The switch from in-person to virtual hiring has been a venture which most companies have taken over the last year. However, new research shows it is here to stay even after lockdown restrictions are eased.
According to research by jobsite Indeed, the shift to virtual hiring is accelerating, rather than slowing, as the UK emerges from lockdown.
The new data shows that just under three-quarters (74 per cent) moved to a fully virtual recruitment process over the last year and more plan to do so in the future.
Almost four in five (77 per cent) expect to make further hires without ever having met the candidate in person, with almost half (48 per cent) doing so for all roles going forward.
Many employers stated their preference for virtual recruitment due to the ease of scheduling interviews (49 per cent), the shorter amount of time it takes to complete interviews (42 per cent) and the reduced hiring costs (39 per cent).
This largely matches with the desire of job-seekers as over four in five candidates (88 per cent) reported preferring virtual interviews over the traditional, in-person format.
A third (33 per cent) of jobseekers found virtual interviews make the process of getting a new job quicker, with a similar number (31 per cent) finding them less intimidating than the alternative.
Well over half of job-seekers (58 per cent) valued interviews as a better opportunity to explain their suitability for the role than a CV, and nearly two thirds (64 per cent) felt that if they can get an interview, they can go on to land the job.
Bill Richards, head of UK sales at global job site Indeed, comments:
Our research confirms virtual hiring is here to stay, with over three quarters of employers planning to make hires in future without meeting the candidate in person.
As Britain’s job recovery continues employers need to be able to ramp up hiring quickly but the reality is that the traditional process is often too slow and ineffective and can leave jobseekers in the dark.
*Indeed surveyed 500 employers and 500 employees and jobseekers between 25th and 27th May 2021.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
