The Covid-19 pandemic has created a permanent change in the workplace and experts predict there will be little going back. From a global perspective, 25-30% of the workforce is expected to work remotely this year alone.
This shift to remote work has huge implications for recruiting and has effectively made traditional recruiting obsolete. To engage a global workforce, recruiters need robust recruiting software that automates standard procedures and reaches across the globe to find remote workers who are the right fit for the jobs.
A new type of worker
Along with the shift to remote work and drawing from a global pool of contingent workers has come a variety of dominant positions: freelance, contract, consultant, part-time, independent contractors, temp workers and seasonal workers.
Statista projects that 85.6 million people will be freelancing in the US alone by 2027, making up over half of the entire US workforce.
A study by the Page Group According showed only 26% of respondents in South Africa worked from home before the pandemic. Due to the lockdown, the number of respondents working remotely jumped to 79%. Although some are expected to go to the office for a set number of days, 71% of job applicants thought working remotely will be more important than ever before.
A new way to reach candidates
As organisations move away from a centralised company location, posting on local job boards will no longer cut it. Similarly, candidates no longer care about an employer’s location and want the freedom to live and work from where they want. This means recruiters must widen the net and target workers looking for remote work on remote-specific job board platforms.
To find the right talent directly, job marketing automation tools such as Neptune can publish your job openings to search engines, social platforms, and job board aggregators, both locally and internationally. It can create automated talent pipelines and manage external talent suppliers, simplifying the recruitment process from start to finish.
Automating screening and validating candidates
In this new recruitment environment, in-person interviews have become a thing of the past. That doesn’t mean employers should miss out on face-to-face interviews with potential candidates two continents away.
Using recruitment software, recruiters and employers can maximise candidate accessibility via video interviews, interview templates and scorecards. Assessment and background checking service integrations will allow for rigorous applicant appraisals.
Multi-channel engagement includes making use of ai chatbots for high-volume campaign management. Think SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other mobile web channels. These tools enable instant communication between recruiter and applicants located globally.
Conclusion
The benefits of tapping into a global, remote talent pool outweigh hiring locally as it gives recruiters access to large numbers of candidates from where they can pick and choose high-quality candidates. The downside is that recruiters could now receive thousands of applications for remote positions.
graylink’s job recruiting software can securely ramp up the AWS infrastructure to handle the potentially 100,000s of applications that come in. The result is a workable pool of highly suitable candidates to choose from.
FAQs about Global Workforce Recruiting
How do we manage the legal complexities of hiring across different countries?
Expanding your talent pool globally introduces complex local labour laws. Whilst your recruitment platform handles the sourcing, you will typically need to partner with an Employer of Record (EOR) structure. They manage international payroll and compliance, allowing you to hire borderless talent legally without establishing local entities.
Will an upgraded system help us assess candidates across drastically different time zones?
Yes, scheduling is a primary friction point in global hiring. An advanced platform allows candidates to self-select interview slots that sync directly with your hiring managers' availability. Modern solutions like Neptune ATS handle these asynchronous workflows effortlessly, preventing calendar clashes and ensuring an equitable process regardless of geographical location.
What is the best way to evaluate if an applicant is suited for a permanent work-from-home setup?
Beyond technical abilities, successful remote workers need exceptional digital communication skills and self-discipline. Look for platforms that integrate practical assessments or asynchronous video screening early in the process. This helps you gauge their comfort with digital tools and their ability to articulate ideas clearly without relying on physical office cues.