With candidate shortages and recruitment challenges reportedly plaguing UK organisations, increasingly HR directors are relying on the advancement in technology to support their wider recruitment drive, according to new research1 from OfficeTeam UK. More than four in 10 (41%) UK HR directors say that compared to three years ago, they have increased their use of video conferencing to conduct interviews, presenting a radical shift in the overall hiring process.
- Four in 10 HR directors say rise in video conferencing is due to recruitment of out-of-town candidates
- Vast majority of senior executives (89%) across UK businesses report it challenging to recruit skilled professionals
Highlighting the increased challenges that companies are facing to attract suitable candidates, nearly nine in 10 (89%) senior executives2 across UK businesses report that it is at least ‘somewhat’ or ‘very challenging’ to find skilled professionals, with small (91%) and medium (90%) sized organisations finding it the most challenging.
400 UK executives were asked, ‘How challenging is it for your company to find skilled professionals today?” Their responses:
| Business size | ||||
| Small | Medium | Large | ||
| Very challenging | 27% | 29% | 24% | 26% |
| Somewhat challenging | 62% | 62% | 66% | 57% |
| NET CHALLENGING | 89% | 91% | 90% | 83% |
200 HR directors were asked, ‘Why has your company increased the use of video conferencing to conduct interviews?’ Their responses:
| Better quality of video conferencing tools | 56% |
| Increased recruitment of domestic, out-of-town candidates | 41% |
| Increased recruitment of international candidates | 32% |
| Shortlisting candidates for in-person interviews | 32% |
| Increased prevalence of low-cost tools (i.e. Skype) | 31% |
| To avoid the commute | 21% |
| Other | 1% |
When asked why their company increased the use of video conferencing to conduct interviews, more than a half (56%) of HR directors said they now have access to better quality video conferencing tools, whilst four in ten (41%) cite an increase in the recruitment of domestic, out-of-town candidates as one of the main reasons.
The research also reveals that UK companies are looking even further afield than purely out-of-town, domestic candidates. A third (32%) of HR directors said that video interviews had risen in the past three years because of increased recruitment of international candidates. This mirrors the number of those looking to shortlist candidates for in-person interviews (32%) and the increased prevalence of free or low-cost tools, such as Skype (31%).
Credit: onrec.com
