2020 has definitely been the harbinger of change. We saw a host of concepts and practices that were on the fringes of acceptance, being catapulted into the mainstream last year. Online proctoring is one such concept. Organizations have been conducting proctored online assessments for quite some time now. In fact, the IT certification council had conducted their first study on remote proctoring to provide guidance to their member organizations in 2016. However, online proctoring or remote proctoring was used sparingly, whenever, and wherever a traditional scheduled exam was not possible. It was the outlier rather than the norm. The social distancing norms imposed by COVID 19 propelled this fledgling concept into adulthood in the space of a few months. So, is online proctoring here to stay, or is it one of those transient concepts that mushroomed in the COVID era, sure to disappear when social distancing is a thing of the past? We think it’s here to stay. According to an Enterprise Technology research survey, the percentage of workers permanently working from home is set to double in 2021. 70% of the workforce will be working remotely by 2025, states a recent Forbes article. It stands to reason that remote hiring will also increase. When remote hiring increases, so will online proctoring. This, coupled with the increased acceptance of e-learning will mean that online proctoring will become a way of life in the coming years. The online exam proctoring market was estimated at $ 354 Million in 2019. It is now estimated to grow to $1 Billion by 2027. Let’s take a look at this path-breaking concept and see how it is set to change the assessment landscape.

What is Online Proctoring?

Online proctoring or remote invigilation as the Brits would call it, is the new age substitute for the stern-faced invigilator who ensured that an exam is conducted fair and square. This form of invigilation recreates the experience of sitting for an exam in a test center under the watchful eye of the invigilator/proctor. Instead of traveling to the exam center to appear for an exam, the remote assessment model allows the candidate to write an exam from any location as long as they have a computer with internet connectivity and a quiet room. This gives flexibility and convenience to both the examinee as well as the examiner. The only catch is in ensuring that all the candidates adhere to the rules of the exam without committing any fraud. This is where online proctoring comes into play. Online proctoring enables the examiner to monitor the candidate during the test with the help of a webcam, mic, and access to the screen of the candidate.
Online proctoring solutions come in many shapes and forms. There are low-security versions that can be easily plugged into an existing LMS and used to proctor medium-stakes exams like a midterm university exam. Then there are the high-security systems that are designed to be integrated with standalone assessment platforms. These are used by certification agencies, recruitment agencies, organizations with their own in-house recruitment tools, and universities for their admissions, placement, or final exams.
A good remote assessment platform will always offer many functionalities that will enhance the overall security and integrity of the assessment. Some such functionalities are lockdown delivery, computerized adaptive testing, randomization, automated item generation, linear-on-the-fly testing, professional item banking, scaled scoring, psychometric analytics, item response theory scoring, equating, etc. In the context of online proctoring, perhaps the most salient is the lockdown delivery. Lockdown delivery enables the online proctoring software to completely take over the candidate’s computer for the duration of the exam. They will not be able to use the computer for anything else during the exam.

Proctors come in many shades

There are many variations of online proctoring.
Live Proctoring using a human proctor – in this format the supervision is done by real people. This means that a real person will authenticate the candidate’s identity, secure the environment and monitor them for the duration of the exam. The presence of a real person is often reassuring for the candidate, as they have someone to ask their questions to and relate to. Live proctoring is often enhanced with the use of technologies like facial recognition, biometric scanning, and scanning behavioral patterns during the exam.
AI-based Live Proctoring – This format of proctoring uses artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor the candidate’s live webcam feed and auto-flag any digressions. This format is fully automated with minimal human intervention.
Recorded Proctoring – In this format, the entire session is not monitored by a proctor. The candidate’s audio, visual and screen-sharing feeds are recorded and reviewed later. The review can be done by people or by using technology. While this format is relatively more economical it does have its share of drawbacks. Any digressions or fraudulent behavior is only caught after the event and hence there is no real-time intervention. So, this mode of online proctoring is normally used in lower-stakes exams.

Get set, Ready, Go, Report: the steps involved

Like any other assessment model, an assessment model with remote proctoring also has its own set of stages or steps.
Get Set: Most remote proctoring platforms run system checks in advance of the assessment. This is to ensure that the candidate’s technical environment is all set to support a remotely proctored exam. In most cases a standard laptop or desktop with internet connection is sufficient.

Are you the real McCoy? The identity of the candidate will be authenticated before the start of the exam.
Ready: The candidate’s immediate environment is reviewed. Care is taken to ensure that the candidate is in a secure and suitable environment, without access to any sources of information that are not permitted.
Go: This is the core of online proctoring. The candidate is monitored during the assessment to ensure there are no infringements of the rules.
Reporting: This is the step where the organization that is conducting the exam or assessment is informed of any infringements.

Is Online Proctoring Your Trump Card?

Remote proctoring has many advantages. It could be that secret trump card in your back pocket that will help you scale while finding the best candidates from around the world. This allows you the advantage of assessing the candidate’s technical skills with your very own customised tests while ensuring that a test centre environment is maintained – all this without the extra hassle of the candidate appearing in person at your office or test centre. Here are some of the advantages of using online proctoring for your assessments.
Scalability: During a traditional assessment process an invigilator can only supervise a fixed number of candidates. Online proctoring enables you to handle a large volume of data points as well as candidates at the same time. If you are on a hiring spree with a target of hiring in the thousands within days, this is the way to go.
Accessibility: When you limit your assessment model to your own test centres you are in fact geographically limiting the candidates that could be assessed. Remote proctoring gives you the advantage of being able to assess candidates from around the world with a minimal change in your processes and infrastructure.
Accuracy: As online proctoring makes use of technologies like behaviour patterns and psychometric analytics this mode of proctoring will be prone to less errors. To err is human, after all!
Validity of claims: Traditional invigilation methods do not keep any records during the assessment. Online proctoring allows for a more stringent approach to the detection and control of fraud. Audio and video recordings, live warnings, and system and browser monitoring are some of the ways in which an online proctoring system prevents fraud. As online proctoring enables the recording of all activities during the assessment it’s very easy to validate a claim of fraud by the proctor.
Logistical ease: Online proctoring does away with the need to find test centres that are easily accessible for candidates. It also makes the entire process of scheduling assessments much easier.
Flexibility: Location and time will no longer be a hindrance with online proctoring. You can assess a candidate from any part of the world.
Cost Effectiveness: This mode of proctoring enables you to assess candidates without investing in testing centres or human proctors. This makes this method much more cost effective if assessments are an integral part of your business model and have to be done on a large scale.
This form of proctoring also has its share of disadvantages. As this is a new form of assessment, some candidates could be overwhelmed by the technology. This would hinder your quest to find the best candidates. Candidates could also have privacy concerns because of the constant video feed and the computer system lockdown. It is important to acclimatise the candidate with your privacy protection policy well in advance. You could also alleviate the candidate’s concerns about using this form of assessment by sharing more information about the process well in advance.

