2020 is the year of change—the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred humankind to change the way we live. With a majority of people staying indoors, life is now inside-out, and our work lives are no exception. Besides essential workers, the workforce has shifted its offices into employees’ homes. As the job market ebbs and flows, HR professionals might find it challenging to keep up. Thankfully, certain technologies for HR practices have come in handy through these times.
The Era of Remote Work
Working from home isn’t new, but the practice has seen a surge with everyone staying indoors wary of COVID-19. Companies have to adapt to these changes given the uncertainty around returning to work. Hiring and recruitment is one such realm that requires significant adaptation. Today, teleworking is not only shaping the future of work, but it’s also changing the world of HR.
As a result, some HR tools and software are set to become post-pandemic essentials.
Why Technology-Enabled Hiring Works
We all know that the recruitment process is challenging enough. Without the ability to gauge candidates in-person, the process becomes that much harder for HR professionals. The good news? Remote work allows you to cast a wider net. Not so good news? Choosing the right candidate from the get-go becomes crucial when recruitment is virtual. Here’s where technology steps in. Here, we discuss some of the technology that is and will continue to impact hiring operations:
Digital Data Management
Gone are the days of rifling through sky-high filing cabinets to retrieve resumes. Digital data management systems end the need for haphazard paper trails. With it, recruiters can:
- Focus on the security of employee files and candidate data.
- Use data analysis to identify patterns and metrics for the hiring process.
- Easily retrieve and store resumes and documents.
Video Chat Platforms
What was once a novelty is now becoming the norm—video interviews are changing the age-old recruitment process. Recruiters can now use live and scheduled video interviews to fill open positions. Additionally, these interviews can be shared amongst HR professionals to come to a consensus on a candidate. Video interviewing technology can fast track recruitment, saving candidates time and travel expenses. Secondly, it allows HR teams to get back to candidates faster.
Especially with the current climate, video chat platforms have become imperative to businesses. This is indicated by the spike in daily Zoom users in just three months, for one. HR professionals are using these video platforms to go beyond just meetings. Rather, video chat platforms can be used for everything from company fitness sessions to virtual happy hours.
In turn, these events contribute to a positive workplace culture, which is always a win. The University of Southern California considers positive workplace culture key when attracting and retaining star employees.
Chatbots
Reaching out and replying to many candidates each day is no easy feat. For HR employees, it can be hard to maintain many conversations at once, answer queries, and update candidates within a short time. Trained and tested chatbots make for a viable solution. Some of the benefits of utilizing chatbots include:
- The ability to reach more candidates.
- Automatic explanations of job profiles.
- Efficient resume screening.
What’s more, chatbots allow HR professionals to perform these tasks simultaneously! One thing to keep in mind while using chatbots is to have an actual person oversee any chat interactions. This ensures the chatbot is providing correct information and keeping a candidate engaged. Without oversight, you run the risk of alienating a candidate by making them feel like they’re only talking to a machine.
AI
It’s no secret that AI is making waves across industries, and it’s no different when it comes to the hiring process. AI-enabled tools like resume screeners make the recruitment process that much more streamlined. These tools use past data about hiring decisions to scan resumes and screen candidates for pre-decided criteria. As an article by HR Technologist reports these tools can also pull data from public social media profiles. In turn, this gives recruiters a holistic overview of potential candidates.
Additionally, investing in AI workflow and scheduling tools makes company operations smoother. In turn, this gives HR teams some leverage when recruiting star candidates. Investing in AI means that HR professionals can offer candidates insights into how their tasks are managed. These insights are likely to further incentivize candidates to take up the job. The experts at Workwave note, “Applicants can see how their daily routines will be aided by software and other modern resources, rather than seeing an archaic series of processes they will have to learn to survive. Ultimately, using modern technology helps businesses better serve customers and clients as well as making employees’ lives easier at work.”
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When finding the right candidate for your company is so important, the way you find them should be too. Integrating technology into recruitment processes is one way to do so. Techn in HR allows professionals to find the right people for the right job at the right time. In turn, this frees professionals of menial tasks, giving them room to focus on more strategic, bigger-picture solutions.
By Maggie Potter