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Screening and remote recruiting

Consider how internationally mobile the modern workforce is. Nonetheless, it’s not uncommon to hire someone you’ve never met in person when interviewing candidates relocating from abroad. However, social distancing has made this a reality for even domestic hiring businesses as interviews are made impossible.

There are pros and cons to this aspect of the recruitment process. You lack the ability to make that instinctual “chemistry” judgment. The feeling of whether this person will fit into your team and company culture. Video conferencing can take us far, but it doesn’t allow the interviewer to use their instincts – a dealbreaker for some.

To the contrary, do we really want people making instinctual judgements about employment? Many charismatic people can build an instant rapport with the interviewer, but that isn’t an indicator of their expertise or work ethic.

In today’s remote, digital world, background screening is more important than it ever has been. The ability to independently check the skills and experience of candidates allows employers to have confidence in their hiring – even without a face to face meeting. Talent can be verified, rather than charisma, making recruitment a more fair and effective process.

Until recently, only the start of the recruitment process – shifting through the CVs – has been carried out blind, with the interview stage that follows being more personal. With Covid-19 restrictions stopping the free movement of people, the entire process must take place at a distance – with both employers and job seekers just having to deal with it. Just like everything, this has its benefits and disadvantages, but steps like background screening can help the process move smoothly.

For more information on how employer’s can adapt to remote hiring, check out this article.