offer declines.

There is a new buzzword in the talent industry, namely, talent economy! People are the most prized assets of an organisation. Therefore, talent has always been considered valuable. So, why did the industry coin a new phrase that links economy and talent? Organisations have begun to recognise the economy of talent more as a result of a significant shift in attitude among quality talent! Since the time the pandemic struck, we have seen how the workforce has evolved. Organisations have had to accommodate the evolving workforce while keeping growth in mind. The flexibility offered by the work-from-home option seems to have empowered people to make brave choices. They now know they are powerful enough to dictate their choices, ask for better work-life balance and hold companies accountable for their stand. They have become more selective because there is always another company waiting to make an offer. They could also take a sabbatical to think things through or opt for gig work.

Companies are suddenly realising that quality talent has credible choices. From people needing a job to shape their careers and pay bills, there has been a tectonic shift to acknowledging the need for quality talent for success or growth. In the highly competitive landscape, organisations need to do their best to woo and win. Employee value proposition is one factor that can help organisations by tipping the scales in their favour. Employees now understand their value, and organisations should use it to their advantage. Acknowledge employee value propositions, evaluate and offer compensation accordingly. Else, you could lose the talent war. Welcome to the talent economy, which has made talent acquisition teams across the globe sit up and take notice.

So, if talent economy is the most significant 2023 talent trend, how can you capitalise on it? How can you strategise and ensure that you do not lose out on quality talent? Here are five tips to help you plan.

1. Move with the times: The ostrich mentality will no longer help. This trend will not go away if you ignore it for some time. Instead, it may spell doom, and you may perish as your competitors will have lured the best. The key is to understand the shift that has happened in the workforce ecosystem. Remote work is and will continue to be a priority for many employees. For example, mothers with young children and those with ageing parents or any other pressing constraints now know that they can make a choice. The boom in flexi-work and the rise of the gig economy spell win-win for many people. Add to this the Gen Z mindset. They expect organisations to let them prioritise work-life balance and look up their choices, celebrities picked for endorsements, social causes supported, carbon footprint goals, etc.

It is a tall order, but organisations should accept this change, map their goals and visions to the changed expectations and formulate policies accordingly. Some changes may be disruptive, and yet those may just be what propel the organisation forward. Engage with the new hires from day one. Make them feel valued. Allow them to get a sense of belonging and develop pride in being a part of the organisation.

Discuss and chart a clear career path aligned with their employee value proposition. Drop rigid policies and change office environments to make them more open and welcoming. The employee’s presence in the office does not matter much any more. Instead, use tools and technology to make sure that they are accessible. This approach can work in your favour much more than you can imagine. Also, create change management awareness across the organisation. It can help people cope with changes better.

1. Plan for effective talent management: One of the fundamental changes organisations should make is to bring effective talent management. Without the backing of effective talent management strategies, good talent acquisition teams will fail. These strategies should be driven by constantly engaging with employees, having constructive discussions and obtaining and providing feedback. The mechanism should be such that it should motivate employees, enable them to upskill periodically and make them feel empowered about their employee value proposition. Talent management should also consider the overall well-being of the employee. It could be flexi work schedules, wellness initiatives, periodic incentives to acknowledge good work, etc.The talent management policies should apply to all employees, including the leadership. Leaders should feel empowered to face dynamic changes and make bold and disruptive decisions when required. To create a sense of belonging in employees, organisations should learn to balance growth (aided by agility) and flexibility. When you unlock an employee’s true potential, gaining a competitive edge becomes child’s play as employees will voluntarily put their best foot forward. As Richard Branson, the British business magnate who founded the Virgin Group, said, “Take care of your employees and they will take care of your business.” Therefore, create great employee experiences that will drive them to offer exceptional customer experiences.An aspect not to be ignored is reskilling employees, which helps organisations fill the talent gap more easily than recruiting new hires. Employees feel good about the realigned and more challenging roles that map to their charted growth paths. This effectively means they may not look out. However, for assured success, organisational values that everyone identifies with should be the driving force behind these efforts.
2. Develop situational leadership: The days of leaders acting like dictators and stifling independent decisions are long gone. Leaders should become facilitators and enable people and teams around them to achieve their maximum potential. They need to be open to new ideas, keep track of industry trends, anticipate the unexpected and create a situational leadership style that propels growth in every scenario. This is possible only if the leaders are in touch with employees at every level. They should take feedback, request suggestions and enable strategies that bring out the best in everyone. When required, they should make disruptive changes that show employees they have a risk-taking appetite to fuel growth. Talent management teams can run periodic polls about possible changes and request feedback on the ones already implemented. Also, ensure that there is data backing every decision to justify it. Follow this up with information about how it helped. It gives employees a sense of confidence and security in their leaders.