The crystal ball says AI

It makes perfect sense to use AI in online proctoring. We have seen an increase in the use of AI in the past few years and it is set to be more in the future. AI currently enhances the entire online proctoring experience through voice recognition, facial recognition, pattern recognition, eye movement recognition, and object recognition. It is expected that AI algorithms used to detect fraud will improve as the system learns. We are not very far off from a future when all assessments are conducted with AI-assisted remote proctoring.

If you are thinking of using remote proctoring for your hiring needs, it’s always best to be armed with as much information as possible before you try a new concept. Check out HirePro’s proctoring solution. You could also call us at 080 6656 6000 or write to us at sales@hirepro.in for a demo.

Good Hiring!

References:

–https://blog.mettl.com/online-web-proctored-exams/
–lebow.drexel.edu
–insidehighered.com
–Magic EdTech
–AWS Training and Certification Blog
–digiproctor
–Forbes

The COVID-19 outbreak has radically reshaped the landscape of the education sector. It has converted the conventional classroom into a virtual one. Increasingly, examinations and tests are taking place online. However, monitoring students during online exams continues to be the Achilles heel for schools and universities. Educational institutions have been grappling with securing the integrity of online exams. They are opting from a range and combination of remote proctoring solutions.

One way of remotely proctoring exams is allowing students to appear for exams from the safety of their homes, while a live proctor monitors student activity remotely. This mode, however, is prone to many vulnerabilities and is proving to be unviable on a large scale.

Challenging the Status Quo with AI-enabled tools

As schools and universities steer away from traditional modes of evaluation and embrace online exams, educators continue to seek better and smarter ways of assessing learners. They are challenging the status quo of using live proctors for online exams by exploring emerging

AI-based remote proctoring technologies to ensure a secure, reliable, scalable, convenient, and smooth exam experience.

What is AI-enabled Remote Proctoring?

AI-enabled remote proctoring is the most advanced form of remote proctoring. It is very similar to real-time human proctoring. It mainly focuses on three areas – detection of identity fraud, analysis of cheating behavior, and discovery of content theft.

Its advanced auto-detection technology eliminates the need for live proctors, thereby removing the possibility of human error and bias. It securely oversees the entire exam by continuously verifying the test-taker’s identity; monitoring his behavior, screen, environment, and audio-video feeds; and accurately auto-detecting and flagging suspicious activity and misconduct. It also analyzes the test-taker’s overall behavior to provide a suspicion score at the end of the exam.

Types of AI technologies used for Remote Proctoring

AI-enabled remote proctoring uses the following AI technologies:

Pattern Recognition: Students that indulge in cheating display specific behaviors. By scrutinizing and analyzing the available data, AI can detect patterns in these suspicious behaviors. For example, repeatedly attempting to switch tabs.

Facial Recognition: This feature can be used in multiple ways. AI can verify the test-taker’s identity using facial pattern data and detect any new faces appearing in the testing environment. For example, identification of the face of a third-party assisting the student.

Voice Recognition: Sounds from different sources have distinct characteristics. AI picks up and recognizes speech patterns and sounds in the testing environment to verify them against background noises to identify instances of cheating. For example, sound from an audio system or the voice of a third-party.

Eye Movement Detection: AI uses facial key-points to recognize eye movement patterns to identify instances when the test-taker looks straight at the screen or when he averts his gaze to look at mobile phones, books, or any other objects. For example, repeatedly looking away from the screen in a particular direction.

Mouth Detection: AI measures the distance between the lip key-points. If the lip-points of the test-taker increase beyond a specific value, the event is noted. For example, moving lips while speaking to a third-party to elicit answers.

Plane Detection: The spatial definition of the test-taker’s physical environment, when combined with object recognition, enables the AI software to comprehensively understand the testing environment and detect any variations in it. For example, moving from one room to another during the exam or using a mobile phone.

Advantages of AI-driven Remote Exam Proctoring

AI is sharper and more accurate than a pair of human eyes. It can serve up warnings for the minutest inconsistencies in the testing environment and generate real-time alerts for discrepancies in the test-taker’s behavior. It mimics human intelligence by continuously learning from its environment and the aberrant behavior of users. As it gathers and crunches increasing amounts of data, it automatically evolves to become smarter and more accurate over time.

AI-driven remote proctoring improves the credibility and authenticity of online exams by flawlessly flushing out proxy test-takers. It automatically takes action against the test-takers engaged in any form of malpractice. By reducing administrative expenses and logistical hassles, it proves to be a cost-effective option. Moreover, its efficiency helps educational institutions scale online exams with confidence. It offers instant plug-and-play integration with existing LMS, multiple devices, and browsers. It also provides optimal performance on low bandwidth networks and low speeds.

Choosing the Right AI-Driven Remote Proctoring Tool

The online examination format is rife with loopholes that tempt test-takers to use their “creativity” to indulge in cheating. Live proctors that monitor online exams can easily be hoodwinked by students using a plethora of unethical means to evade detection. However, AI proctoring detects fraud with unprecedented accuracy. It has unlocked the potential of conducting online exams at scale without compromising on integrity.

In addition to superior features, an ideal AI remote proctoring tool must offer the following: detection of dishonesty and violations of integrity with maximum precision; customizable features to fit unique requirements; amenability to any form of online exams such as MCQs and essays; a rigorous reporting system; 24*7 technical support team for instant troubleshooting and quick resolution of time-sensitive issues; compliance with privacy laws regarding the collection, use, processing, and storage of user information; security against unauthorized access and use of data; be subject to security audits; and have a robust security-breach reporting protocol that detects intrusions and contains them immediately.

Educators are excited to lead the much-needed paradigm shift in the management of online examinations. The adoption of AI-driven remote proctoring has expanded the horizon of global education by allowing students from remote locations to gain access to top universities worldwide. Today, a student, based in Nagpur, can attend a course on Leadership and Management from Harvard University, US. He can also receive his e-certificate immediately after completing his AI-proctored test.

AI-driven remote proctoring is pushing the envelope by delivering a robust, seamless and holistic examination experience to both educators and candidates. HirePro, a pioneer in state-of-the-art AI-powered remote proctoring technology, is leading the way in this domain.

References:

–The Economic Times
–Analyticsindiamag.com
–suyati.com
–Universityaffairs.ca

Proctoring is an old profession. The task of monitoring exam takers to ensure they are honest and disciplined during the exam process has been undertaken by many noble men and women down the ages.

1674 engraving of a Proctor in the University of Oxford. From Habitus Academicorum, by George Edwards.
Picture Courtesy: WikiMedia Commons
In India, summertime ushers in proctoring duties for teachers as they trek to far-flung schools and colleges and invigilate the goings-on as millions across the country labour over their answer scripts.

Pre-COVID Proctoring: Evaluating Tech, Exploring

Remote proctoring is a descriptive term for humans sitting in call centres, or automated algorithms that look in via webcams into exam takers as they respond to questions online. Whether with humans or with automation, such systems come equipped with a panoply of fraud detection and mitigation tools to minimise, even eliminate, fraud such as proxies taking the test, opening browsers or other tech to look for answers.

