Robert Walters research found that one-third of Irish employers would hire a professional without meeting them in real life first.
One of the elements of the pandemic that has never fully disappeared is the appreciation among both professionals and employers for remote working. For many it offers greater work-life balance, opportunities to travel, it cuts down on commuting costs and overall has created a more convenient lifestyle.
For employers, it has reduced overheads, given far greater access to a global talent pool and stands out as a workplace perk for those who have come to regard remote or flexible working as non-negotiable when considering employment.
Recruitment agency Robert Walters, in the month of August, conducted research to explore how Irish professionals regard remote working and virtual interview processes. The company collected data from 500 white-collar professionals and business leaders based in Ireland.
Practical or convenient?
What it found is ideals and behaviours around remote working and its consequences can be somewhat conflicting.
This was highlighted in the report which showed that one-third of contributing Irish employers would recruit professionals without having first met them in a real-world scenario, despite just 18pc agreeing that virtual interviews are the most effective way of identifying the best person for a job.
Commenting on the report’s findings, Suzanne Feeney, the country manager at Robert Walters Ireland, explored some of the reasons as to why there is a disconnect in sentiment.
“Meeting someone in-person, you gain a fuller understanding of how they communicate and fit into different environments,” she said.
“When interactions are moved online, many of these aspects are lost and interactions can feel less natural. Time lags and poor mic or video quality can create ‘digital barriers’ which obscure a jobseeker’s character and personality.”
More than a quarter were shown to prefer face-to-face strategies and 44pc were of the opinion that while video interviews can work in theory, they often have clear limitations, such as the inability to read body language (34pc) and that they give a limited sense of overall culture fit (39pc).
Feeney said: “Before the pandemic, virtual hiring was only used in rare cases, such as for candidates relocating or expats looking to return to Ireland for roles. Today, despite doubts over the overall effectiveness of virtual interviews, four out of 10 employers say they would hire someone they hadn’t met in person.
“Employers are navigating various obstacles, with recruitment strategies shifting under time constraints, tighter budgets and skills shortages in high-demand areas like finance, engineering and technology.”
Shared concerns
It isn’t only employers who are concerned about how they might gauge the success of a virtual interview. 41pc of contributing jobseekers reported difficulty reading body language, as well as building rapport with interviewers (29pc) and experiencing technical issues (18pc).
More than half of employers, however, agreed that it comes with a degree of convenience (52pc) and leads to a faster screening process (27pc).
The report explained: “Virtual interviews offer convenience, speed and efficiency, but in most cases, they fail to paint a complete picture of a jobseeker’s experience and abilities. The new research highlights the wider issue of leaning too heavily on a single assessment method during hiring.”
Feeney added: “Overdependence on any one stage of recruitment processes can introduce inconsistencies, increase the likelihood of errors and potentially reinforce bias.
“That is why a more balanced, multi-stage approach that includes CV screening, skills-based tests, work simulations and both in-person and virtual interviews is best for ensuring processes lead to most well-informed and fair hiring outcomes.”
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