2020 was a year like no other. The U.S. faced a crisis on top of a crisis. The Coronavirus pandemic brought economies to a halt worldwide and disrupted business-as-usual. As a result, millions of people lost their jobs, and hiring freezes became commonplace. Then, social unrest erupted over police brutality and brought racial injustice to the forefront. After a year of upheaval, there is a silver lining because these events prompted HR leaders to transform hiring processes.
Place Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Efforts
Companies nationwide pledged to commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their hiring practices. And while most organizations were already using video interviews to support remote hiring practices, HR leaders saw how they could help mitigate bias and discrimination.
Unlike traditional interviews, on-demand video interviews remove subjectivity from the hiring process by removing the interviewer from the equation. Instead of answering questions one-on-one with a live interviewer, candidates record responses to a predetermined set of questions that are presented in the same order to every candidate.
eSkill also offers a Team Scoring feature that allows multiple hiring team members to rate the same interviews independently based on pre-defined scoring criteria. eSkill’s on-demand video interviewing platform even enables administrators to hide candidates’ identifying information from hiring team members to further reduce the possibility of bias. Once approved, the scores are averaged to create an objective evaluation of the candidate.
Rather than relying on subjective measures such as education credentials or work history, leading companies use an objective approach to identifying candidates with the skills needed to succeed in a position. Google, Apple, and IBM are just some of the big names that have dropped college degree requirements from job postings. Instead, these industry giants have turned to skills-based hiring to provide a fair, unbiased, and consistent basis for employee selection.
As businesses begin to lay the groundwork for increased diversity and inclusion efforts within their workforce, they must consciously eliminate subjective employee selection criteria. Using eSkill’s on-demand video interviews and employment skills tests provides an unbiased and objective approach to hire top talent.
Digital Transformation Improves the Candidate Experience
When employees were sequestered in their homes and offices went dark in an effort to contain the virus, the world of work changed rapidly, and hiring processes were no exception. HR leaders quickly adopted video interviewing technology and workflow collaboration tools to keep pace. By October 2020, 89% of HR leaders said they were using or planning to use video interviewing.
Talent acquisition leaders initially used video interviewing solutions to comply with social distancing guidelines. However, the impact of video interviews on candidate experience will spur further adoption in HR departments because organizations know their most valuable asset is human capital.
Although millions of Americans are unemployed and looking for work, the Talent Board’s annual survey shows candidate experience is still a top recruiting priority for HR leaders during 2021. Despite recruiters and HR professionals having access to a large pool of available talent, they still believe fostering a positive relationship with candidates is important.
As HR leaders work to develop the “new normal” for hiring, the candidate experience must be a top consideration. eSkill’s on-demand video interviewing platform facilitates an exceptional candidate experience by:
A Company That Cares?
Employers cannot hide from a negative candidate experience because social media and employer review sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Glassdoor all provide a medium for candidates to share their experience publicly. It might not seem possible that negative reviews from one or two dissatisfied candidates could tarnish your brand, but poor candidate experiences can have a profound effect on a business’s public image, and, as a result, its attractiveness as a potential employer.
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues, asking candidates to meet for a face-to-face interview does not demonstrate that an employer cares about its workforce. Whether the position interacts with the general public does not matter. Employers need to send the message that they care about the health and well-being of their workforce, and that includes hiring managers and potential new-hires. If candidates feel that a company is not taking adequate precautions, they may develop a negative opinion of the employer.
While technology is always an integral piece of the hiring puzzle, its role in HR has never been more prominent than it is now because on-demand video interviews minimize administration, mitigate bias in hiring decisions, and improve the overall candidate experience.
Learn more about the benefits of using eSkill’s on-demand video interviewing platform, skills tests, and behavioral assessments to find qualified candidates quickly.
Request a demo today.