Taking the entire hiring process online, without meeting a candidate in person, seems drastic, but it has become the standard today for many organizations. Recruiters rely on technology to reach potential new hires, from virtual events to online applications, interviews and assessments that allow remote evaluation of potential candidates.
Some might argue this takes the personal touch out of the hiring process and creates a negative candidate experience. Still, the fact is many employers report that “nothing was lost but the handshake” during virtual recruitment. Along with flexibility on the job, candidates expect flexibility in the hiring process. Most employers also find significant cost-saving and efficiency improvements when using virtual recruitment methods.
Virtual recruiting, including career fairs and interviews, caught on before the pandemic, but now they’ve become the norm. Some virtual recruitment benefits organizations noted include:
- Eliminates travel time for both the interviewer and candidate, saving time and money.
- Speed: Accelerates the hiring process with easier scheduling.
- Inclusive — the ability to invite remote coworkers to be involved in the interviewing process.
- Flexibility: Candidates can schedule interviews during lunch or join a virtual career fair between classes or breaks.
- Diversity and Employment Brand Expansion: Traditional recruiting often targets local areas, familiar organizations and specific college programs. Virtual methods expand your reach to diverse locations, groups and a broader range of education and experiences.
- Consistency: Virtual interviews lend themselves to greater consistency, helping to reduce bias in the hiring process.
- Formality: Online interactions tend to be more casual, giving both the employer and the candidate a clearer insight into their everyday behavior.
We recognize and value the importance of in-person meetings and face-to-face communication, but virtual recruiting serves as a valuable addition to the hiring process. Beyond posting a job on AgCareers.com, expanding your employment brand and receiving job applicants, AgCareers.com hosts a series of Feed Your Future virtual career fairs, virtually connecting agri-food employers with candidates nationwide. Most participants say the Feed Your Future virtual career fairs were as good or better than in-person events.
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