All sectors were negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and hiring was the first sector to shift from traditional to modern hiring. Apart from the drawbacks caused by the pandemic, companies had an advantage of the shift from traditional to current hiring and recruiting. Hiring managers have enjoyed proficient engineers from different parts of the world.
The job market will no longer be limited by geographical location or ethnicity. Managers have realized that though in-person interviews are over, online recruiting is more efficient and effective in time and resource-saving.
This paper gives tips for remote hiring and maintaining the best candidates.
Use modern recruitment channels
Thanks to technology and software engineers for bringing in digital platforms for online recruitment. Online referrals via an established network are the best way to acquire the best candidates. Since modern group communication is happening through slack, you can request referrals from the participants, and with minimal doubts, you will get the best to hire.
As to why slack is preferred, it is a formal messaging platform compared to WhatsApp and telegram where anyone can get the link and join without proper knowledge of the group’s purpose. Though the method may look informal, it gives an insight into the kind of engineering candidates available and who are within your boundaries.
To prove the seriousness of the candidate, you have to send brief messages and noted the response. If the answer is negative, opt for another method but otherwise retain those who have responded.
Assess soft skills alongside technical skill
Extracting information from LinkedIn or resumes can be misleading because the information is not always up to date. Instead of entirely depending on resumes and social media platforms, conduct screen testing to assess the candidate’s technical ability and the extend of passion.
It is equally important to evaluate both the technical and non-technical skills depending on the role. Passionate engineers are usually excited thus efficient to work. They are eager to acquire new technology and learn modern techniques to solve complicated problems.
Upon hiring, hiring managers encourage recruited engineers about their responsibilities; introduce them to the company culture and its mode of operation.
Develop trust for the interested candidate
After selecting the perfect candidate, take the shortest time possible to build trust and start engagement through frequent communication. Lack of proper communication at the early stage of recruitment derails passion and excitement. Candidates feel more accepted into the company when they learn the company culture and find it easy to interact with existing employees.
For efficiency, pair recruits with existing engineers to foster their learning skills and imitate what their master does. This will improve their confidence and when executing tasks.
It will be wise if you contact weekly remote meetings with the whole engineering team. The sessions should be accompanied by mentorship programs to improve the ability of recruits to interact with resources.
Empathy is the most critical thing in the workplace. Minimize work harassment to recruits and allow learning through examples. Intimidation or harassment increases the fear of encountering complicated duties and thus lowering the output.
Conclusion
Remote hiring should be taken as seriously as in-person hiring. Though online recruitment can sometimes be challenging due to cultural differences, hiring managers should take care of recruits’ culture. Intimidation and work harassment should be avoided to foster new engineers’ freedom to deliver.
