Online recruitment has been around for a while now, but COVID-19 has transformed the face of it. The lockdowns and social distancing norms in response to the pandemic have led hiring managers to shift to virtual hiring and onboarding even for vital appointments.  

“The virtual hiring process via video conferencing has been used, as needed, for over a decade, but it was less popular among business partners until the start of the global pandemic and the lockdown,” said Walfa Chouki, Vice-President HR Africa, Middle East & Central Asia, at Alstom, a global mobility solutions provider.

Alstom is Dubai’s transportation and mobility development partner: the firm developed the Dubai tramway and it was an Alstom-led consortium that delivered the extension of 15-km-long Dubai Metro Red Line in July 2020. Alstom is responsible for the maintenance of Dubai Tram for 13 years.   

To manage time efficiently, Alstom has been conducting pre-screening video interviews since 2019, and this has led to increased productivity and a shortlist of better-qualified candidates.   

Despite the pandemic, organisations have had to move on, and online hiring has allowed companies globally to get on with their business, avoid disruptions and reduce the loss of potential talent. 

As Alstom was keen to "honour commitments to recruited candidates" and keep to their hiring schedule despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the firm quickly moved from a real to an online ecosystem for onboarding and induction.

“There has been a global increase in the use of video interviewing during these unprecedented times. With no possibility for candidates to go through the induction process physically, Alstom has adapted and turned to the online initiative of e-onboarding to continue the momentum of onboarding recruited candidates as per plan,” said Chouki.

“Additionally, it serves as a support to the business as per planned resource availability and enables new hires to start [being productive] in their respective functions. It is also a means of welcoming and engaging with them upon joining Alstom,” Chouki added. 

>

Walfa Chouki, Vice-President, HR, Africa, Middle East & Central Asia, Alstom.  

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

Online recruitment comes with its own set of challenges for the recruiters and the candidates. Chouki said the challenges of virtual hiring come in varying forms in different regions. Offering France as an example, she noted that hiring activities continued amidst the crisis “through remote interviews with HR and managers”, but most offers were postponed during mid-June or July last year, she said.   

“North America, on the other hand, has increased their use of video interviewing and virtual career fairs but has delayed some internship start dates due to stay-at-home orders [and has reduced] hiring from outside the region in response to travel restrictions,” Chouki added. 

Closer home, in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, the number of new hires from outside countries has gone down in response to travel restrictions. “They have also adjusted headcount needs as the business adapts to the ever-changing situation.” 

Expanding on the hiring situation in the GCC/MENA region, Chouki explained, “There has been a decline in the rate of hiring for Alstom in 2020. However, after improving our internal processes and streamlining our approach to enhance the candidate-recruiter experience (i.e., automated screening of CVs and candidate pools) with a tried-and-tested hiring plan, we are quickly catching up with our staffing plan.” 

SILVER LINING

Though recruiters and managers have not been able to conduct face-to-face interviews with candidates, Chouki said that the alternative has advantages.

“One of them is being able to learn more from the interviewee, as they are less stressed while in their own environment. We have also been able to conduct business as usual with on-time delivery of the business’ needs, and we have continued hiring activity despite the pandemic, which has positively affected Alstom’s employer branding image.  

"Moreover, the company has been able to adapt and reshape our methods of hiring and overcome the hurdle of doubt associated with digital hiring, which has benefited us and will continue to do so in the long run," said Chouki. 

While virtual hiring is not entirely new, the e-onboarding process is a new concept for the hiring managers. Alstom has offered some tips and key points to managers for the process: “Creating a clear onboarding plan for the next 90 days to set expectations straight is key for tracking the progress of new team members and ensuring that they are not overwhelmed with all the topics handled by the company at once; starting simple and small is key,” said Chouki.

ADAPTABILITY

So is virtual hiring here to stay, or is it a temporary feature limited to times like the pandemic? “In the same way that a hybrid workforce of onsite and remote employees has become the standard, a hybrid hiring process that combines virtual and in-person elements will become the norm, and we need to adapt and include remote onboarding of these candidates," said Chouki .

She also stressed the need for adaptability as “the only constant for recruiters in this world of ever-changing business priorities”. Meanwhile, she will continue to focus on further refining the virtual hiring process and looking for ways to keep the human touch.

“We need to make sure to look at ways of striking the balance between virtual and in-person, optimising the candidate experience and assessment advantages of the in-person process [while] continuing to leverage the speed and efficiency of virtual,” said Chouki.

(Reporting by Mily Chakrabarty; editing by Seban Scaria)

(mily.chakrabarty@refinitiv.com)

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Read our full disclaimer policy here.

© ZAWYA 2021