Why virtual solutions are here for good

Elliot Clark, CEO of HRO Today, recently sat down with Germayne Cade, Vice President of Client Solutions in North America for Korn Ferry, to discuss virtual hiring — an increasingly significant topic for organizations as we begin another year affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The two talked about perspectives on best practices and what Korn Ferry's team is learning about virtual hiring today and for the future.

Korn Ferry's RPO

Cade began by giving a brief overview of Korn Ferry's RPO operation, which has been partnering with clients around the world for two decades.

"We have tremendous depth and breadth in professional, high-volume, early career, hourly... essentially across all markets, sectors and functions. And we really do take pride in being able to meet our customers working wherever they are in the world. It's what we refer to as "glocal" — being where you are in the world, but providing that local perspective every time."

Shifting to virtual recruiting

Clark talked about how hiring has historically relied heavily on human interaction and intuition, but in the current pandemic-influenced environment, companies have had to shift to some form of virtual recruiting process. Cade then spoke to some of the opportunities and obstacles that companies should be assessing, as well as some tools that are available for virtual recruiting.

"In this COVID era, virtual recruiting is almost a necessity. The reality for organizations is how do they find talent faster, better, with cost optimization — all while never losing sight of promoting an amazing candidate experience. It's about creating readiness and de-risking your talent strategy — and the great news is that there's a wealth of online recruiting tools that can uplift and accelerate a virtual recruiting environment."

Cade mentioned examples like virtual event tools for managing high volumes of interested applicants, also video interviewing, job augmentation, language testing and more — all done virtually. But she also mentioned a key challenge for organizations when utilizing virtual hiring.

"Rightfully so, there are concerns about losing the high-touch human element," Cade said. "So I would encourage organizations that if they're looking at transitioning to a virtual environment, make sure that whatever technology is selected is fit for that purpose. That is, allowing technology to walk alongside people."

The impact of virtual hiring on candidate experience

Clark transitioned to the impact of virtual hiring on the candidate experience and began by quoting a recent Korn Ferry study that reported 53% of candidates as saying they lost contact with recruiters.

"I will say we were a bit surprised to find the percentage so high," Cade replied. "It does negatively impact the organization's brand as an employer. That's why we recommend that organizations operate in and adopt a candidate mindset. Think about what's been removed from the in-person process that you now need to recreate in a virtual environment to make sure it's an enriching situation."

Cade advised organizations to invite candidates to go on a journey with them.

"Candidates have a choice, so you want to make sure that your virtual environment is inviting and you have a human touch layered within that. Even if they're not selected for a position, your brand has been improved."

To listen to the complete conversation, click to access the full podcast with HRO Today here.