3 Virtual Technologies That Will Help Close Your Talent Gap

What’s more, this talent gap is impacting companies’ ability to serve their clients and consumers. The need for right-skilled talent and increased time-to-value—the agility to quickly produce results while responding to market demands for new roles and jobs—continues to threaten competitiveness. As a result, virtual hiring technologies are becoming the differentiator for companies looking to hire.

Here are three virtual technology trends that companies can use to save time and cut costs.

1. Virtual career fairs. Careers fairs are fast becoming a virtual phenomenon as companies set up their hiring booths online. They help bridge the talent gap by providing real-time interactions between larger numbers of skilled candidates and companies looking to hire, offering the opportunity to meet and manage a multitude of talent. It also can help to build awareness of company branding messages by using low-cost, high-impact videos to showcase organizational culture, management and work environment.

These online events provide free opportunities for businesses to connect virtually with professional, managerial and executive candidates from a variety of industries. Belgium-based food retailer Delhaize America recently participated in one and reported finding a strong candidate pool and several immediate leads that were not advertised to the general public.

There is an art to maximizing virtual events and it’s important for business leaders to invest in training their hiring managers. Virtual fairs take place in a fast-paced environment that requires crisp messaging, planned lines of questioning and an established follow-up policy. If these are not established beforehand, high-potential talent will quickly move on to the next ‘virtual booth’.

2. Video interviewing. We have seen an exponential rise in video interviewing. Research shows that almost half of employers will conduct the first round of interviews using web-based video technologies as it improves efficiency, speeds up the recruitment process, helps cross geographical barriers and offers a quicker selection process in narrowing the pool for the top candidate finalists. Its greatest advantage is the ability to record and share content, saving the company valuable time in repeating similar processes with multiple candidates.
3. Virtual employer branding. There is an unchartered opportunity to market the company brand using virtual technologies, such as LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook and Twitter, all the while positively engaging with and communicating the business and its values to potential talent. Research shows that companies name LinkedIn as their number-one source in attracting and sourcing candidates, and more than half plan to invest additional time and money in professional social networking and online sourcing in the next few years.

The way forward

As we move further into the new year, global staffing levels look set to continue to grow but with a degree of caution. The importance of improving efficiencies, speeding up processes, generating growth in a low-growth environment and driving faster time-to-value forces a mighty weight on businesses looking to hire. Virtual technologies have the potential to satisfy these requirements and can allow for faster time-to-value, which enable companies to accelerate performance and ultimately have competitive advantage.