3. Go digital: Cliched though it may sound, you cannot ignore the fact that we are in the digital age. However, in the new talent economy, what matters is how organisations use technology to attract and retain talent. Implement intelligent solutions such as the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), AI-backed online assessment platforms for hiring, social media campaigns and customised online fraud-proof assessments, including relevant gamification strategies, synchronous and asynchronous virtual interviews and paperless virtual onboarding.

Once you onboard the new hires, keep up the constant engagement to ensure reskilling, charting career paths, etc. Drive all these discussions backed by insights from data about their contributions. The organisation should have systems that seamlessly capture and track the KRA data of employees in a transparent manner. When objective data drives every decision, there will rarely be conflicts about biases, manipulation, perspectives, etc. Going digital automatically means that every decision is impartial, fair and transparent, which facilitates open and constructive discussions.

4. Use purpose to drive decisions: Another trending buzzword of the current times is purpose-driven organisations. All it means is that every decision that leaders make helps the organisation achieve its purpose. Leaders should identify the organisational purpose and ensure that every employee aligns with it. Purpose-driven organisations provide employees with the resources required to grow in line with their goals. This approach becomes an employee-friendly initiative as employees realise their potential and see their worth soaring through enhanced employee value propositions.

It also helps elevate employer branding in a big way. Gen Z evaluates organisations based on various initiatives such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability, a purpose beyond profit, etc. Having sound policies around what employees identify with is helpful when recruiting Gen Z, especially during campus recruitment.

Also, empathy is another significant factor that influences Gen Z and leaders will have to walk the talk with regard to this. They need to look beyond profit, speak up on global issues such as climate change LGBTQ+, etc. and build a culture of trust and empathy that resonates with employees.

When these simple strategies become active, it is easier for organisations to tackle the new talent economy with ease. These strategies are not just a means to attract and retain talent. They are growth-oriented and create a robust talent ecosystem that can counter many challenges like attrition, poaching, burnouts and talent gap. They create sustainable organisations that achieve growth while balancing employee wellness and promoting a diverse workforce that thrives on possibilities. These initiatives also nurture and develop responsible leaders who can question the status quo when required to change the world order and bring about positive changes.

References:

• https://anz.peoplemattersglobal.com
• https://hrme.economictimes.indiatimes.com
• https://www.aihr.com
• https://www.uschamber.com
• https://www.gartner.com

The recruitment industry has successfully navigated the challenges ushered in by the pandemic. Over the past few years, it has evolved a lot to suit the changing dynamics and expectations of industry stakeholders. While organisations are willing to compensate quality talent adequately and offer flexibility, they expect more innovation, quality and loyalty.

The new talent economy, where recruiters have to woo quality talent, has given rise to novel trends. Candidates are more discerning and seek clarity on the roles, responsibilities and growth path. They also seek information about the organisational work culture, purpose, stand on social issues, etc. Talent acquisition professionals are walking a tightrope to balance the expectations of all stakeholders.

Gone are the days when organisations could afford to make wrong hires. Today, they have to ensure the right hire, whatever the function—HR, sales and marketing, finance or technical—because of the cost impact. A Zippia report titled, The Cost Of A Bad Hire [2022]: How Bad Hires Impact Business, pegs the average cost of a bad hire at 30 per cent of the hire’s annual salary. While a single bad hire costs companies an average of $14,900, it can go as high as $240,000. The report also states that companies take at least six months to break even on new hires. There is an added impact on the morale of the team.

