How to Recruit and Hire Interns in a Remote-Working World
Do you recruit and hire interns in your organization? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the sudden changes that have come about due to the Covid-19 pandemic, don’t worry. These tips will give you the knowledge you need to recruit and hire interns in a remote-working world. Since the pandemic, the internship recruiting and hiring process has completely changed. Given the shift to remote work, hiring teams must find and evaluate potential hires without in-person networking events and face-to-face interviews. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the sudden changes, don’t worry. Here are a few ways you can effectively recruit and hire interns in a remote working world. Tools and tactics to improve your intern search process 1. Build a strong brand online so interns come to you If you’re hiring remotely, your online presence may be the most prominent way for internship candidates to learn about and form an impression of your company. If you want to attract talented interns, you’ll want them to be excited about applying for the position after viewing your website, social media, and other online resources. After some quick searching, job seekers should be able to have a clear understanding of your company’s mission and values, work culture, and internship expectations and responsibilities. The more information available to potential hires, the more they’ll be able to assess how much their passions and strengths align with your needs. Ultimately, this saves you time by maximizing the chance that people who apply for your internship are a good fit and genuinely want the position. 2. Use online resources like job boards and social media Recruit and hire interns using online channels. While it’s difficult to engage in in-person recruiting and networking for internships at this time, you still have many online resources to support your recruitment efforts. One 2019 survey found that 41% of recent hires found their current position through an online job board. Another 14% discovered their job through social media, and an additional 5% through email newsletters. That means that 60% of recent hires connected with their current employers online. It’s definitely possible for you to recruit valuable interns remotely. Tools and tactics to vet interns and seal the deal 1. Implement low-effort screening Making your job posting unique will help it stand out from the slew of postings that job seekers search through. One specific way to make your job posting more unique and effective is to include a low effort requirement such as including a fun word in your application subject line. For example, something as simple as asking potential interns to include “penguin” in their subject line can help you easily weed out applicants who won’t even take the time to completely read through your job posting, or at the very least don’t pay much attention to details. 2. Conduct virtual interviews Virtual interviews are a great alternative to in-person interviews to recruit and hire interns. Virtual interviews are also convenient for interviewing interns who may be in a different time zone or a completely different country — just remember to specify the time zone when scheduling interviews. When conducting your virtual interviews, make sure to evaluate applicants on their remote work skills. It’s hard to say how long remote work will be the norm, so it’s important to hire employees who can thrive in a remote working environment. Tips to ensure your intern has the best possible experience 1. Continue building community It can be difficult to build community while everyone’s stuck at home, but it’s important to continue making efforts to do so. Virtual coffee breaks or lunches give employees a chance to chat with their coworkers and let your new intern get to know people. Team hangouts that include interactive activities like games can also be a fun way to build community. 2. Encourage feedback and communication If you want to know how to deliver the best possible internship experience, consider asking your intern for feedback. Feedback is valuable for determining what they like about the internship and what you can do better to support them. Promoting open communication is great for building trust as well as making your intern feel like a valued member of your team.
How Ethical Leadership Can Improve Your Employer Brand
Every organization wants the right person in the right job. Every person contemplating the roughly 90,000 hours they’ll be spending at work wants to be in the right job. This is why magazines such as Forbes release annual lists of the world’s best employers, and why sites like Glassdoor, where employees rate their employers, exist. If you’re going to spend a third of your lifetime at work, you’re going to research what different organizations offer. So how can employers ensure their Employer Brand is viewed favourably and can compete against its contemporaries? Know what motivates the people you want to hire. Understanding what motivates your people Yes, salaries and perks matter but they’re fairly generic. There’s probably not much you offer that your competitors can’t match. Where you can differentiate yourself is through your principles. It’s increasingly important for potential employees to find companies with values that align with their own, particularly (but not only) to millennials who will comprise 75% of the workforce in 2025. One of the effects of the pandemic is that it has thrown into sharp relief what matters to people, in their personal and professional lives. Whether it’s flexible working hours, changing where they live or ditching their commute, people now know what’s possible. In the years to come, they’ll be looking for companies that accommodate those choices, and allow them to bring their whole selves to work. They’ve also watched how organizations have treated their staff in this crisis and taken note. “It’s increasingly important for potential employees to find companies with values that align with their own, particularly (but not only) to millennials who will comprise 75% of the workforce in 2025.” Organizational values can no longer be the laminated sheet on the wall of the office kitchen. They need to be the authentic foundations of company processes and systems, informing decision-making and making the company’s actions consistent and transparent. Those values need to genuinely permeate the daily experience of employees. It starts from the top This starts at the top. Staff are significant stakeholders and need to be recognized as such. People want to make a positive impact. They want to genuinely speak with pride about what their company stands for. They want to work for leaders with integrity, and they expect a high degree of transparency about decisions that affect them. Employees flourish when working with ethical leaders; those who create a culture in which employees can safely challenge decisions, and where contributions are welcomed. The right organizational culture produces a secure and productive workforce – proud ambassadors who’ll champion your brand on their social channels and in their professional interactions. Once you’ve got the right people on board, how do you keep them there? Organizational churn is disruptive, and costly. It’s estimated that the Canadian economy loses $3.8bn each year in lost productivity due to staff turnover. Work perks aren’t enough to keep staff hanging on in the face of toxic organizational culture and unethical leadership. The resulting low morale tends to breed a culture of mere compliance and minimum effort amongst those who stay, and high turnover as those who can leave do. Creating ethical decision-making frameworks Invest in your human resources the way you do any other. Everyone in their career will face challenges that can’t be solved by a Code of Conduct. Help your people meet these challenges by providing professional development which exposes them to different ethical decision-making frameworks and increases their ability to work through ambiguity. Empower them to move from simply following rules to being able to question the rightness of an action or circumstance. Ethical fade is real and needs to be consciously addressed. Strengthen their judgement and critical thinking skills. Support people who are motivated to create change along ethical lines and make sure their efforts are recognized. Equip your employees with the capabilities to assess the impact of the organization’s priorities and overtly give permission for them to act constructively on what they may uncover. All of these measures will help them, and the organization, make the right decisions for the right reasons at the right time. There are many positive benefits of strong ethical leadership – brand safety, reputation management and growing market share. But among the most important is attracting and retaining high calibre staff who will share their experience of your organization widely. Word of mouth is a powerful force, and it’s a recruitment tool you want to get right. If you would like to learn more about how to improve your Employer Brand, get in touch with us here.
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