Possibilities

This bucolic image is getting shattered, tap by tap, as the digital divide is being bridged by more and more aspirants – entrance exam writers seeking to get into plum civil services posts, standardized test aspirants dreaming of studying in far-off shores, nose-to-the-textbook students hoping to ace their boards and move on to the next grade, and many others.

To set up physical infrastructure and proctoring facilities for more and more test takers, many opting to login from geographically remote areas, has been straining the resources of educational institutions the world over. Many forward-thinking educationists and organizations have taken advantage of advances in technology to move to the conducting of remote examinations, and consequently, remote proctoring.

Another trend that has contributed to the rise of remote proctoring is e-learning. With more and more learning moving to the digital domain, as evidenced by the rise of edtech companies, testing online went on the upswing too.

Remote Proctoring: New tool in the
Academic Testing kit

The tech can be as simple as the proctor requesting the test taker to lock the door and show the entire room in 360 degrees to ensure no person is hiding ‘off camera’ to help the test taker, there are no posters on the wall and the desk is clean. It can also be as complex as AI-driven technologies that monitor the test taker’s body language and eye movements to flag potential fraud and cheating.

The tech-driven education movement has led to an explosion of tools and technologies that offer remote monitoring and proctoring solutions for exam takers – from screen monitoring solutions to companies that offer human proctors performing oversight remotely. Bangalore-based HirePro offers AI-powered proctoring for fraud-proof assessments in both live and automated proctoring modes.

The tools and tech have been evolving rapidly to keep pace with test takers who find newer ways to defraud the system, even with the support of answer-providing platforms.

The Great Inflection Point

In his prescient book Only the Paranoid Survive, Intel’s great CEO Andy Grove talks about strategic inflection points in the history of countries, societies and companies – the nightmare moment every leader dreads – periods of massive change that compel companies to rapidly adapt or fall by the wayside. Such points can be set off by almost anything: mega-competition, a change in laws, or a seemingly small change in technology. When a Strategic Inflection Point hits, the ordinary rules of business go out of the window, per Grove.

Echoes of this theory are found in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s famous ‘Black Swan’ events: the disproportionate role that high-profile, hard-to-predict and rare events play in disrupting human society, beyond the realm of normal expectations in history, science, finance, and technology.

2020’s COVID-19 pandemic was one such event that shook not just companies, but the whole world. Entire industries were upended as schools, factories and offices were closed; work from home became the new norm for those professionals who managed to hold on to their jobs. Even as many enterprises bit the dust – think retailers, malls, restaurants, tourism, transportation and cinemas – many were able to take the knock squarely on their chins and reinvent themselves for the post-COVID world.

Screen grab from a Live Remote Proctoring Session on the HirePro platform

Academia was one such sector. As the world locked down due to COVID, learning, testing and proctoring accelerated the move to online platforms. Schools may have been shut, but learning continued. Colleges may have been emptied, but entrance exams went online. Remote learning grew up in a hurry via a dizzying array of tools. Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, Cisco Webex and other products became household names as teachers worldwide ramped up on their PowerPoint knowledge and reached out to students on these platforms. Ergo, it was time for sisters, remote exams and remote proctoring, to accompany learning online as well.

Standardized tests such as the US Advanced Placement (AP) exams moved online; as did the Graduate Record Exams (GRE), many school and college exams and interviews. Schools and colleges hastily cobbled together a system using diverse sets of tech to move classrooms and test centres online.

2020 underscored the need for reliable, scalable remote proctoring technology that could serve the needs of educational institutions worldwide.

Remote Proctoring on the Ground, Circa 2021

As of this date, some exams have moved online permanently. A prominent one is the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) for MBA aspirants. Some exams have been suspended pending a redesign or revamp, such as the SAT subject test. The SAT itself has been made optional by many universities.

A 2020 McKinsey Report on Higher Ed in the United States, a major education market for undergraduates worldwide

Online education has become a very attractive and economical option for students in 2020. While many remain sceptical about the online experience, brick and mortar colleges and universities, as well as edtech companies are gearing up with an array of options to cater to a core that will stay online post-pandemic. The fulcrum has tilted towards online education – it is no longer an option for any educational institution now. Hybrid education is permanent in 2021 and beyond.

The Future: Happening Faster than You Think

“4 billion people will be on the internet by 2030. From an era of learning scarcity, we are now firmly in an era of learning abundance.” – Peter Diamandis, Futurist and Founder of Singularity University.

We think we know, but we are staring in the face of yet-undiscovered and incredible opportunities for learning, collaboration and innovation. When 4 billion people meld minds online, which is happening before the end of the current decade, this will be an unprecedented milestone in human civilization. Another black swan event perhaps? More than an event, we predict that this will be the dawn of a new age of metacognition and meta discovery – the point when humanity will move from building material objects and warring with each other, to unprecedented collaboration, as we look inwards, leap outwards, and aspire to literally reach the stars.

The society of the future will require skills that we don’t know of today. Planetary Mining Explorer? Biophysics Researcher? Space Tourism Expert? DNA Computing Analyst? Quantum Theorist? We don’t know what we don’t know! For this decade, we are skilling our professionals with AI/ML, Big Data, Market Research Analysts, Management Consultants, Public Health Professionals and others. We need more people with such skills than we have today.

Skilling the masses – many living and working in remote areas of the world – requires innovative out-of-the-box thinking. Testing and assessment are here to stay. New ways of testing and proctoring will be the order of the day. This is where AI-driven proctoring technologies and tools become so important.

Technologies such as Hirepro‘s, that offer highly reliable systems for remote proctoring that operate efficiently even in low bandwidth settings, and provide multiple proctoring modes and AI-enabled fraud flags, will continue to serve the ever-growing needs of educators and students worldwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic has all but enforced remote recruitment as the new normal among companies seeking to onboard fresh talent. For new employees, their early days on the job spell both excitement and stress. How do companies bring in the much-needed human touch to their experience? A thoughtfully structured virtual onboarding process eases their entry, allays apprehensions, and attunes them to your company’s standards, expectations, and culture.

Studies show that nearly 7 out of 10 employees are more inclined to stay with a company for three years or more if they experienced an optimal onboarding experience. Without the traditional options of on-site training and onboarding programs, companies must find creative ways of providing new employees with an immersive and engaging experience during their formative first days on the job.

What is Virtual Onboarding?

Unlike conventional onboarding, there is no in-person interaction during virtual onboarding. Remote onboarding employs video conferencing tools, online resources, webinars, text resources, and interactive exercises that new employees can access and revisit via their desktop, tablet, or mobile device. Typically, remote onboarding and in-person onboarding complement each other. However, as companies find innovative workarounds to deal with the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, several companies are shifting to a 100% virtual onboarding process.

Glassdoor reports that a robust onboarding process improves the retention of new hires by 82% and enhances their productivity by over 70%. Thanks to virtual onboarding, new employees, who typically learn about their company haphazardly from coworkers and superiors, can get a comprehensive overview of your company’s mission, vision, values, business goals, internal policies, and more in a virtual format that can be accessed at their convenience.