Therefore, organisations need to ensure faster productivity, less time to break even, reduced turnover rates and better career planning through ensuring right hires. These factors directly impact branding. In the era of remote recruitment, talent acquisition teams rely on assessment tools to find the right hires. Job-specific functional tests play a significant role in this. Let’s see how organisations benefit from their use.

1. Helps assess against set benchmarks

Right hires happen only when the candidates are evaluated against  industry benchmarks to determine their actual calibre, especially in critical functions such as sales and finance. Job-specific tests also assist in determining appropriate compensation. For example, if job-specific functional tests bring you a good match, you can offer compensation at industry standards to avoid negotiations and dropouts in the future. This approach will also improve the new hire’s performance and loyalty, leading to increased employee retention.

2. Ensures 360-degree suitability

Job-specific functional assessments allow organisations to evaluate a candidate against several parameters customised in a single test, instead of multiple generic tests that may not produce the right results. For example, you could assess a sales manager for domain knowledge and personality traits such as competitiveness and networking, which are essential to succeeding in that role. You could also assess the behavioural attributes through responses to real-life scenarios that elicit critical thinking and decision-making skills. Such tests simplify and speed up the process for candidates while reducing interview turnaround times and improving the right hire rate.

3. Makes hiring decisions easier

One of the essential needs for an organisation to make the right hires is to weed out fakes. Statistics suggest that, from fake profiles to impersonation in online tests, cheating does happen. When organisations customise their tests to specific jobs or roles using tools like HirePro, which provide authenticity and test integrity through robust online proctoring, it is easier to filter out the fakes and impersonators. They cannot clear the customised tests without the requisite job knowledge or dodge the advanced AI proctoring. That makes hiring decisions easier for HR.

4. Aids better placement of candidates within right teams/roles

When you assess a candidate using a wide range of customisable assessments for multiple domains and roles, it is easier to position them in the right teams. New hires perform well when placed properly as they are happy and convinced about their capabilities and the organisation’s expectations. It makes for some happy new hires with improved productivity; it also helps managers chart the right career paths.

5. Helps candidates to self-assess and improve the ecosystem

Another positive impact of job-specific tests is that candidates know where they stand. Most job-specific functional tests have customised reports and insights with instant candidate feedback. This input helps candidates understand their capabilities, improvement areas and suitability for a particular role. The candidates may even analyse and chart different career paths to suit their competencies. For example, an MBA marketing candidate can opt for business analytics or digital marketing instead of a traditional marketing role. In the long run, more aware candidates will populate the talent pool and improve the hiring ecosystem. And there will be fewer role mismatches, making it easier for organisations to screen and improve their hiring efficiency.

Job-specific functional tests offer organisations an ideal option to make the right hire. It also benefits the candidates and the hiring ecosystem and it may become a must-have for success in 2023.

References:

• https://smallbusiness.chron.com
• https://www.linkedin.com
• https://www.zippia.com

AI has invaded our lives in many forms, and, today, it plays a vital role in manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, security and surveillance, agriculture, etc. Businesses are automating workflows to achieve higher productivity and quality and enhance customer experiences. Two fields where AI is making significant inroads are hiring and gamification.

Most gamification players have realised the potential of combining AI with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to deliver exceptional gaming experiences.

To understand the impact of AI on hiring, let’s look at a pre-pandemic report. The Gartner 2019 Artificial Intelligence survey said that only 17 percent of organisations used AI-based solutions in their HR functions; another 30 percent would do so by 2022, 38 percent of which would be in talent acquisition. The report also mentioned the proven results for those who had already deployed AI-based solutions in data-based decision-making (62 percent), employee experience (57 percent), and cost savings (51 percent).

The pandemic accelerated virtual hiring and customised assessment solutions to spot the best talent, like HirePro’s, further highlighted the benefits of AI-based tools. Perhaps that is why the global AI recruitment market size in 2021, worth USD 610.3 million, is estimated to touch USD 890.51 million by 2028.

