No longer bound by geographical limits on who can be hired, what should leaders be looking for when they’re recruiting – and what are the best ways to locate and employ the best candidates?

According to a survey published in October by US recruiting corporation Jobvite, 47% of recruiters and HR professionals said that their biggest challenge is hiring the right candidates.

But thanks to the widespread adoption of hybrid working, whereby employees can split their time working from a combination of home, a local coworking space and a company HQ or regional office, this could be made easier.

Hybrid work means businesses are no longer restricted by taking on people who live in or near city centre offices and, consequently, they have access to a much broader pool of talent.

In fact, with the ability for staff to work from anywhere, hiring can even transcend borders, creating an entirely global network of employees.

It is also worth noting that hybrid is an important factor in retaining talent. Indeed, 60% of Jobvite respondents believe organizations will lose employees if they do not transition to a hybrid or remote model.

One of the hurdles for human resources managers, though, is how to develop and implement a new approach to hiring in a hybrid era. Prior to the pandemic, job vacancies were typically advertised according to geographical region.

The question now is whether they should be opened up to a far wider audience, possibly even overseas.

The problem that can then arise is that recruiters are inundated with applications that have to be processed, and job listings need ever-more specific requirements such as ‘native English speakers only’. According to Gartner, in 2020 companies listed 33% more skills on job ads than they did in 2017.

So what are the best strategies for locating and hiring the best candidates?

1. Digital assessments

An effective way of screening applicants is the use of online assessment tools that can be used to present work simulations, and knowledge and cognitive ability tests, as well as a way for potential recruits to provide work samples in advance. There are lots of different platforms out there, from The English Quiz to assess linguistic capabilities, to Saberr, which is used to analyse whether someone is going to be the right ‘cultural fit’.

2. Recruitment software

Using an HR platform to automate and streamline hiring is essential for the future world of hybrid work. Depending on the size of the company, there are numerous options out there, from JazzHR for SMEs to Bullhorn for agencies and Zoho Recruit for bigger organisations. These tools will allow employers to do everything from posting jobs and reviewing résumés, to social media recruiting and creating candidate databases.

3. Video interviews

Communication with candidates needs to be consistent, so video interviews should become embedded in long-term hiring practice. Benefits include less travel, greater efficiency, the ability to rewatch parts of the conversation, and the means for applicants to send in pre-recorded ‘auditions’ in the same way that actors do. Platforms that support this include Sonru and Launchpad. Whether companies are using Skype or SparkHire, it’s important to have the right video interviewing software to hand.

4. Virtual job fairs

The pandemic’s influence on the world of work has even extended to taking job fairs into the digital realm. With many companies rightly aiming to hire from a more diverse pool of people, the creation of recruitment showcases in the “metaverse” are a great way of opening up opportunities and making hiring more democratic. Handshake, for example, is a career networking platform that helps graduates find entry-level jobs.

Once the Great Resignation loses momentum, web platforms and AI will play a particularly important role in facilitating the Great Rehiring. However, employers need to be careful about over-relying on algorithms, which can have inherent bias towards certain races and genders, for example. Algorithms are only as good as their data. “Unless employers use these technologies with care, the demographic distortions wrought by the pandemic on the workforce could be here to stay,” says the World Economic Forum.

Looking for a hybrid work solution to help you attract and retain top talent? Learn more about how hybrid is better for your people.