Hiring during COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. With the recent lockdowns in various locations and social distancing restrictions, it has become increasingly difficult for companies to undertake hiring drives. Previously, firms would either call up applicants to their office or to a walk-in drive. Businesses had the option of doing their interview rounds virtually, but it was not frequently employed. However, when the pandemic spread over the world and countries fell into total lockdown, the companies had to adapt and shift to a virtual or online recruitment mode. Several technological advances have been noticed at various phases of recruiting drives because of this. To learn about people's impressions of online recruiting and the technical advancements that have occurred in the online recruitment sector in the last few years, we conducted in-depth interviews with HR professionals and managers. A detailed survey was distributed to persons who had undergone both online and offline interviews. The survey sought to elucidate three themes: a comparison of offline and online modes of employment interviews based on predefined characteristics, as well as the candidates' preferred form of completing company interviews; understanding the difference between applicants' perceptions and experiences with online job interviews; and analyzing the role of technology tools in the recruiting process and gauging public awareness. We identified the key areas of improvement for the firms to provide a better experience to the applicants in the online mode of interview. The comparative study between offline and online mode of interview revealed that candidates still prefer offline interviews. We also identified that people feel that technological advancements in recruitment areas would improve the overall process.