Can AI and gaming be combined to create better hiring experiences? Let’s explore this emerging recruitment trend.

What is gamification in hiring?

Implementing gamification in hiring processes involves engaging candidates better through game theories, mechanics and design. However, it goes beyond making hiring more fun. It gives employers insights into many attributes of candidates to assess their fit, problem-solving skills, real-time responses to complex scenarios, competitiveness, ability to be a good team player, etc. Insights gained through games help employers chart future career paths.

One of the earliest uses of gamification in recruitment was by the U.S. Army. In 2002, it launched America’s Army, which was intended to inform, educate and recruit prospective soldiers. Through this game, Americans could virtually explore the army at their own pace and decide whether they had the interest and aptitude to become soldiers.

Another example of gamification in recruitment is Google code jam. Unilever, the consumer goods giant, introduced AI and gamification in recruitment to evaluate candidates on reasoning, aptitude and logic aptitude. Siemens launched Plantville, an online interactive game that provides people an opportunity to run a virtual factory. Though primarily developed to enhance branding, it is now used partly in recruitment. Marriott, the hospitality giant, used gamification in recruitment through My Marriott Hotel. Whirlpool, Nestle, Domino’s Pizza, etc. are a few other brands that have explored gamification in recruitment. So, what benefits do employers gain from gamification?

Benefits of gamification in hiring

Let’s look at some significant benefits of gamification in hiring.

1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Gamification is a great way to embrace DEI in hiring. It overcomes biases in traditional hiring practices to ensure a fair and level playing field for all candidates to display their skills. Also, gamified recruitment processes attract a wider talent pool than traditional methods do.
2. Faster and more accurate hiring: Employers can customise gaming strategies to suit industry and role needs. Thus, it helps identify candidates best suited for the role much faster and easier.
3. Better decision-making: Gaming can tap many aspects of a candidate, giving employers insights into their personality, thereby facilitating better choices. Since gaming is less stressful and more engaging, candidates can participate with ease and let their true potential shine through.
4. Test industry skills: Gamification showcases the industry skills of candidates to help gauge them better. For example, managing a factory, running a hotel virtually, etc., bring out intrinsic industry-specific skills, otherwise not obvious.
5. Reduced hiring cycle time: Customised games reduce interview times significantly, bringing down the overall hiring time, leading to better conversion ratios.
6. Enhanced employer branding: Gamification improves candidate experiences, leading to enhanced employer branding. Employees are happy to refer others since they are confident about the hiring processes

However, there are some concerns about using AI and gamification in hiring. Let’s briefly explore these.

Gaming in hiring: Some concerns and tips to overcome the same

There are two main concerns that organisations need to consider before taking the plunge into new waters.

Data privacy: While using AI and gaming in hiring, you will collect many candidate details without their knowledge. As a fair practice and for compliance with applicable privacy laws, educate candidates about the data collected by the system and its usage and obtain consent. Also, do not collect any information forbidden by law; it can lead to infringements.

Unintentional biases: There have been instances where the systemic hiring biases of the data fed into the AI models have shown up as unintentional algorithmic biases. It means any biases in traditional hiring processes can creep into AI algorithms. Employ AI systems that are fair and transparent and designed with industry best practices using ethical AI concepts to avoid such discrimination.

AI and gamification in hiring can improve processes and experiences in a big way. All you need to do is ensure fair implementation to deliver the best results.

References:

• https://www.forbes.com
• https://fireflies.ai
• https://thetalentgames.com
• https://www.fnfresearch.com
• https://www.gartner.com

Numerous companies consist of talent acquisition teams, HR personnel and recruiting managers who conduct asynchronous interviews to make the onboarding process cost-effective, convenient and less time-consuming.

An asynchronous video interview is one in which the interviewer asks a set of recorded questions to the candidates, which are to be answered by the prospective employees within a fixed period. These can be recorded on a web camera or a smartphone and sent to the recruitment teams to take things forward. Unlike live interviews, conference apps or video-calling sessions, here the interviewer and the candidates do not interact with each other face-to-face.

