How To Navigate Virtual Hiring During COVID-19

Before COVID-19, virtual recruitment for apartment leasing professionals was not common practice. Thanks to technology, and due to health and safety issues, the shift to solely online hiring has become necessary, but it is not as difficult as you may think. To keep the talent pipeline flowing and to continue hiring during social distancing mandates, REV developed the following step-by-step online recruitment and onboarding strategy, a process that functions efficiently without having to meet any candidates face-to-face.

Host Virtual Job Fairs

Hosting live video conferencing meetings where you invite prospective candidates to either meet your hiring managers, go on virtual office tours, or host Q&As with key team members, are all great ways to engage with potential candidates and give them a chance to learn more about your company.

Conduct One to Two Phone Interviews

Screening candidates with promising resumes or who have expressed interest in your company is still an essential step toward finding great candidate matches. “I like to actively listen to the candidates during our brief time together. Hearing them share what their career goals are and hearing the passion behind their words are great indicators on whether they get to move forward in our recruitment process,” says Talent Acquisition Specialist, Jeanine Victor.

Host Video Interviews

Many companies have already gotten used to hosting virtual team meetings, and there is not much of a difference to conducting video interviews. Seeing your prospective hires in their home environment rather than a conference room provides for a unique opportunity to have a more personal interview experience. “For many apartment communities and property management companies, this is not a natural way of interviewing. I like video interviews; you get to know the person first before discussing skills. Also, you can record the interview so other team members who could not make the meeting but want to be a part of the process can watch and share their feedback,” says Victor.

Onboarding Remotely

Hiring in a virtual environment can definitely work for apartment communities. The idea of a new hire starting without coming into an office and meeting with your team in person can be a little odd at first. “We’re noticing that as property managers shift into a hybrid work schedule, they have a solid game plan about what their new hire will do on day one, week one, and week two. They also make sure expectations are clearly expressed in their welcome email, which also includes everything they will need from HR,” said Victor.

Another key step to ensure a smooth virtual onboarding process is scheduling a virtual meet and greet with managers and team members. This helps to make the new teammate feel a part of the team.