How does Virtual Onboarding Work?

A typical virtual onboarding process consists of the following elements:

Ice-breaker

The first step in the virtual onboarding process is to schedule a video conferencing session between the new employees and their colleagues. This allows the team to introduce themselves and meet their new team members. Since employee engagement is key, it is essential to coordinate with the team in advance and factor in their availability. The aim is to set the stage for the team to bond and to make regular interaction with new employees a priority from day one.

A blend of professionalism and warmth

New employees are often anxious during their initial days and require handling with tact and sensitivity to put them at ease. Striking the right balance between professionalism and warmth goes a long way in inducting them into the team. Providing adequate training and ensuring an open and conducive environment for interaction with team members encourages the new hires to participate in decision making from the get-go and helps them assimilate quickly.

Comprehensive communication

Remote and distributed work do not always lend themselves to productive communication. In the absence of in-person interactions, clear and comprehensive communication during the crucial first weeks of the virtual onboarding process alleviates the uncertainty faced by new employees, boosts their self-confidence, and enables them to reach optimal efficiency more quickly.

Instilling company values and interpreting company culture

It can be difficult for a new employee to gain an understanding of the company culture and values in a virtual environment. Hence, it is crucial to explain the company culture and employee code of conduct to new employees right from day one. This helps them to quickly imbibe company values and implement them in organizational activities.

Defining goals and expectations

Every employee contributes to the growth and success of a company. Defining goals and objectives, setting expectations, and informing new employees about how their performance will be assessed helps them clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. In addition, ensuring transparency in communication builds trust and prevents future complications.

Challenges of Virtual Onboarding

Virtual onboarding comes with its own challenges. The absence of familiar, face-to-face interaction increases the scope for confusion and miscommunication. Hence, making anxious employees feel comfortable while solely relying on online interaction is one of the most difficult aspects of remote onboarding.

The physical distance between old and new employees creates a social gap; the lack of direct interaction can lead to a disconnect between them. New employees may lack an understanding of their role. Teamwork may suffer. Managers’ inability to directly observe new employees may reduce the newbies’ chances of promotion.

These, and other challenges of virtual onboarding can adversely impact a company’s reputation. Adopting best practices can mitigate these challenges and enhance the company’s image.

Tips for Successful Virtual Onboarding

Here are some best practices to consider for a trouble-free virtual onboarding experience.

Fix the virtual onboarding schedule in advance

Decide whether to conduct the virtual onboarding program in one day or deliver it in short bursts over a longer time frame after taking stock of other technical training programs in which the new employees may have to participate. Select the main points to cover in the orientation program beforehand. These could include congratulatory messages, inspirational words about your company’s vision and mission and how their roles align with it and helping them make connections and build relationships. Follow this up with the remaining information via emails, guides, or follow-up videos. Maintain a virtual onboarding checklist to plan the process and create a memorable experience for the new employees.

Provide an in-depth introduction to technology and essential software and tools

Every company uses a customized set of advanced technologies to conduct its activities. During virtual onboarding, it is vital to deliver your company laptop to the new employees as quickly as possible, preferably a week in advance, to allow them to learn the relevant software and set up the tools they will be using. A test calls a few days prior to their first day of work helps make sure that all the software and platforms are correctly installed so that your new hire hits the ground running.

Provide an immersive training experience

It can be a challenge to deliver immersive learning experiences to new employees over a screen. Since pre-recorded video tutorials do not favor audience engagement, companies can create interesting, engaging, and interactive virtual learning experiences using innovative technologies such as live virtual seminars that replicate the dynamism of an in-person training event and provide an opportunity for real-time engagement between the trainers and new employees. Another training innovation is the integration of virtual reality (VR) in remote onboarding procedures for a simulated and immersive training experience.

Employ the latest strategies and tools to share your company’s
cultures and values

Distance makes it challenging for new hires to foster strong relationships and truly feel like they are a part of your team. Some of the tools used to inculcate company values and ethos are branded company “welcome packs” containing company merchandise and knick-knacks like mugs, t-shirts, and key chains; asynchronous virtual onboarding classes and presentations, including assignments and exercises, for teams working across multiple time zones; and employee survey software that measures employee engagement from the first day and beyond. These strategies and tools make remote employees feel heard and valued. Besides, the feedback received by new hires can help further develop the virtual onboarding process for future hires.

Assist with completing onboarding documents

Filling out paperwork is a time-consuming task. To speed up the process, companies could consider sending in advance, the documents to be filled out by the new employee. Documents that could be sent ahead of time include policies and procedures, financial forms, job expectations, and emergency contact details. Offering digital signatures aids the signing of the soft copy of official documents remotely. A well-organized documentation procedure that preempts potential constraints reflects favorably on the level of organization in executing company procedures. HirePro’s AI-driven automation checks and verifies documents and provides auto-responses to queries for express documentation and compliance.

Deploy advanced communication technology

Virtual onboarding requires an assortment of communication technologies such as video conference meeting rooms to parallel in-person meetings; social messaging apps to develop personal connections; Human Resource (HR) automation technology for tracking the status of each new hire during the course of the virtual onboarding program; and Learning Management Systems (LMS) with employee onboarding features to ensure every new employee receives the same standard of training. Keeping up-to-date communication technology in your toolbox makes the virtual onboarding procedure smooth and frictionless.

Nurture personal connection

Since remote workers are bound to have fewer in-person interactions with their colleagues, fostering positive relationships helps establish and maintain high employee engagement. Making a conscious effort to provide new hires with virtual bonding opportunities such as regular video calls, office-wide virtual meetings, daily standups, and virtual team celebrations nurtures a sense of belonging and promotes solidarity.

Assign a buddy

Some new employees may take longer to fully acquaint themselves with your company and its culture before beginning to contribute substantially to its progress. To accelerate their learning curve, provide constructive feedback, and increase their comfort levels, a buddy—a senior or experienced employee—should be assigned to the new employee. The buddy could be contacted virtually by the newbie throughout the onboarding process to attain a working-knowledge understanding of your company and its terms. The duration of a virtual buddy program can last between 3 to 5 months for remote staff.

Check progress frequently

Zoom-fatigue is a condition experienced by employees when they switch between prolonged video conference calls and work. Their body and mind get exhausted due to design flaws in the video conference platforms, and this reduces their focus and productivity while working. Encouraging team members to assist new employees and troubleshoot such problems leads to their quick resolution. It also improves the overall productivity of the team. Besides, keeping tabs on employee engagement and tracking their progress helps in taking timely corrective action. HirePro’s accurate in-built analytics and reports help recruiters and hiring managers to track the status and progress of new employees.

Ensure that the process is enjoyable

The virtual onboarding process becomes more enjoyable when the training session introduces the new hires to exciting ideas and opportunities that are in store for them. Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition Executives can conduct virtual sessions to make new employees aware of the ample chances they will be given to showcase their talent and skills on the job. This motivates them to be more involved and committed from day one.