Companies use an asynchronous interview platform to gauge whether the candidates are real or not. Besides, they help prevent the use of unscrupulous methods to pass with flying colours.

HirePro is a platform that endorses asynchronous interviews to make the process of hiring competent employees easier.

Here’s a run-through of how asynchronous video interviews facilitate the recruitment process:

Optimise the onboarding process

While attending asynchronous interviews, prospective employees can schedule a time without rearranging their activities. This motivates the candidates to give their best shot at the interview and seamlessly complete the recruitment process.

An interesting feature of asynchronous video interviews is that they encapsulate similar questions for the candidates, which they can answer at their own pace. The talent acquisition managers can schedule the day and time of the interview and instruct the candidates to download the software that will enable the interview session to take place.

As everyone has the same set of questions to answer, there is no bias or unfair judgement from the recruiting teams. Instead, there is a level-playing field for the candidates to showcase their skills, use the opportunity to their advantage and perform well.

Asynchronous interviews dispel all myths about favouritism or leveraging one prospective employee over the other.

Asynchronous interviews also take away the stress and anxiety that candidates face as they do not have to answer spontaneously. They can take their time, rehearse the answers and practise to perfection before they send back their responses.

During the interviews, there is no background cacophony or network issues disrupting the flow and making things go haywire.

With the advent of technology, effective AI-powered systems that assist HR personnel in gauging the level of responses provided by the candidates have been developed.

These are less intimidating and daunting for prospective employees. As the candidates do not have to travel far and wide, video interviews are cost-effective for both the organisation and the prospects. The HR teams do not have to pay for the expenses and can use the money to develop their resources and upskill their company.

Collaborative and bias-free process

Several team members can evaluate the responses and provide constructive feedback during asynchronous interviews. HRs and other company staff can collaborate and give input that might be necessary for selecting the top candidates.

Also, the evaluating teams make use of AI-enabled systems to take their time to assess the answers, linguistic abilities, tone, articulation and competencies of the candidates, along with their interpersonal or communication skills.

Asynchronous interviews reduce the screening time and allow talent acquisition teams to assess a large number of candidates within a short span. They also structure the recruitment process by segmenting things.

While assessing the candidates, HR teams can consider other parameters such as body language, confidence, effortless narration and personality traits.

The assessment teams can make fast decisions about the candidates’ performances. The process eliminates all the stereotypes and sheds away  misconceptions about conducting interviews.

Seamless and hassle-free process

Conducting asynchronous interviews is considered a smart move. Companies that use this process when interviewing candidates have come a long way.

Asynchronous interviews certainly elevate the profile of the organisation. They bring much pat and praise to HR teams. When people learn that a company uses asynchronous interviews, they spread the word about it in their social circles.

Besides, such interviews make the candidates and the interviewers feel at home by removing any barriers and inhibitions that may be hampering candidates’ performances. They allow candidates to be their natural selves and express their thoughts freely.

These interviews prevent any sort of impersonation or suspicious activities that could get candidates eliminated from the selection process. If the prospective employees provide constructive feedback, then companies can make revisions and improvements.

Thus, the process of conducting asynchronous interviews speaks volumes of the company’s work ethics. With the advancement of technology, AI-enabled systems that assess the performance of the candidates have emerged. The preparation time it facilitates makes the candidates comfortable. Since asynchronous interviews can be scheduled at the candidates’ convenience without them having to rearrange their activities, prospects are more open to the idea.

Young professionals are an asset to any organisation. They brim with fresh energy and innovative ideas, and all organisations are eager to tap into that. Campus hiring is how most organisations recruit young talent. The hiring process involves large numbers and the traditional methods of screening with pen and paper assessments are resource heavy in terms of time, cost and manpower. Campus hiring involves evaluation of a candidate’s academic knowledge, aptitude, communication skills and ability to conduct themselves in group discussions, among other things. Hours spent screening hundreds of students does not really give a very clear idea about the candidates. The wrong cultural fit usually leads to attrition in the future.

