Did your recruiting, onboarding, and hiring processes grind to a halt during this latest lockdown? If they did, keep in mind that ‘lockdowns’ are actually the perfect time to gain the attention of people who don’t normally job search.

TradeMe published a press release during the recent lockdown indicating that visits to TradeMe Jobs grew with more job listings than usual: Over 2 million searches* on TradeMe Jobs in the last seven days along with 450,000+ sessions*. There was a 58% increase** in job listings in August and in the last seven days we’ve seen an average of 22,535 active listings onsite per day…  a 52% increase when compared to the same period last year.

While at home potential candidates have the time to look at available jobs or take phone calls without their boss overhearing. Many people would be delighted to be contacted about a job opportunity, even if they’re not actively looking. 

All screening, shortlisting, and candidate updates can continue efficiently online on a cloud-based applicant tracking system (ATS) and interviews can simply move to phone/video conferencing. Sure it’s a different medium to negotiate, and remote hiring may not be your ideal option, but it does work.  If you wait until face-to-face interviews are possible again you could lose some excellent candidates as they may accept offers from others who move quicker than you.  If your hiring/onboarding progress is delayed (for any reason), then send regular updates to candidates to keep them ‘warm’: 94% of candidates feel the recruitment experience affects their decision to accept or reject an offer and 58% of candidates feel that a good experience will make them more likely to accept a role. https://www.resourcesolutions.com/latest-news/5-cool-tips-to-help-you-keep-candidates-warm.html

Perhaps notify them that things are delayed because you’re an essential service provider or have issues working remotely, but that you are still keen to move the process along once you are able. Most will understand if you are honest, and engaging with them regularly will keep them engaged and also reflect well on your brand. 

Great news, you’ve hired a new employee despite lockdown and are preparing for the onboarding process. But they still can’t drop in with their signed employment agreement, ID, bank account, and tax information.  Collecting applicants’ information electronically will reduce the onboarding resources on staff, paperwork, inductions, and time.  Start dates will also reduce significantly. An effective ATS system including an onboarding function with electronic signature capabilities will dramatically reduce your time to hire. 

Onboarding processes cause a huge bottleneck in the hiring process. Businesses want information such as proof of identity, work visa documentation, proof of bank accounts, copies of drivers’ license, in addition to tax/Employment Agreements. This is a massive administrative task and the question needs to be asked – are all these documents needed for every new employee?  At what point of the process should this all be collected – in person, at a group induction, or collected electronically (and more importantly – remotely).  In reality, there needs to be a hybrid approach depending on each applicant’s IT literacy.  If you ask for too much private information upfront you could break the new Privacy Act 2020 regulations. This is why QJumpers Recruitment Software created a new confidential information module to complement our ATS system.

Automating your recruitment/onboarding tasks online is the best option for your business by streamlining your processes and audit trail and gathering information remotely. As candidates experience a seamless recruitment journey with your organisation they will remain engaged and positive throughout the whole process.

Talk to QJumpers Recruitment Software now about upgrading to an intuitive and effective ATS system that also provides you with efficient onboarding software.