Virtual hiring is the new normal

Bengaluru: The pandemic resulted in a huge job loss and, now, while the industries are recuperating from the ramifications of the lockdown, the hiring patterns have changed.

The fallouts of COVID 19 were seen in pink slips, salary cuts and change in job profiles for many. Home became the new workplace and WFH saw employees embracing technology like never before.

Amit Singh, Head- Commercial, First Advantage India tells The Hans India that virtual hiring is the new normal.

"Virtual Hiring is the new normal. Job interviews are being conducted via Zoom, Skype,phone or video- conferencing.The effect of new age communication is that every query can be sorted out immediately. This makes it easier for the candidate to interact with the recruiter," he says.

A general perception has crept in the companies that if Work From Home (WFH) is the option then manpower can be cut short.

Singh opines that with many organizations seeking to bring a hybrid workforce model, talent strategy is in for a significant transformation.

"This paradigm shift is being embraced by many industries as it is needed for organizations to succeed in the digital age. Skill sets are different for each job, but across industries companies are looking for candidates who have some basic knowledge about the job, are adaptable to change, learning new technologies and are self-motivated," he explains.

He informs that that while shifts in Job market have their ups and downs, India's Information Technology (IT) job market is witnessing 10% growth post lockdown.

Since robotic revolution is underway one wonders how will the HR managers identify skill gap, more so when various roles will become obsolete.

On this, Singh explains earlier the legacy data systems used for recruitment were focused on one on one, transitional data transfer from the candidate to employer allowing only information such as education history, qualification and prior work experience to be visible in a system along with other basic information about them.

"Slowly with digitization, RPA and big data technologies,companies have the ability to connect, deep dive into the potential of data and virtual screen the complete background of a candidate including criminal records if any. Everything is changing quickly.

Amidst this, finding the right candidate has become more difficult than ever. The role of HR has evolved from being just a recruiter to becoming a fact checker, a psychologist, a brand builder, a guide and above all to provide a positive experience to every candidate," he adds.