In the past six months, the internship recruiting and hiring process has completely changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a shift to remote work, and hiring teams must find and evaluate potential hires without in-person networking events and face-to-face interviews.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the sudden changes, don’t worry. Here are a few ways you can effectively recruit and hire interns in a remote working world.

Tools and tactics to improve your intern search process

1. Build a strong brand online so interns come to you 

If you’re hiring remotely, your online presence may be the most prominent way for internship candidates to learn about and form an impression of your company. If you want to attract talented interns, you’ll want them to be excited about applying for the position after viewing your website, social media, and other online resources.

After some quick searching, job seekers should be able to have a clear understanding of your company’s mission and values, work culture, and internship expectations and responsibilities. The more information available to potential hires, the more they’ll be able to assess how much their passions and strengths align with your needs. Ultimately, this saves you time by maximizing the chance that people who apply for your internship are a good fit and genuinely want the position.

2. Use online resources like job boards and social media 

Recruit and hire interns using online channels. While it’s difficult to engage in in-person recruiting and networking for internships at this time, you still have many online resources to support your recruitment efforts. 

One 2019 survey found that 41% of recent hires found their current position through an online job board. Another 14% discovered their job through social media, and an additional 5% through email newsletters. That means that 60% of recent hires connected with their current employers online. It’s definitely possible for you to recruit valuable interns remotely.

Tools and tactics to vet interns and seal the deal

1. Implement low-effort screening

Making your job posting unique will help it stand out from the slew of postings that job seekers search through. One specific way to make your job posting more unique and effective is to include a low effort requirement such as including a fun word in your application subject line.

For example, something as simple as asking potential interns to include “penguin” in their subject line can help you easily weed out applicants who won’t even take the time to completely read through your job posting, or at the very least don’t pay much attention to details. 

2. Conduct virtual interviews

Virtual interviews are a great alternative to in-person interviews to recruit and hire interns. They give you the opportunity to chat with potential hires while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Virtual interviews are also convenient for interviewing interns who may be in a different time zone or completely different country — just remember to specify the time zone when scheduling interviews.

When conducting your virtual interviews, make sure to evaluate applicants on their remote work skills. It’s hard to say how long remote work will be the norm, so it’s important to hire employees who can thrive in a remote working environment.

Tips to ensure your intern has the best possible experience 

1. Continue building community

It can be difficult to build community while everyone’s stuck at home, but it’s important to continue making efforts to do so. Virtual coffee breaks or lunches give employees a chance to chat with their coworkers and let your new intern get to know people. Team hangouts that include interactive activities like games can also be a fun way to build community.

2. Encourage feedback and communication

If you want to know how to deliver the best possible internship experience, consider asking your intern for feedback. Feedback is valuable for determining what they like about the internship and what you can do better to support them. Promoting open communication is great for building trust as well as making your intern feel like a valued member of your team.

While COVID-19 has made it more difficult to recruit and hire interns, there are many online resources you can leverage to search effectively for new interns, make good hiring decisions, and provide an enjoyable internship experience. Work on attracting and retaining capable, enthusiastic interns who will fit perfectly into your company’s culture so that you can continue to run a successful business — even during a global pandemic.

Does your organisation recruit and hire interns? If you love any of these tips or use them already, leave a comment below. 

Gabrielle Gardiner is a Manhattan-based writer who is passionate about sharing her insights to empower recruiters and job seekers to succeed. She specializes in creating content with actionable tips about professional development, most recently for websites like LiveCareer.

The post How to recruit and hire interns in a remote-working world appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

Recruiters and HR team members were already becoming more tech-savvy before COVID-19, but recently, there’s been a fresh sense of urgency for the industry to continue to evolve technologically. We’ve been forced to innovate and embrace the “new normal” of remote hiring. Although the job market has turned in favour of employers, increased application rates mean that organisations have no choice but to manage their time wisely and make prudent decisions. Otherwise, an unprecedented influx of applicants can lead to errors, inefficiency, and chaos.

 You’re in a position to thrive by creating better virtual hiring processes where you can attract top talent from around the globe. It’s time to streamline how you vet, hire, onboard, and train your candidates digitally. However, it’s easier said than done. To succeed, you must maintain the human, personalised side of hiring while crafting a seamless digital experience. Follow leading HR departments that are doing it right by following these three tips.

1. Use an AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) 

Use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to optimise your resume review processes while also reducing bias. Applicants are beginning to understand the importance of creating AI-friendly resumes, and HR professionals have a responsibility to make sure they know how to write for an ATS.

Artificially intelligent resume scanners are not just convenient, they’re becoming more and more important in narrowing down your applicant pools quickly.

Using an ATS likely isn’t a new concept for you, but it’s important to ensure you’re using the right one for your organisation’s unique needs. Is your ATS outdated or overpriced? Does it include background checks and special features to track a candidate’s progress through different the hiring stages? Can you take advantage of AI as part of your ATS? Now is a great time to step back and examine the bigger picture to ensure you’re capable of dealing with current market changes (such as increased application rates and the need for new digital processes). 

2. Invest in the best HRMS solution

Many hiring teams need to invest in a human resource management system (HRMS) as much as they need a high-quality ATS. An HRMS features a centralised database, automates menial admin tasks, makes recruiting easier, decreases turnover, and includes a self-service portal for employees. Save your team a ton of headaches by figuring out which type of software is the most user-friendly and suitable for you, your recruits, and your current employees.

Cloud-based solutions are great options. These create a smoother hiring experience for users overall, leaving you to focus on fostering relationships with candidates and employees rather than worrying about administrative processes.

3. Optimise your video interviewing process

Video interviewing can be more efficient and less restrictive geographically than face-to-face interviews. Even if you’re not operating/hiring remotely, you can still obtain a lot of benefits! Facilitating a smooth video interview process takes finesse and skill. Don’t underestimate the associated challenges. (Check out these tips on how to successfully recruit via video interview.) 

Have you considered implementing a virtual interview prep call for candidates? Does your hiring team rely on Zoom, or another video conferencing/interviewing software? Be sure everyone in your HR department is equally comfortable troubleshooting virtual interview tech issues.

A poor video interviewing process can mean qualified candidates opt-out of your application process. Map out the process as best you can, use good communication to ensure your candidates are fully prepared and comfortable for their interview, and give them the chance to demonstrate their knowledge/talent by setting clear expectations.

In the world of remote hiring, from choosing the right ATS and HRMS, to implementing video interview processes, lean on technology to create a better experience for you, your team and your candidates. In changing market, you may be receiving more applications than you can handle and narrowing down a list of qualified applicants can be increasingly challenging. Lean on good technology and processes, and consider this word of caution: prioritise personalisation and empathy throughout your candidate experience. Relying on technological advancement is great! But technology should never compromise the authenticity of human connection throughout your hiring processes.

 

Gabrielle Gardiner is a Manhattan-based writer who is passionate about sharing her insights to empower recruiters and job seekers to succeed. She specializes in creating content with actionable tips about professional development, most recently for websites like LiveCareer.

The post 3 ways recruitment and HR teams are leaning on tech post-COVID-19 appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.