Recruiting challenges drive increase in stress for hiring managers
Virtual tools facilitate accelerated hiring cycle, survey finds.
Hiring managers are feeling more pressure to find and onboard qualified candidates, according to a survey by HireVue, an interviewing and recruiting automation platform. The company surveyed over 1,100 hiring leaders in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., about how their jobs have changed since the pandemic started and found that 54% (including 59% of women) are managing an increase in stress at work.
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Forty percent of hiring managers said the biggest barrier to hiring was finding qualified candidates in the first place, while a quarter said the longer lead times involved in virtual hiring processes means fewer candidates are available when it comes time to make an offer.
“The pandemic has created a unique opportunity for employers to redesign their hiring processes – leveraging technology that complements the capability of employees at a speed and scale not otherwise possible,” Kevin Parker, chairman and CEO at HireVue, said in a statement.
Parker noted that recruiters are “increasingly looking to virtual hiring to widen access to candidates they may not have had access to in the past.”
That includes video interviews, which 52% of respondents said improves their access to candidates and shortens lead times; and chat and text tools to remove barriers to make the hiring process more accessible. They’re also looking beyond the geographic barriers that have held them back in the past. The survey found 48% of respondents are widening the areas where they recruit new talent, and 47% are looking for candidates to fill remote roles.
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Accessibility is important to hiring managers, one-third of whom said diversity and inclusion is their No. 1 priority in 2021. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they’re taking steps to expand their recruiting networks by working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or schools with diverse student populations.
“Employers are looking ahead to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild a diverse and inclusive workforce, and will need to rely on technology to hire at scale,” Parker added.
HireVue believes that hiring managers will retain a digital-first approach to recruiting even after the pandemic, citing 54% of respondents who said virtual interviews have accelerated the recruiting process, and 41% who said it has helped them find better candidates for their positions.
Respondents also expressed an interest in tools that can relieve them of tedious responsibilities, as 51% want to spend less time on scheduling so they can spend more time with candidates.
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