The recruitment dilemma in the post pandemic world

Virtual Engagement has been driving the world since the pandemic started in 2019. Organizations had to quickly figure out ways to augment their virtual engagement capabilities and adjust with the new normal. Recruitment is one key function that was affected the most and Talent Acquisition professionals, in general, would agree that they have had a tough time scouting for the right talent in 2020. Workforce in several industries switched to Work from Home or Work from Anywhere mode and had to rapidly scale up their technology backbone to support the transition. And so did Talent Acquisition function – Virtual Recruitment was a saviour, it worked well for most of the organizations and ensured smooth supply of talent. Virtual Recruitment is fast, more effective and provides access to a larger talent pool without geographical restrictions.

Should We, Should We Not?

Now, with indications of easing of the pandemic situation and more relaxed restrictions, at least a section of Recruitment professionals are back to the drawing board and wondering - Should we recruit virtually or should we go back to in person hiring? A few might have already decided that virtual recruitment will not work for them, could be because of several reasons. The matter of fact is that, while going back to in-person hiring may not be a bad step, discontinuing virtual recruitment may not be a good thing to do. The current dilemma can be equated to a similar situation when business leaders had to decide, whether they should switch to computers or continue with typewriters, should they switch to Cloud or continue with On-prem Servers. The answer is simple – if work from home is here to stay, then so does virtual recruitment. Virtual Recruitment is a novel and evolving talent acquisition method which is still maturing but proven to be extremely effective. It’s the future for sure. Since organizations are always on the lookout for high quality resources, virtual recruitment is something that offers competitive advantage in the job market. Not having a virtual recruitment strategy and the required technology infrastructure results in being deprived of key assets and skills for an organization that is futuristic and growth oriented. Virtual Recruitment and ability to handle Virtual Job Fairs are already considered as key skills that add brownie points on a Talent Acquisition professionals CV.

The Balance

Whether to recruit virtually or in-person depends on factors such as, nature of the role, number of openings, availability of resources locally, and the skill sets needed. Virtual and In-person recruitment will coexist as both forms of hiring are needed and it’s up to the recruitment experts to decide which mode they should try for each role. Discontinuing virtual recruitment or discontinuing in-person hiring completely, can prove detrimental in the long run. The key to success is striking a balance between the two options, and having the acumen to employ the right strategy depending on the need. Maintaining your virtual recruitment assets, and in-person recruitment channels, are equally important at this point, as the world will move more towards virtual recruitment with advent of Metaverse and similar modern technologies in the hiring space.