Virtual job interviews, training set to be new norm
Next month, Mrs L. Lim, 28, will start her first day as a communications executive with a media company here, but she will be working from home.
"It is definitely an interesting way to start at a new workplace," she said, adding the on-boarding process will be done virtually after the company sends over her work laptop.
Recruiters said such experiences might become the new normal, as the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant safe distancing measures have cut off face-to-face interactions traditionally associated with the hiring and recruitment process.
Companies will also have to adapt and utilise technology to conduct interviews and train new employees, said recruiters.
Mr Nilay Khandelwal, managing director of recruitment agency Michael Page Singapore, said: "While some have come to like it, others are understandably still hesitant."
He noted some multinational companies have been slow to get on board, and being unable to meet the candidates in real life is often viewed as a risk by companies, adding that in the gloomy economic outlook, companies would not want to hire the wrong candidate.
To limit this risk, recruiters say more thorough checks are done on candidates' backgrounds, for example by utilising online portals that assure the authenticity of certificates.
Mr Alvin Ang, talent acquisition director at Quantum Leap Career Consultancy, said some companies have started to see the positives. "They realise it streamlines the human resource processes, and it can cut them down by up to 70 per cent."
Recruitment firm Randstad shares best practices on virtual interviews and remote workforce management with clients.
"Some companies may face teething issues such as finding compatible video conferencing software ... But these challenges would be easily resolved after a few tries," said Ms Jaya Dass, Randstad's managing director for Singapore and Malaysia.
Mr Khandelwal said the announcement of the extended circuit breaker last week was a "reality check" for companies.
"This is the new way of hiring, and it is here for a finite amount of time, we just don't know how long," he added.
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