Benefits of Virtual Onboarding

A well-organized and structured virtual onboarding process offers several benefits. It introduces new employees to the company, the management, and the staff. By giving them a comprehensive picture of what their job entails, it improves their performance. Virtual orientation programs enhance engagement, increase information retention by new hires, and tap into their potential. They also shorten the time span after hiring until the new employees are fully productive.

Virtual onboarding saves time. Virtual meetings held to engage new employees are much shorter when compared to in-person meetings. Besides, they are more efficient as the presenter can cover all the important topics without any physical distractions or interruptions. Online submission and processing of documents are much faster than doing it in offline mode. Thus, virtual onboarding can help bridge the digital gap and effectively emulate a traditional in-person onboarding experience.

Conclusion

First impressions matter. And this holds true in the context of remote hiring too. Providing new employees with a robust, structured, and personalized virtual onboarding experience is essential to boosting engagement, productivity, and talent retention. Rather than conducting virtual onboarding in an ad hoc manner, going the extra mile to nurture new hires with a well-thought-out virtual onboarding process goes a long way in making them feel valued and welcomed. It is important to note that both the quality and duration of the virtual onboarding process influence its efficacy.

As virtual hiring and remote work rapidly become the new normal, companies that aim to stand apart from their competitors and position themselves for success in the post-COVID era will have to reconsider, restructure, and adapt their branded virtual onboarding strategy accordingly. A new employee’s virtual onboarding experience has an immense bearing on their job satisfaction, productivity, and passion for the role. It determines their desire to be an integral part of your company and inspires them to become brand ambassadors of your company in the long run.

HirePro’s SaaS-based platform automates post-offer engagement and virtual onboarding activities. It can be easily and seamlessly integrated with any Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that has an Application Programming Interface (API) support. With HirePro’s advanced AI-powered and highly customizable platform, your brand can be at the forefront of the virtual onboarding process and deliver a human and seamless experience to all your new employees. Welcome remote hiring with open arms. Try HirePro’s virtual onboarding today!

It’s almost been a year since companies shifted to the digital realm courtesy of COVID-19. Hiring, onboarding, and other recruitment operations are carried out with remote technology, which is now considered a sustainable tool for survival rather than a luxury. At first, it seemed that hiring and onboarding processes would face a setback in maintaining the human connection and influence. However, by adopting appropriate practices, remote hiring and onboarding programs have shown themselves to be effective and impactful. According to SHRM, almost 70% of companies have reported successful outcomes of online onboarding processes.

In today’s hybrid workplace, businesses are required to adapt to these 2 models of onboarding:

• On-site onboarding with a few tweaks to fit in with pandemic-related imperatives.
• Virtual onboarding – relying on technology to achieve the same effect as in-person processes.

On-site onboarding adaptation

The existing onboarding program for on-site hires will need to undergo a slight shift for today’s environment. There are some practices and policies that need to be added to the onboarding protocols:

• Maintaining a hygienic workplace
• Granting leave/work from home for employees who are feeling unwell
• Temperature checks, social distancing, and other practices

Introducing such policies and protocols will help make new employees feel more comfortable by knowing that they are in a safe and protected environment, which facilitates faster assimilation.

Virtual/remote onboarding

Here, the same ideas of on-site onboarding are applied in a more structured manner with the help of technology. A welcoming handshake now becomes a welcome message and an introductory lunch transforms into a virtual lunch break. Research confirms that incorrect onboarding practices can cause low job satisfaction and engagement, which in turn leads to lower productivity and poor employee turnover rates. Hence, it is crucial to deliver the best onboarding experience, especially when it is done remotely. Successful virtual onboarding requires extensive planning, correct execution, and extra care.

Through the use of AI, the onboarding process can be automated and personalized at the same time. The benefits are many:

• High-quality, error-proof, and trackable process
• Insurance of data security
• Accuracy of reports
• Clarity and transparency
• Efficiency and consistency
• Time and money-saving

A recent report by UrbanBound stated that automation of onboarding tasks led to 16% better retention rates for new hires and 18% improved achievement in their initial performance.
Here are some interesting features of remote onboarding:

• Digital documentation and verification

– Offer letters, contracts, and other documents like NDAs can be generated automatically using natural language processing (NLP). This acts as a major time-saver as the HR managers only need to validate the output. A completely paperless process!
– AI-verification can detect any cheats, thus ensuring a fraud-proof process.
– Electronic signatures make the documentation process quicker and easier.

• Chatbots for FAQs

– A chatbot is a very convenient means to handle queries about basic processes such as, setting up an email account, applying for leaves, etc.
– It allows new employees to ask for information without any hesitancy.

• Virtual library

– Video conferences, webinars, videos, text resources, and interactive exercises that can be accessed via desktop, tablet, or mobile device.

• Relationship-building aids

– Chat rooms, social media groups, and video/audio meetings can be organized by AI/HR managers for casual and formal interactions, bringing in the much-needed human element.
– Organizational network analysis (ONA) can help identify the critical points of contact for new employees in their team and in the organization, which can potentially boost their productivity.

• Feedback analysis

– Given the importance of feedback for continuous improvement, HR professionals can employ AI tools like NLP to analyse direct and indirect feedback.

Moving to digital with AI doesn’t mean removing the human element completely. Human-tech always has an upper hand over technology alone. While technology acts as an engine, people are needed as enablers to deliver the best remote onboarding experience.

“One thing I’ve learned from onboarding so many remote workers is that the tools you use are really a secondary concern. Much of [the candidate’s] experience comes down to the human interactions.”
-Job van der Voort, co-founder, and CEO, Remote

To thrive in these dynamic times, organizations have to think innovatively and adopt new processes quickly and efficiently. Even before COVID-19, companies had ineffective and inefficient onboarding processes, leading to losses in time, money, and talent. The bottom line, companies need to ramp up their processes with the latest technology to compete and establish themselves in the market.

HirePro Onboarding offers a customized onboarding experience. Our SaaS-based platform automates the post-offer engagement and onboarding activities. Our onboarding platform goes the extra mile to ensure that the candidates are well-settled in their new environment.
Call us at 080 6656 6000 or write to us at sales@hirepro.in

Sources:

–Kipwise
–cpl.com
–UrbanBlog
–ciodive.com
–Prolifics.com

What if you were joining a new organization today? How would you want your first day to be? Welcoming? Inclusive? Pleasant? That, in a nutshell, is what an organization should be focusing on providing its employees on their first day of work with them. The importance of onboarding new employees can’t be stressed enough.

The onboarding experience lays the foundation for new employees to overcome their natural anxiety and get acquainted with the organization culture and their new role in an unstressed manner.
It can also help reduce employee attrition and build loyalty among new joinees.

