The New Recruiting Opportunity in a Work-From-Home World

Recruiting and retention have experienced their own transformations during the pandemic. Many businesses were able to have some or all of their employees work from home to help keep them safe. And some businesses will allow for more workplace flexibility, even after the pandemic is over. 

That means location is no longer an obstacle in finding talent. The world really is your recruitment and retention oyster. Our manager of global talent acquisition Kurtis Karn joined us on Benefits to chat about the future of recruiting and retaining talent in this environment. Watch below to learn more, or keep reading to learn what this means for talent competition. 

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The challenge

Prior to the pandemic, employee culture was very much tied to the physical office. Pizza parties, pingpong tables, or even post-work happy hours played a critical role in team-building. Now, with social distancing still a priority, that’s changed. And for those offices that will offer work-from-home or hybrid options even after the pandemic, it requires a new approach to sell job applicants on a company culture. 

“The big thing that we’ve seen in this pandemic and working from home is there’s not that on-site premise,” Karn said. “… If you can get them on campus, they can feel the culture. They can feel the organization. That’s changed.”

Importance of connection

The ability to recruit from anywhere does mean that you may be meeting with applicants virtually rather than in-person. But it’s still important to build that connection with applicants so they view you as the right job match. 

“From a recruiting standpoint, it’s all about connecting with the individual. … It’s hard to do virtually,” Karn said. “If you can find that commonality to make it a positive experience for them, that’s what you shoot for.”

Selling your job virtually

There are a variety of tactics you can use to represent your brand to prospective talent, no matter where they are. Digital mattered before, but it takes on even greater importance if your talent pool is anywhere in the country.

“We’ve kicked around ideas of giving a virtual tour of spaces,” Karn said. “That way, they can see if they’re walking through the door, this is what it looks like here. Maybe they’re in a different state. But if the company has a physical location somewhere, you can at least see what that feels like.” 

Social media and your website are also big components. Recruits often prepare for interviews by researching you just like you’re researching them.

“When you’re in recruiting, there’s an applicant brand and a company brand,” Karn said. “The company is focused on sales and revenue and what the products are. Applicant brand is focused on the people and the community and the culture and the growth potential in those roles. … The applicant side is what candidates want to know.”

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The information in this blog post is for educational purposes only. It is not legal or tax advice. For legal or tax advice, you should consult your own counsel.