Technology can improve the selection process. Online assessment tools are designed scientifically to test numerous skills, evaluate the tests and generate reports quickly. They can handle large numbers easily and have already made inroads into organisations. In recent times, almost 65 per cent of organisations have hired people through virtual processes.

Campus hiring involves many organisations picking candidates from the same pool. Other than personal preferences, candidates usually take up the opportunity offered by the first organisation. A quick hiring process powered by a well-designed online assessment tool can help organisations pick the most suitable candidates. The importance of online assessment tools in modern hiring cannot be stressed enough.

Advantages of using online assessment tools:

• Save time, effort and cost: Screening candidates based on resumes alone is not sufficient. Online assessment tools save time, effort and cost. Well-designed skills and aptitude tests can filter out candidates who are below par.

The logistics and resources involved in conducting pen and paper tests are costly and time-consuming. Organisations have to arrange for printing test papers, manpower to monitor the tests and enough space to accommodate large numbers of candidates. Time saved always means costs are reduced. Online assessment tests can be conducted at test centres and monitored by their trained personnel.

• Obtain unbiased and error-free results: Online assessment tools offer an unbiased testing platform; the results are reliable. Human errors can be reduced. This translates to very few bad hiring decisions, which can be significantly reduced.

The results of online assessments are data-based and organisations can choose to use techniques driven by artificial intelligence (AI) to gain insights into candidates.

• Enable many verticals to be tested: Online assessment tests are easier to design in terms of flexibility and verticals. Many aspects of a candidate’s abilities and personality can be tested during one test. Pen and paper tests are limited in their coverage and organisations cannot identify candidates with hidden skills. All things being equal, the top performers in a class will seem equally fit or unfit after such tests. Online tests allow recruiters to identify specific skill sets.

a. Check cultural fit: Since campus hiring usually involves candidates without any work experience, it is difficult to use traditional methods to identify candidates with the best cultural fit. Online assessment tools can help here. Robust psychometric assessment tests can test candidate psychology and cultural fit. Such tests involve assessing behavioural and emotional intelligence. A wrong fit will lead to early attrition, which, in turn, means increased costs.

b. Check candidate aptitude, cognitive and soft skills: While young candidates are not expected to have work experience, organisations naturally prefer to recruit candidates with a certain amount of knowledge and reasoning ability. Vocabulary, number processing skills and speed, spatial visualisation and perceptual speed are other skills that can be tested. Test results provide an accurate picture of candidates’ ability to solve problems under a certain amount of pressure. Checking soft skills too is an essential part of the evaluation process. Motivation, flexibility and social skills are all essential for a successful and happy work experience. The experience at their first job will colour the opinions of young professionals for a long time.

• Offer scalability and flexibility: Online assessment tools enable organisations to test hundreds of candidates at the same time. Further, being online, candidates can take the tests from anywhere, provided the tests can be proctored remotely. Organisations can integrate the tools with their recruitment workflow and application tracking systems (ATS) so that candidates receive important notifications automatically.

• Ensure tests are proctored: All vendors of online assessment tools ensure that tests are proctored and conducted true to their essence. 360-degree proctoring—video, screen and audio proctoring—are some of the most effective ways to ensure the integrity of the assessment tools. Other proctoring methods include secure logins, automatic fraud detection and remote proctoring.

• Have quick turnaround time: Online assessment tools enable a speed that is not possible with traditional methods. During online assessments, test results are automatically generated as soon as a test is over. Further, since the test results are analysed by AI or other programmes, decision makers can plan their next steps based on the screening results.
• Make it easier to add diversity: Traditional campus recruitment drives may be biased when it comes to recruiting young professionals from underrepresented communities. Conditioning may also make candidates hesitate to apply for all opportunities. However, online assessment tools offer all candidates a uniform platform to showcase their skills and knowledge. They also enable organisations to reach more candidates, practise inclusivity and bring diversity to their workforce. This is especially important on campuses with a diverse student community, both from domestic and international destinations.
• Help candidates understand the organisation: Young professionals are largely driven by their interests. Getting a fair idea about the organisation is very important for Gen Z candidates. The design of the online assessment tests and projects gives candidates an idea about the organisation and helps them decide whether it fits in with their interests. Candidates with very strong profiles veer towards organisations that project an employer brand which aligns with their own values and interests.
• Help build a talent pool: The sheer number of candidates who take the tests helps organisations build a robust talent pool for future needs. Strong candidates who do not fit into the existing requirement profile or those who do not join for various reasons, can be added to the pool. The talent pool is a ready database that organisations can dip into in the future.