Changes in the Onboarding Landscape

The human factor is extremely important in the onboarding process. The initial meeting with team members and experiencing the organizational culture in person can go a long way in creating a lasting onboarding experience both for the employees and the organization. With a pandemic-hit environment, virtual onboarding has become the norm in the industry. But the big question arises, is virtual onboarding as effective as regular onboarding?

Challenges in Virtual Onboarding

With the change in the onboarding landscape, enterprises have had to overcome many challenges to ensure smooth onboarding, the biggest of them being, as mentioned earlier, the human factor – the socializing with the team, the face-to-face meetings, the feel of belonging to the organization, and so on. Here are some challenges that enterprises need to particularly overcome.

Logistical issues and IT support

Employees need assistance in getting their work laptops, IDs assigned to them, and logging in for the first time. Considering a virtual setup, the organization needs to ensure maximum support and comfort during this process. How can employees access any confidential data from their own devices, if at all, or from remote locations without security breaches? It may be a good idea to assign a remote IT person to the employees to take them through the initial process of accessing important company and project-related documents, and assist them in queries if any.

Time and attendance capture

Capturing the time of login and logout could become a big challenge when employees are working remotely. Project and deliverable schedules could also be missed by employees when not in the company network. The organization needs to ensure the new employees are given enough training on logging their time and tracking project deliverables.

Lack of communication

Virtual onboarding can result in a total lack of communication between the new employees and the organization. A regular onboarding process would involve a couple of days of structured orientation that would throw light on the company culture, processes to be followed, teams to interact with when in need and general networking opportunities that employees may miss out on when being onboarded virtually.

Overcoming Challenges and Providing Effective Onboarding Experience

With advancements in technology, it has become possible to bridge the human gap between virtual and traditional onboarding. There are many onboarding platforms available in the market that organizations can use for their end-to-end onboarding needs.

Digitized documents

Leveraging technology can begin right here. There are a lot of processes and paperwork that can easily be initiated digitally before onboarding the employees. Collecting certificates, digital signatures, approvals if any can be made online so that the onboarding process can be made seamless and efficient.

Timely communication

One of the key points in making new employees comfortable is timely communication of what is to come. What are the next steps that they need to take? Where and how can they find help? Timely communication is very important, and can easily be done through a robust onboarding tool.

Virtual introductions with teams and managers

If there’s one thing that employees may miss in a virtual setup, it would be the in-person time they would have got with the teams and the managers they will be working with. You could think about scheduling timely online meetings with their teams and managers, to ensure the communication channel is always open and transparent.

Online training and support

Once an efficient onboarding tool is set in place, providing online training and support to new employees will become easy and smooth. This is pivotal to make the employees comfortable and get them up to speed with their work.
Once an efficient onboarding tool is set in place, providing online training and support to new employees will become easy and smooth. This is pivotal to make the employees comfortable and get them up to speed with their work.

Conclusion

A good onboarding experience is critical for every organization. Recruiting isn’t over until the new employees are settled in their jobs. With companies waking up to the concept of onboarding remotely, technology-enabled onboarding is here to stay. There is no dearth of onboarding tools available in the market today.

HirePro’s SaaS-based platform automates end-to-end virtual onboarding activities. Its robust technology makes it easy to integrate with any Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that has an Application Programming Interface (API) support. Deliver a human and seamless experience to all your new employees with HirePro’s virtual onboarding today!

Hiring an employee for an organization is no mean task! The process, ranging from screening prospective candidates to smooth onboarding of chosen employees, requires a lot of patience and perseverance. The tasks involved vary from conducting initial interviews to answering the candidate’s doubts, from shortlisting candidates to doing the necessary paperwork. With the past year has taken us through a huge digital evolution, we have seen some changes that are here to stay. Among the sea of changes that swept in, hiring processes in companies were subject to some of the major ones with big-time AI inclusion being seen.

AI has been found to radically streamline the onboarding process in companies. Companies have experienced several benefits with the use of AI in their onboarding processes. Let’s take a quick look at what these benefits are.

1. Less paperwork involved: This is possibly the single most evident benefit of AI in the onboarding process. With documentation and communication being AI-powered, the administrative burden is reduced and the amount of paperwork involved has also gone down drastically. At the same time, inaccuracies due to the human element have also reduced. The eco-friendliness of AI-powered onboarding is a happy outcome that sits well with all companies. After all, a reduced carbon footprint is on everyone’s agenda.
2. 24*7 onboarding: AI-powered onboarding, released from the shackles of human working hours, remains functional 24*7. New recruits can log in to companies’ systems and complete formalities at their convenience.
3. Faster Integration: No matter how extroverted a person is, there are limits to communication with humans, especially for new employees during their first few weeks. It is easier to run questions through a chatbot as you do not have to worry about it getting exhausted or judging you.
4. Cost-effective and time-saving : Virtual orientation sessions ensure that there is no need to travel across geographical areas. The benefits are two-fold – saves costs for the company and time for the employee.
5. Personalization: New recruits come from varied backgrounds and career paths. A one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding might not be effective in such a scenario. AI can be the saviour here enabling a personalized employee experience and addressing employee queries at a faster rate during the onboarding process.

Is it all hunky-dory in the world of AI-onboarding? Not really. The lack of human touch is often cited as a major drawback. Since AI onboarding involves a lot of human-machine interaction, the human touch is indeed missing from most processes.

However, AI-powered onboarding’s benefits far outweigh its shortcomings. The lack of human touch can be easily remedied by scheduling meetings – virtual or in-person – whenever mutually convenient. And once an employee is in, water cooler sessions – both virtual and actual – do the rest. People learn to fit in. And they do it quite well too!

HIrePro offers a customisable onboarding platform with AI-driven automation to check and verify documents, and respond to candidates’ queries. Reach out to us 080 6656 6000 or write to us at sales@hirepro.in for more information.

The year 2020 brought with it the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result of it the world witnessed an en masse movement to remote work. Companies that had all along shown reluctance in going even partially remote, were now left with no option than jumping onto the bandwagon! For HR departments in charge of onboarding new hires, it was no longer possible to meet them face-to-face, show them to their desk and schedule in-person training and induction sessions. And that was how virtual onboarding went from being a “nice-to-have”, to a vital tool in ensuring new recruits felt as welcomed as they would during an in-person onboarding.

It’s all about EX!

Linkedin’s Global Talent Trends 2020 report states that one of the ways talent is hired and retained is by ensuring a great EX or Employee Experience. It is vital for companies to understand their talent more deeply and design experiences keeping their likes in mind. For a new recruit, a great EX starts with a seamless onboarding process to ensure a smooth transition into the company. Automattic, a fully remote company right from its inception, has this down pat. The newbies at the company are assigned buddies right from the day they join – helping them feel warm and included. All Automattic employees receive a welcome package (shipped to their home) once they get onboard. The package, among other things, includes an ergonomic chair, a Fitbit, and a book on leadership for women (underscoring their emphasis on fitness and a focus on diversity and inclusion).

Teamwork of businesspeople partnership giving fist bump to greeting start up business strategy project.

Why digital onboarding?

