With 19+ years' experience in managing and leading business, in ITES, Dr. Ankita has developed incomparable skills in administration, and resource management.

"The screen is a window through which one sees a virtual world. The challenge is to make that world look real, act real, sound real, feel real." — Ivan Sutherland

The pandemic has significantly and dramatically changed how organizations, in the past, defined their ‘WAY & PLACE OF WORK.’ 

The New Normal post-the-pandemic will substantially alter the entire business landscape - work from anywhere using any device, anytime. Technology has leaped to eliminate distance, accelerate decisions, move towards a world of no-touch, and adapt to virtual processes.

Virtual Reality existed earlier; however, due to the unforeseen disruption across the world following the global health & socio-economic crisis, it's a forced routine Now. Covid-19 compelled organizations to think beyond traditional approaches.

AGILITY is the key to survival, and most organizations learned it the hard way. The good part is that they came up with their RESPONSE, SURVIVAL & GROWTH strategies immediately. 

Tactically, organizations made a swift shift and defined a more virtual, flexible, collaborative, and empathetic way of working. But what happens to this much needed yet forced approach post-COVID-19 crisis? Few CHROs and other HR professionals shared their perspectives, and this is what the recent survey result shows: 

The use of technology can help in maintaining the trust and the required flow for up-to-date information

78 percent of executives feel and have accepted that they would not have explored technology to this level. 90 percent of them said that they are exploring technology as it's a Forced Shift as there is no other option. Only 28 percent said that they would continue being 100 percent Virtual 69 percent said they would find the right mix of Virtual & Real 

Like all other business functions, the recruitment strategy has also witnessed the same or more significant transformation level. Suddenly the entire world has switched from personal and REAL to distant, and VIRTUAL connect. 

While the hiring managers always insisted on including a fraction of an offline model, they rapidly reassessed, redefined, and rebooted the entire system to ensure survival and growth. Hiring strategies are being affected and reconstructed most. Pandemic has challenged all conventional strategies, and this, in turn, has directed organizations to Accept, Adapt & Realign themselves much faster to sail through this crisis.

Let’s not stay nonchalant with the new normal & agnostic about an unprecedented adverse situation hitting us again. Looking at the current limitations and opportunities, in my view, these are few hiring trends, organizations should focus on to sustain and grow in this ever changing new normal:-

REMOTE: AI, ML platforms are being used by industry leaders to bridge the gap and win the talent war in this new NORMAL virtual world. The legacy approach will never be able to map potential candidates the way AI-based TMS would. 

EXPERIENCE: Personalize & Customize! Recruiters have to look for innovative ways to improve their candidates' experience. By marketing the brand through a storytelling approach and connecting with the candidates emotionally in the absence of environmental initiatives like the buddy system, team lunches, and office tours, a social media ad-story can leave a lasting impression and drive engagement gains. Give a tremendous REAL experience, as David Levithan says: ‘Because what's the point of something virtual if it doesn't end up being real?’

COMMUNICATION: Be Proactive and more Empathetic! With everything around being so uncertain, candidates seek clarity and real-time information. The use of technology can help in maintaining the trust and the required flow for up-to-date information.

RE: RE-VISIT, RE-EVALUATE: Change is constant and inevitable. With the global circumstances changing rapidly, technology has taken center stage. Therefore, recruiters need to adapt and embrace emerging trends: be intuitive, proactive, and need-driven. The rules of the game can’t remain the same as the game itself is evolving every day. There should be the readiness to realign and reformulate as per the need of the hour.

UTILIZE VIRTUAL: Virtual Is The New Real. Virtual interactions and remote interviews have replaced in-person job interviews in totality. It will further expand in all possible propositions. Being ready is one thing; being best is what we need to focus on. Get best at aligning processes with virtual platforms. Learn to be Real with the help of Virtual platforms.

INTEGRATE:  Integrate hiring efforts with L&D, employee experience & entire employee life cycle. All these dots should be connected well before hiring is done. It's not only about hiring best but proactively defining the GROWTH journey for the individual and the organization.

TRUST:  One of the most Sensitive and critical aspects to be considered when we talk about the virtual world. Organizations have to design processes that cater to their verification and authentication requirements while building strong trust with candidates. Accountability, transparency, timely communication & feedback, and personal touch will do the needed magic.

MOBILE: Any mobile process is a big plus for candidate experience. Today we work from mobile (smartphones) more than any other place/machine. It won't be wrong to say we are glued to smartphones all the time; this itself should be the biggest reason to explore and focus on mobile recruitment and hire them on-the-go through engaging and purposeful initiatives.

EMPLOYER BRAND: With a new Virtual world of work, organizations should not miss the right branding opportunity. It was never this easy to get noticed as the entire world in ONLINE now, all the time. It is time to get seen and valued with simple creative, and tech-based initiatives.

NETWORK: To boost your chance of getting hired or hire talent, it's essential to NETWORK. Auto background verification check, reference check, authenticity: all get measured and addressed in the most straightforward and trusted manner. Somehow, until now, most of the organizations and individuals have overlooked the power of networking. 

TECHNOLOGY: Support of technology, pre-COVID-19, was highly misunderstood and undervalued. Most of the organizations' categorized tech initiatives as a should have, this pandemic pushed it to the must have list. 

Either organization makes this shift soon, or they disappear sooner.
New Normal is New to everyone, be patient, and accommodating. Recruitment will always remain challenging, exciting, and worth exploring. To stay competitive and win the war of talent in this new remote era, keep rebuilding your recruitment strategy - stay intuitive, empathetic, and technology-driven. Stay Relevant!

Will conclude by stating what John Dykstra said: "If you understand how the real world feels and looks and sounds, it is much easier to create a virtual version of the real world."
 
Think ahead to stay ahead!