Two thirds of businesses have successfully interviewed, offered and onboarded new starters virtually during the COVID-19 outbreak, according to an international survey of senior business leaders across industries.

The Future of Work Survey by Cielo, the world’s leading Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider, found that companies’ talent acquisition (TA) teams have embraced new recruitment practices in recent months with 59% interviewing candidates over video, 65% extending offers without having met their candidate in person and 67% managing starts remotely with a programme of virtual onboarding.

Respondents indicated that an increased focus on virtual recruitment processes have been successful with many tactics set to stay post-crisis. The majority (82%) of hiring managers will continue interviewing candidates by video, with 41% happy to onboard starters virtually and 32% confident in making offers without first meeting face to face. 

The success of remote working has opened up previously unavailable talent pools to TA teams with 64% of hiring managers now more willing to consider remote workers.

The survey, commissioned to explore the long-term impact of the coronavirus crisis on the future of work, found that the resulting reliance on technology is also here to stay. More than two thirds (69%) of respondents felt that TA dependence on advanced technology would remain after it was no longer necessary with 48% believing it will increase the ability to accommodate remote onboarding, 59% believing it will expedite talent acquisition and 29% of hiring managers choosing to recruit and onboard remotely. Just 3% saw an increased reliance and abundance of technology as negative with 7% believing it would make onboarding harder.

While 25% of respondents have the appropriate systems for virtual onboarding in place, others anticipated work is needed to prepare for a more technology-based recruitment system. Training for hiring managers (67%), new induction/onboarding programmes (56%), HR team training (39%) and increasing privacy and security systems (40%) were all cited as areas for consideration.

Respondents felt that the combined impact of increased technology and remote working will result in quicker and more streamlined, effective recruitment (59%) and cost effective (60%) processes. However, 21% worried that drop off rates would increase at the earlier stages of hiring and 62% believed companies would need to work harder to stand out amongst the competition. 

The survey revealed a belief that permanent changes to the working model would result in companies focusing more on internal talent from reskilling to promotion (42%). Combined with a market where companies struggle to remain attractive to prospective candidates, this could cause the jobs market to shrink with candidates choosing to invest in their current employers rather than looking at new opportunities.

However, almost all survey respondents (97%) believed that the pandemic will result in the essential creation of new jobs and roles that do not currently exist as the economy finds its feet, which is sure to give the jobs market a boost.

Seb O’Connell, President EMEA of Cielo, said: “The pandemic has catapulted organisations years ahead technologically in mere weeks.

“Our essentially increased reliance on technology opens more doors for those looking for new talent. Hiring managers will now be able to consider people located further away – even in different countries – while also having cause to look more carefully at their existing talent for upskilling and promotion.

“The ease of adaption to virtual interviews, offers and onboarding on both sides of the equation has streamlined recruitment and cut costs. TA and HR leaders will, once new programmes and systems are in place, benefit from the radical advancement in technology utilisation.”