How the pandemic has altered campus recruitment

The pandemic had a drastic impact on workplaces, the way we work, communication, and businesses. Businesses had to adapt to the new situation if they wanted to survive in the market. One way or the other, Covid-19 forced businesses to adopt technology in almost all business functions.  

Due to the lockdown, more employers were inspired to use digital methods of recruiting. On-campus hiring couldn’t be done in physical mode and human interaction was minimized to social media and screens. But it always makes sense to adapt and get the best out of the circumstances, so digitization of recruitment was inevitable. The pandemic also taught the recruiters to be agile and more data-oriented. 

Challenges due to the pandemic 

Many fresh undergraduates feared unemployment, as not all companies were able to transform quickly. The companies that were already using HR tech tools to attract and retain talent could interview and hold online recruitment drives. In contrast, organizations that were not used to technology and online recruitment faced a lot of challenges and unfilled job positions. 

The onboarding of new hires was to be held online and training them in the new positions was a challenge. The newcomers could not feel the human interaction that takes place in a workplace. They could also not get the experience of seeing their mentors and seniors in action, even though online meeting apps helped to cope. 

Emphasis on online recruiting

Online recruiting was prevalent in the HR world, but now it became mandatory. Students started relying heavily on job boards and online applications were abundant. In such a scenario, the companies that leveraged online recruitment technology got the best performers fresh out of college. Apart from job boards, another aspect that gained immense importance was the presence of an online employer brand. So more and more employers started to build a solid social media presence and convey their message to the targeted audience there. 

Contingent workforce 

Due to the falling economy, businesses were wary of hiring permanent employees, many students started as freelance and contract workers. In a way, that is beneficial for businesses too, as a contingent workforce is more flexible and can be hired or dismissed with the rise and fall in the amount of work. Also, contingent workers are not entitled to the employee benefits of the company, so it is cost-effective too. 

The role of data analytics 

Due to more adoption of HR tech, businesses had to heavily rely on data and make their decisions. Data helped to predict future situations and showed decision-makers how to get the best out of the current ones. Social media interactions, number of applications, number of successful hires, best hiring source, etc. were some important metrics that helped recruiters make the most out of their recruitment plan

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