Remote Recruitment: The Future of Hiring

Employees are the lifeblood of your organisation, and adapting your recruitment to their ever-changing world is essential if you want to hire the best people. Around 63% of South Africa-based professionals say their productivity increased while working from home.

Employees and companies across the country are embracing remote work, which points to a potential shift in recruitment practices. This article explores remote recruitment, its methods and how businesses can leverage this recruitment trend into the future.

If you require a more immediate solution to your recruitment needs, you can get in touch with Greys Recruitment Agency today. Greys specialises in next-level sourcing of the best candidates online through implementing cutting-edge digital channels, SEO practices and push & retrieval technology.

What is remote recruitment?

Recruitment during a pandemic has led to a significant shift in the interview and onboarding process that traditionally focused on hiring based on defined geographical boundaries. It took a global shutdown of society and the economy for organisations to explore remote-first recruitment as an alternative.

Beyond current challenges, companies may be considering remote hiring in today’s socioeconomic landscape to build a more robust working culture or save money. The flexibility of a remote working environment gives employees the freedom to work from home while allowing companies to expand their talent pool without location-based limitations.

For example, if a company in Pretoria needs a website designer, recruiters are no longer bound to search for candidates within this particular area. Instead of limiting themselves to one location, they can expand their search country-wide or internationally.

“Over the past two years, at least 5% of the roles we have seen can be worked from anywhere, and this proportion is likely to grow,” says Advaita Naidoo, the managing director of the African division at Jack Hammer Global.

The more obvious remote positions can include but are not limited to:

Software Engineer
Project Manager
Virtual Assistant
Writers and Content Creators
Customer Service Reps
Teachers
Marketing Lead
Graphic Designer
Accountants

Employers can also hire recruiters remotely, and recruitment agencies themselves are building expanding databases of potential candidates for remote positions. The goal is to offer companies on-demand hiring for vacancies through a network of remote workers ready and equipped to deliver value.

Naidoo also points to a broad range of remote job positions centred on leadership roles in:

Digital transformation
Artificial intelligence
Data science
Other related fields

This digital-first approach indicates a mental shift by forward-thinking companies that are aware of one crucial fact: The future is digital. Companies can capitalise on today’s opportunities and position themselves for long-term success by hiring technology-driven roles that remote workers can fulfil.

The benefits of remote recruitment

Even though a growing majority of white-collar employees desire remote work, that doesn’t mean their requests will all be fulfilled. Having people work from home can seem daunting to managers and employers who are used to seeing their staff in an office.

Old-fashioned ways of thinking still exist in the working world, and companies may need extra convincing to consider remote hiring for their own reasons. So, let’s break down some of the main benefits of remote recruitment.

Wider talent pool

One of the most notable differences between remote recruitment and the traditional model is the lack of geographical limits. Companies can expand their hiring pool significantly to source talent from virtually anywhere in the world, as long as they can meet language and connectivity factors.

Meeting employee expectations

Many employees got a taste of remote work during the height of the pandemic when companies had no choice but to adapt their operational models. Now, more people prefer to work remotely from the comfort of their homes, and companies can satisfy their employee’s desires and boost morale through remote-first recruitment.

Cost savings

On-site work comes with considerable expenses for companies essential for the day-to-day running and management of a traditional work environment.

Real estate
Utilities
Cleaning
Workshops and events

Instead of these costs, companies will cover data, software and hardware expenses to give employees what they need for remote work.

Productive employees

Allowing employees to work remotely where they are comfortable can increase morale and the desire to work harder if managed correctly. This flexibility, paired with adequate support structures, can increase employee productivity, whether they choose to work from their own homes, cafes or coworking spaces.

Expedited hiring

Remote employees, particularly those with years of expertise, are better accustomed to working virtually. They are familiar with the tools and can adjust rapidly, streamlining the hiring process.

In the remote recruitment process, companies can conduct video chat interviews with candidates rather than in-person ones. Since the recruiters and remote work candidates have the experience, the entire process is quicker and more efficient.

Tips and best practices for remote recruitment

For most, changing your local recruitment strategy to a remote one is complicated and overwhelming. Recruitment teams, HR leaders, hiring managers, and individual interviewers should implement custom remote-first recruitment strategies that fit their business to achieve a fair and pleasant hiring process.

Recruitment agencies like Greys can help with personalised recruitment solutions tailored to a company’s needs and specifications. However, here are some tips that you can note to get the ball rolling:

Define your remote positions clearly

As obvious as this seems, defining what remote means to you is essential before putting up a job ad and starting the hiring process. Candidates might mistake “remote work” for a full-time job when it isn’t for you. You will avoid time wastage and misunderstandings if you clarify this before looking for applicants.

Use an applicant tracking system

Hiring employees might be a headache without an applicant tracking system (ATS), especially for remote recruitment. Companies will often have thousands of unqualified people applying for the same job post on several platforms, wasting time as you analyse their resumes.

An ATS will help you save time and effort by helping you identify individuals who meet your specifications. It will also aid in structuring your hiring procedure by identifying talent, analysing potential, monitoring the interview process, and reviewing performance.

Conduct an impactful remote interview

The first step in conducting an impactful remote interview is to have a video call application. This is the step where you get a clearer understanding of a candidate’s knowledge and skills throughout the interview. Some of the many tools that support the success of remote businesses are Zoom, Skype Business, and Google Meet.

Establishing a connection with the candidate while the camera is off during a remote interview is challenging. It’s simpler to interpret their body language and learn more about the candidate when you have your camera on.

Include a job trial period

If you don’t need to hire someone immediately or urgently, think about incorporating a job trial period into the remote recruitment process. This approach is now more viable because many people are available to work remotely due to temporary or permanent layoffs. You will have the chance to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for the position and their fit with your team and corporate culture over a 1-2 week employment trial period.

The candidate will also benefit from this by getting a clear idea of your expectations and a sense of what working life is like in your company.

The future is in your hands

Following the pandemic, most businesses chose remote hiring for two primary reasons: they can provide easy contracts to attract superior people and expand their business while cutting costs.
Remote recruiting is not the only optimal method for assembling a skilled staff. Additionally, it’s among the most vital tactics for maintaining market dominance over time. A powerful way to secure the longevity of your business is partnering with an experienced and future-driven recruitment agency.
Greys Recruitment is a preferred staffing supplier of blue-chip corporates globally, specialising in white-collar permanent and temporary recruitment. We use the latest technology and marketing strategies to attract top talent from the global marketplace, supplying a vast network of vetted, mobile professionals to companies worldwide.

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