Popular features of available assessment tools:

Several assessment tools use AI-driven techniques to evaluate candidates for roles such as software developers. AI gives a huge push to every stage of recruitment.

• Candidates can be evaluated by engaging them in chats with intelligent chatbots. The chats could be about technical or non-technical subjects.
• AI-driven video interviews and coding videos can be sent to candidates, who could complete the interviews and send them back.
• A candidate’s judgement during different situations can be tested using AI tools. Good judgement is believed to be a mark of success.
• Simulation-based tests can measure knowledge and cognitive abilities. Animated tests simulating real-life job situations effectively measure candidate responses and reactions during different situations.

Features to include in online assessment tools: Online assessment tools and platforms should adhere to certain criteria for best results. Some important features are listed below:

• The user interface (UI) of online assessment tools must be user-friendly and appealing. This will make it easy for the recruiters to evaluate and generate results and the candidates to interact and take the tests. Gen Z candidates are quick to report their experiences on social media and other feedback channels. An unpleasant or difficult to manoeuvre assessment platform will be unpleasant both for the candidates and the organisation.
• The testing platform must be equipped well enough to be able to verify the identity of the candidates and prevent identity fraud or any other security issue.
• The assessment tool must be designed well enough to work even in low bandwidth regions. Candidates should not be left wasting time waiting for loading, downloading and submissions.
• A brief training module at the beginning of the assessment should be included so that all candidates can take advantage of it. A step-by-step guide or manual should be provided to candidates to help them use the tool.
• The platform should have continuous support so that both recruiters and candidates can seek help at any point of the testing process. The vendor must make sure that tests continue seamlessly without any undue problems that could stress out the candidates. Recruiters should not face any hurdles either while preparing the assessment or analysing and generating results.
• The assessment tests should be customisable so that recruiters can change questions when and if necessary.
• The assessment tool must be robust and scalable. It must be tested enough for sturdiness and scalability. Testing for scale is often ignored and if the numbers are large, the tool breaks down.
• Assessment tools must have well-designed reporting and analysing capabilities so that organisations can track candidate progress and modify processes if necessary. They should also facilitate personalising every candidate’s assessment and test results.
• Assessment tools that integrate with an organisation’s ATS are useful and save time.

The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world. 

– Steve Jobs

Finding and hiring the right talent is critical for an organisation’s success. The right assessment techniques can help find the best talent on campuses. Online assessment tools are a dependable way to screen candidates during campus recruitment drives. While testing tools are becoming more sophisticated, organisations are beginning to understand the limitations and possibilities of such tools. The unavailability of sufficient infrastructure is a limitation of online assessment methods.

Campuses that are located in geographically isolated locations or are not financially strong enough to provide candidates with enough exposure to technological developments cannot participate in such hiring exercises. In such situations, strong candidates get left out and organisations lose valuable assets. This is an area that needs thought and a willingness from the involved parties to change the existing conditions.

HirePro’s Campus Hiring Workflows is a platform that enables organisations to hire remotely. It is specifically designed for high-volume recruitment. It can be accessed and used by placement officers, candidates, recruiters and everyone else involved in the hiring process. It offers candidates a seamless experience and organisations a fraud-proof platform.

Write to us at sales@hirepro.in for a demo.

Sources:

1. https://www.eklavvya.com
2. https://press.youth4work.com
3. https://www.linkedin.com
4. https://hirepro.in