Now that we’re well into 2021, let’s talk about what we expect to see this year. If 2020 has taught us one thing, it’s that you can plan but reality will take over. However, many of the instruments, processes and features we saw blossom last year were already in the making. Some say that COVID and everything that happened in 2020 acted as a catalyst. It provided speed and traction to changes that were already in the works.
We hope that we won’t see catalysts like this in 2021. I think we had our share. But said being said, we think that the following five items will take on even more form and presence in 2021. Take a look and see if there’s a way to incorporate them in your processes and procedures.
1. Remote work
Many of us have gotten used to phone call and video conferences. We are all very familiar with Zoom, Google Hangouts and Teams. And we believe that is here to stay. Sure, we’ll go back to a certain level of physical meetings and getting together. But I believe we have seen that meeting virtually can be effective. You cut out travel time, especially when you have to fly. Meetings with clients, colleagues and people in your network: why should you waste time traveling when you can meet in front of your computer and camera?
It also applies to work, and this may mean that candidates have different expectations when it comes to work at your company. An IBM study shows that roughly 2/3rd of people would like to continue working remotely. Based on our experience it will likely be a mix. Working from home isn’t for everybody, and not all companies are set up to accommodate remote working perfectly. A balance between working remotely and being present in the office will likely be the way forward.
2. Virtual Interviews
We believe that virtual interviews, a process that really took off in 2020, will also continue. It showed a clear opportunity to drive down cost and improve efficiency in your company’s recruitment processes. At the same time, you don’t compromise the quality of your interviews. On the contrary, building in time seeing candidates for a quick interview when you would normally call, makes for a better process and likely better outcome.
In order to make the most of it, take the time now to perfect the processes you have in place in order to get the most out of them for the new year. You can ask candidates to comment on the recruitment processes – especially the ones you hire. Try and find out areas that work and areas that you can improve on.
3. Technology-based Recruitment
Building on automating your recruitment processes, we expect further technological developments and a broader implementation of AI in recruitment processes. The opportunity to automate repetitive processes that really don’t add value but need to be done perfectly, will continue to build in 2021.
That leaves time to put more of a personal touch to recruitment. You can build in more time to engage and interact with candidates you’re more likely to hire. We believe that candidates accept working through the process when they’re talking to AI, as long as the process makes sense, is intuitive and doesn’t require filling in the same information over and over again. When it’s well done, it can be quick, effective and a positive experience for the candidates.
4. Diversity
We talked about the need for diversity in your company and how your company’s recruitment processes should accommodate diversity in hiring. This trend will continue into 2021. We believe that your diversity efforts should not stop at meeting quota, but be focused around diversity of though. Purposefully sourcing candidates with different backgrounds, education and schools and even different parts of town, can help you build a truly diverse team.
AI can help you source and recruit bias-free, as long as you ensure your questions are free of bias as well. Ensure you ask the same questions to all candidates. For that, AskAway’s technology helps. Using our technology, you can easily ask the same questions to all candidates you include in the process.
5. Talent Pools and Internal Mobility
Another thing we talked about. Even though there may be good candidates on the job market, having a process in place that recognizes and promotes people from within serves more purposes. It helps provide opportunities for development. Secondly, it ensures you have candidates that already know the organization, culture and processes. And thirdly, it offers the opportunity to find employees in entry level positions. You’ll still need talented candidates from the outside for various, more senior roles, so it won’t be an approach that works for every position. You ideally look for a balance between promote from within and acquiring talent from the outside.
About us
AskAway disrupts the way recruitment is done, by eliminating the need to plan and schedule time-consuming meetings in packed agendas and by offering tools to record or even prerecord interviews. This allows you and your hiring team the opportunity to share and analyze the candidates for your interviews when it suits you. We pre-screen so you don’t have to: talk about the ultimate time management tool.
Contact us to find out more, or sign up for a no-strings attached free demo of our tool here.