A Positive Start, with Technology as the Enabler

A job change can be a difficult and stressful experience for many. The ambiguity and unfamiliarity of a new workplace could get amplified with the lack of opportunity for an in-person onboarding and face-to-face interaction. This is where a positive virtual onboarding experience turns out to be the anchor that they have been looking for! It gets them enthused about the organization they have joined and the work that they have been recruited for! Moreover, their location becomes irrelevant as long as they have Internet access and an indefatigable willingness to learn and accomplish objectives.

The Human Touch, Distance notwithstanding!

It was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who once said “Man is by nature a social animal”. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to elevated levels of loneliness and social isolation. In such a world, new employees need to feel the human connect right from the get-go. Though physical distances can strain the effort to connect with new colleagues, virtual onboarding helps with getting around that constraint. For instance, companies like Gitlab that have an all-remote culture assign welcome buddies who assist new recruits with the onboarding process to help them feel at home.

Communicating culture

Communicating your culture during the remote onboarding helps employees adapt to the company culture without much delay and get excited about logging in for work every single day. Does your workplace celebrate and embrace differences and diversity? How are the achievements of top employees recognized? Do you provide a fun and flexible work environment? What are your core beliefs and how does that translate into the day-to-day work? Communicating your culture through your virtual onboarding process defines the employees’ onboarding experience and is what keeps them connected with and excited about the new workplace.

Increased commitment

When employees feel supported through effective remote onboarding, they show increased commitment to the organization and are more likely to have a long-term engagement with the company. The company Digitate found that recruits who have a negative onboarding experience are twice as likely to start looking for new opportunities in the near future.

Increased role clarity and time savings

Getting employees up to speed with their work requires careful coordination and planning. Digital onboarding saves time through online document submission and online onboarding programs and training. Clarity about role, and clarity about job expectations are a lifeline for new recruits, leading to better contribution towards work. Virtual mentors could help at this juncture to ease the recruits into their work and become productive contributors. Encourage recruits to reach out to these mentors or managers if they feel lost or find themselves at sea on certain days!

Unfathomable a few years back, virtual onboarding has now become ubiquitous. Organizations that have so far followed a just-wing-it approach to virtual onboarding, must now rethink and design their onboarding process to make it a seamless, dynamic, informative, and human experience for their new recruits. Companies that do so will reap the benefits of having employees who feel supported and enthusiastic about their new jobs. HirePro’s Saas-based onboarding platform customizes the onboarding experience as per an organization’s needs, providing new recruits with a trouble-free onboarding experience. If you are interested in a demo, reach out to us 080 6656 6000 or write to us at sales@hirepro.in.

Sources:

–Global Talent Trends 2020
–The World is My Book

It’s 9 am on a Monday morning, the start to a busy week. A bunch of eager new hires are waiting to join your workforce. So, what do you do? Hand them a bunch of forms that takes them well over half a day to decipher and fill up? Then herd them into a prolonged orientation session that puts most of them to sleep? This might have been the way most companies did things a decade ago. Today, companies have realized that this is a sure-fire way of killing all that enthusiasm. First impressions matter and a good onboarding process is your first real touch point with your new employee.

Why Pull Out the Red Carpet?

Did you know that 20% of staff turnover happens within the first 45 days and 33% of employees start looking for a new job within the first 6 months? So why does it matter? Shouldn’t we consider that if an employee can’t fit in, it’s better that they leave early? That is really not the case.

The cost of replacing an entry level employee is 30%-50% of their salary. This cost escalates to 150%-400% for mid and senior level employees. If this is not reason enough, think about the impact on productivity. It takes 8-12 months for an employee to achieve full productivity. Early employee turnover results in a 1%-2.5% loss in revenue.

An effective onboarding process is your first step to successfully imprinting the organization in the employee’s psyche. Employees who know that they are valued, and an integral part of a larger whole are more likely to stay the long haul.

Get Your Signposts Ready

Imagine you are in a new city. You have no friends and to top it all you can’t make sense of the sign posts, because you don’t know the language! That’s exactly how it would feel to join a company without a good onboarding process. Like with the strange and unwelcoming city, it’s very likely that you’d give up and go to a friendlier, welcoming place as quickly as you could.

Talya Bauer, Ph.D., author of Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success, says that there are 4 distinct levels of onboarding.

• Compliance – At this level, employees are informed of legal and policy-related issues.
• Clarification – New employees are informed of their new role along with the related expectations.
• Culture – At this level, new hires are exposed to the organizational values and norms.
• Connection – New employees are encouraged to foster personal relationships and information networks.

A Virtual Handshake is as Good as the Real Thing!

Enterprises were dancing around the idea of remote hiring and onboarding when they got catapulted into 2020, the year of the pandemic. Virtual onboarding, the cherry on top of the hiring icing, soon became the cake that saved the day!

Businesses around the world realized quickly that while the world as we knew it had changed drastically, the show still had to go on. That meant continuing to be nimble and moving with the changing requirements. A significant portion of this entailed hiring the right people and bringing them up to speed as quickly as possible. This is where a robust onboarding process played a significant role. As businesses had to grapple with the reality that they needed to maintain social distancing, virtual onboarding became a reality even when you were hired from your own city.

The 8 Mantras of Virtual Onboarding

Companies had to rethink their entire onboarding strategy to meet the new reality of virtual onboarding and come up with strategies to meet the unforeseen challenges thrown up by remote hiring.

Here are some tips or best practices for an effective virtual onboarding process.

• Smaller timeboxes for effective onboarding

Traditionally, onboarding was a process that lasts the first couple of days or perhaps a week. Most organizations have, however, realized that an effective onboarding process can last months or even as long as the first year of employment. This is true especially when onboarding employees virtually. It is crucial to break up the onboarding process into bite-sized portions so that you don’t overwhelm your new hire with too much information.

It is important the first day’s onboarding process helps the new hires:

• Reaffirm their decision to join your company.
• Understand how their new role aligns with the company’s vision and mission. It is always important for employees to know that they are part of a greater whole.
• Build relationships that they could foster and grow in the coming days.

You could, of course, follow up this onboarding session with an email that helps the new hire understand the nitty-gritties of working with you.

• Communication is the Name of the Game

This is not the time to let the new hires be and find their space. Your new hire is in a new environment without being in one physically. That’s the conundrum of working remotely. It’s much more difficult for a new hire to be absorbed into the mainstream of your work life while working remotely. It’s quite easy for them to feel disoriented and left out.

This is where your robust communication strategy comes into play. You need to replace the frequent in-person pep talks a manager would give a new hire, with scheduled and off-the-cuff touchpoints via e-mails, chats, and video calls. These would, by necessity, have to be more planned and focused than the casual interactions you would have in the office. Most organizations would rely on automated processes to ensure that communication does not fall by the wayside.

The key is to make the new joinee feel welcome and part of the team.

• Buddy System Wins Hands Down!

