Tips for online recruitment and selection of new colleagues!

Just a few weeks ago, we still had an overheated job market. More vacancies than applicants. Employers were under pressure and recruiters were searching for needles in haystacks with a magnifying glass. Then everything changed.

The coronavirus upended plans and put a large part of the job market on hold. Do you now have to sit twiddling your thumbs with your recruitment campaign until the virus blows over? Definitely not! We'll give you tips for recruitment and selection that will help you score as an employer. Even remotely!

This is how you recruit new colleagues online!

We humans love direct contact. Looking each other straight in the eye, shaking hands, literally sniffing each other out a bit. Especially at a first meeting, all your senses are on high alert. You register with great precision whether the other person is a match for you.

No wonder personal contact is an essential part of a recruitment and selection procedure. It often determines whether or not you get hired.

But what's happening now with the coronavirus crisis? Now that direct contact is suddenly impossible and not even 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) of distance is really feasible? 

It may be hard right now to look further than the coming month, but there will probably come a time again when you badly need those applicants. So make sure this crisis doesn't mean the end of your search for a new colleague. And it doesn't have to.

You just have to set up your recruitment and selection smartly. Even smarter than usual, because of course you do have some extra hurdles to clear. But fortunately, we have a few tips for you!

Tip 1. Video instead of coffee‍

It's precisely the quarter-hour wait at reception that gives an applicant valuable information about the company culture.

They hear how the switchboard operator speaks with someone, see potential future colleagues walk by, taste the coffee. These may seem like trivial things, but all those experiences help create a click with a company. Now that everything has to be done remotely, the applicant misses out on a lot of information.

Time to get creative, then!

Make the input even more attractive in the job posting itself, and in the invitation to the interview. A photo alone isn't enough to connect with an applicant. Choose moving images and sound; that comes as close to reality as possible.

Build in enough pace, a dose of humor, and try to surprise. Then you're more likely to win someone over to respond.

You probably already have a general company video on the shelf to add to your job posting. Now add a video that shows what the job actually involves. Do it creatively, but don't make it too complicated.

For example, literally walk a lap around the department, talk to a colleague, and show the workspace in advance. 

Tip 2. Invite in a surprising way‍

Does a candidate make it through the résumé screening and do you want to invite them to an (online) job interview?

Then invite them by video, too. Send an email with a link to a video with more information.

Don't have too many candidates? Then you could even make it extra personal by starting the invitation video with the manager greeting the candidate personally. Of course, you can then use a standard module with more general information about the procedure.

Don't make it too formal if your organizational culture isn't suit-and-tie.

Keep the invitation light and use the possibilities of video. Don't just have the HR advisor or manager do the talking, but also a direct colleague or, so to speak, the cleaner. See the clip as a replacement for the quarter-hour at reception. So show yourself as you are!

Tip 3. A job interview like a real pro‍

Of course, you make it as easy as possible for the candidate. With the invitation, you sent along a handy link to the video call, including some tips on how best to log in.

They don't have to search for the interview location and are in their own familiar surroundings. So it's a piece of cake for your applicant to be at their screen on time.

Now it's your turn!

Our tip of the day: check your own calendar, too. Reserve enough time to establish a good connection and find a suitable workspace. That prevents unnecessary unprofessional fuss at the start of the conversation. 

You're probably working from home right now, like half the Netherlands.

Make sure you have a presentable interview space, or set the company logo as a virtual background, for example. That looks a lot more professional than your kids' school photos or your partner taking out the trash in the background.

Perhaps unnecessary to say: dress as if you were really at work. The applicant is putting their best foot forward and isn't waiting for a manager in pajamas.

Another golden rule for those working from home: make sure you aren't disturbed. No cat on the keyboard or whining child at your desk.

A job interview is nerve-racking and confidential for every candidate, and should therefore be treated with respect. 

Tip 4. Online assessment‍

Maybe you were already using it, but it has now become a must for every selection procedure: the online assessment.

In a virtual environment especially, you can go in all directions with this, so take advantage of that. Of course, you can use a specialized agency that administers the test to your candidate. But you don't necessarily have to outsource everything; an assessment made for and by your own company offers more customization and flexibility.
There are all kinds of ways to test your candidate's knowledge and skills.

You can easily have the composition of the assessment move along with the complexity of the vacancy by using a modular structure.

Don't just look at the hard requirements, but also include soft skills in your test environment.

We have devoted a blog to this before: a drivers analysis can be very helpful in selecting the right addition to your team.

Tip 5. Virtual party before the salary and benefits negotiation‍

Think you’ve found the perfect candidate after a great assessment? Congratulations!

Now for the final step: the salary and benefits negotiation. Unfortunately, this milestone also has to be handled online during the coronavirus crisis.

Fortunately, you can still make it feel like a special occasion, even from a distance.

Make an unexpected move, for example, by not just sending an online invitation, but reaching out to the applicant by mail. Don't just send the usual documents and brochures. Create a surprise effect.

With a bouquet of letterbox flowers, a chocolate gram, a bottle of champagne, or a company-branded shirt, your applicant will already feel like part of the team.

Could you use more tips on effective online recruitment? ‍

We can help! We are used to working remotely, know (almost) everything about online possibilities, and are happy to brainstorm with you.

So, feel free to schedule a call with us. That way, you can ensure your recruitment and selection process not only continues during the crisis but actually becomes even better!