A year and a half since its outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact all aspects of our lives as countries battle new variants and sudden closures. The impact of the pandemic on organisations has been significant but it could be said that companies are better equipped to deal with it than they were a year ago.

Hiring amidst the pandemic takes into consideration several factors that have shaped the way we approach employment and recruitment. Adapting to the impact of the pandemic as well as changes in the workplace is vital in 2021 and these reflect in pandemic recruiting trends.

These are the top recruitment trends 2021 that take into account the unique challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

01.Remote work is among the recruiting trends 2021

While some companies offered employees the option of working remotely even before the pandemic, it became a necessity in 2020 and now 2021. Even when health regulations do not prevent organisations from operating completely on site, employees may have concerns about their health and safety and may prefer working remotely as much as possible.

Buffer spoke to 2,300 remote workers for their 2021 State of Remote Work report and found that 97.6% said they would like to work remotely at least for some of the time for the rest of their career. In terms of productivity, 45% of the responders said they were working more now that they work remotely.

The report also found that only 45% said they were working remotely as a result of COVID-19, which would imply that remote work is among the hiring trends that are impacted by the pandemic but not entirely a result of the pandemic.

However, it is still a trend to consider when recruiting during pandemic.

02.Virtual recruiting during the pandemic

With employees working remotely for at least some time during the pandemic, relying on digital platforms to communicate and collaborate, hiring will also happen virtually in 2021. This is one of the key talent acquisition trends organisations will see this year.

While interviews can be conducted virtually, thus eliminating the need for in-person interviews, a combination of virtual and in-person techniques and processes is more likely, with employers using a mix of the two in order to find the best talent.

This could result in a more streamlined process which gives more room for diversity hiring and talent acquisition. Remote working alone may not give an organisation access to a greater amount of talent if the job seekers are required to attend in-person interviews.

With both recruitment and work being carried out virtually and remotely, however, an organisation can access talent and diversity previously limited by geographical barriers.

03.Increased use of online tools in the recruitment process

Recruiting trends 2021 are understandably focused more on virtual operations and processes as both employers and employees may prefer remote operations over on-site operations. This is given the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected companies and industries around the globe for over a year.

When making the transformation from in-person recruitment to virtual recruitment, however, it is important that companies use the right tools. Online communication tools, for instance, are vital during the pandemic and video conference tools and platforms will be extremely useful when recruiting during the pandemic.

Talent acquisition trends in 2021 will rely heavily on the use of such tools, which is why both recruiters and job seekers must be familiar with online platforms as well as video conferencing etiquette.

04.Expansion of skills when hiring

Late last year, LinkedIn wrote about six recruiting trends that will shape 2021 based on data gathered from a survey of over 1,500 talent professionals, exclusive data points from the LinkedIn platform, and in-depth interviews with talent leaders around the world.

In the article, LinkedIn stated that adaptability would be the number one skill recruiters look for in 2021. This is highlighted among recruiting trends 2021, because employees will be required to easily adapt to any changes and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 as well as the next few years.

In 2020, personal development was the fastest growing skill for recruiters, with diversity and inclusion, talent pipelining, decision-making, and HR strategy making up the top five. These skills will have an impact in 2021 as well and an expansion of skill sets is definitely among hiring trends in 2021.

This may also result in recruiters taking a step away from traditional requirements like college degrees and instead giving priority to expertise and skill.