Assigning a “buddy” to a new hire is a very effective way of making the person feel welcome and part of the team. The buddy effectively becomes the conduit between the new hire and the rest of the team. The buddy could meet the new hire for virtual coffee and other sessions that foster casual interaction. Thereafter, the buddy helps the new hire figure out the who’s who and what’s what of the team. He/she would effectively be the new hire’s window to the pulse of the organization.

• Arm the New Hire with the Tools of the Trade

New hires are typically given their laptops and other gizmos in person during the orientation. But that was in the days of in-office onboarding. The remote hire should also have access to company hardware and software. Getting it to them needs a bit more planning and forethought than the in-office version.

A good onboarding strategy would account for the smooth handover of technology to the new hire.

Access to technology does not mean just getting a laptop to a new employee’s location. A good onboarding process also ensures that the new hire is comfortable using the tools your team normally uses. There could be tools of collaboration that your new hire is familiar with. However, it’s always best to assume that your new hire is coming with a blank slate rather than assuming that they would know how to use these tools. An onboarding program that includes these small nuances will ensure that the new hire feels at home in a relatively short time.

• Speak ‘Culture’ from the Get-go

Your onboarding process and communication should be infused with your company’s culture and values. People want to work for an organization that has its own culture and identity. It humanizes the organization and makes the new hire relate to the organization quicker. An in-person onboarding process allows the new hire to imbibe the culture and vibe of the organisation in an organic, unforced manner.. In a remote onboarding environment, you will have to rely on your written communication and other touch points like video calls to project the company’s culture and values effectively.

Look at your onboarding communication from the same angle as your marketing communication. While you are communicating with your customers in your marketing communication, your onboarding communication is where you introduce the company to the new hire. Apply careful thought and strategy to ensure that the right message is being communicated.

• Let’s Meet Often!

Video calls can be fatiguing for both the participants as well as the facilitator. However, it’s important to have frequent sessions with the new hires to get to know them better and vice versa. Encourage the team to organize breakout rooms where the introduction is informal and fun. This is an ideal way for managers to decipher the new hire’s soft skills and attitude. The more often the new hire meets with the team to collaborate in non-work environments, the sooner they get integrated with the team. Remember, you need to find a substitute for those water cooler conversations.

• Let Birds of the Same Feather Flock Together

Finding like-minded people in the office environment is relatively easy. Socializing with your colleagues when you work remotely involves much more focused thought and effort. Most large organizations now encourage new hires to form groups and meet virtually as often as possible. They are also encouraged to form new hire groups in the social media platforms of the company. It helps them meet and share their concerns and angst with a peer group.

• Feedback, Feedback—the More the Merrier

You can’t think of everything. While you might have modified your onboarding process to suit remote onboarding to the best of your ability, there’s a lot that could have fallen through the cracks. Encourage new hires to share honest and continuous feedback. If you feel that employees would be more comfortable with sharing anonymous feedback, ensure that this is the norm.

Of course, it’s easy gathering feedback. But does it then get put in the corner of your virtual office and gather dust? That then defeats the purpose. Your system of acting on feedback should be as robust as receiving it.

While all of these points may seem valid and make absolute sense, it’s quite a lot to keep track of and streamline in an effective manner. What you need is a robust onboarding system that allows you the luxury of automating and customizing your entire onboarding process to fit your brand and culture. It’s definitely worth the effort. A study by SHRM states, “69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding”. It also increases productivity by 50%. So, invest in a robust onboarding process, if you haven’t already.

Reference

–Harvard Business Review

Recruiters and hiring managers receive a staggering number of job applications—an average of 250 per job, according to Glassdoor. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) help them track applications, scan resumes, and better organize candidate information.

However, recruiters and hiring managers are demanding more from their existing ATSs. They expect a modern ATS to help automate repetitive tasks, ensure consistent communication flows to keep candidates engaged, pre-screen, rank, and match candidates to job openings, and more. This calls for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support ATSs on a massive scale.

Besides, the rapid acceleration of remote hiring in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an impetus to the adoption of AI-powered ATSs by companies of all sizes. Meanwhile, the primary concern for recruiters is whether AI-driven ATSs will reduce the human touch in recruiting. The increasing employment of AI-powered ATSs has proven otherwise.

AI: The Bold Disrupter

Artificial Intelligence refers to a machine’s ability to mimic human-like intelligence. With the introduction of AI functionality into your ATS software, you can automate administrative tasks, facilitate smarter resume evaluation, personalize interview scheduling and communication, and efficiently track and analyze preset recruitment metrics. These features help humanize the candidate’s experience while speeding up the recruiting process without compromising on quality. Hence, AI augments your ATS, making it smarter, sharper, and more human-centric.

The Global Recruiting Trends released by LinkedIn Talent Solutions reports that recruiters and hiring managers across the globe believe that AI is a bold disrupter. According to the report, 67% of the respondents said that AI helps them save time, 43% said it helps remove human bias, and 31% said it helped deliver the best candidate matches. Respondents also expressed that AI is most helpful when sourcing (58%), screening (56%), and nurturing candidates (55%)
Let us explore three futuristic ATS features that are transforming the recruitment technology landscape, demonstrating why AI-powered ATSs are becoming must-haves in every recruiter’s toolbox.

Futuristic ATS Features: AI Leads the Way

1. Programmatic Job Advertising

Job ads, when posted, may appear erratically all over the internet without human interference. Programmatic job advertising deploys AI to purchase, publish, and optimize your job ads. This advanced ATS functionality uses predictive recruitment algorithms to analyze market data to determine how your job ad will perform. By taking informed scheduling and placement decisions for your ads, it places the apt job ad, at the right time, on the most suitable platform, to tap the right candidates.

2. Interview Chatbots

The AI chatbots integrated into earlier ATSs had limited features. Their use was restricted to providing a landing page call to action (CTA) or abruptly prompting candidates to apply for jobs without providing sufficient context. Modern ATSs use intelligent, empathetic, and intuitive interview chatbots that converse with the candidate via chat, email, or text. They employ AI technology to pre-screen your candidates, schedule interviews and even engage in human-sounding text conversations with applicants. Al also collects your candidate responses in the form of texts, pictures, videos, and documents.

3. Talent Rediscovery Software

Sometimes, the best candidates slip through the cracks. AI-driven talent rediscovery software uses your ATS resume database to scour for and screen candidates who had previously applied for a role at your company. Based on your current job openings, it verifies whether these candidates are a match. Once matched, it automatically contacts the candidates through social media or email. What’s more, it also looks for their updated employment history by scouting their social media profiles. It then adds this information to the candidate profile in your ATS database.

Conclusion

Delegating your tedious and time-consuming tasks to your AI-powered ATS doesn’t remove the human touch in recruitment. Rather, it empowers you to invest in human aspects such as understanding candidates’ needs, fostering relationships with candidates, and building a community. By automating tasks such as sourcing, screening, and proctoring, an AI-driven ATS augments your role, allowing you to focus on critical and higher-level tasks. Moreover, the futuristic features of modern AI-powered ATSs help you scale efficiently while continuously improving the quality of hires.