The impact of Covid-19 has caused a lot of uncertainty in the job market. As businesses start to navigate their new normal, they are having to adopt virtual processes as workforces are now based remotely. Industries and businesses have been affected in different ways, some are thriving and some are in crisis, but across the board the finance functions are being put under a huge strain in order to help their businesses adapt to these uncertain times. Our team at Altum Consulting have started to see an increase in confidence from businesses who are either looking to restart hiring processes or they are needing to react to the impact of new challenges.
From a candidate perspective there can be mixed feelings about accepting a job offer having never seen the office or met a manager or colleagues in person. To combat this we have found businesses we have partnered with are going above and beyond to ensure they build the confidence of their candidates during their virtual processes including interviewing and onboarding, as these can set the tone of success.
We spoke to Alice Bayley, a candidate we recently placed at Dentsu to find out how her confidence was built through the virtual process.
Virtual Interviews:
It is obviously more of a challenge to make a good first impression virtually, and it was a change from any interview I have done before. I was concerned that gauging the culture of the team would be difficult, as company culture and team dynamic are crucial when it comes to job satisfaction.
I was impressed by the interviewer’s approach, they kept it relaxed yet professional, and I feel like they let their personality come through well. We are in unique circumstances which lead to a level of understanding between everyone and helped to break down barriers.
This was an interview process with several stages – this was beneficial as it gave me the opportunity to meet more than one person. It was important to set expectations throughout as virtually interviewing can make you feel removed from the process. My recruiter James has a great relationship with the hiring managers which helped to put me at ease and know what to expect.
The virtual interview process was much quicker than a face-to-face process as many of the logistical challenges were removed.
Virtual Onboarding:
The team at Dentsu were extremely flexible about how I could complete my paperwork virtually and maintained an open line of communication throughout, making it particularly stress free. I was couriered a laptop and the next day I was assigned a member of IT to help set me up over the phone – within the space of a day I was set up with all my access to drives and ready to go.
When joining a new team there can be challenges with finding your role within it and navigating this virtually certainly made it more challenging. To minimise this, the team ensured all introductions were made over video calls to put names to faces and I had frequent contact and support from my manager to check in and make sure I was settling in. I was also provided with clear organisation charts, so I knew who to direct my questions to. Above all, everyone was welcoming and friendly which put me at ease. Another great solution from Dentsu was that all handover meetings were done virtually and therefore could be recorded giving me the ability to refer back to them rather than having to rely on asking.
Whilst this was very different to any process I have been in before; my confidence grew as I moved through the virtual process. This was down to the open and honest style and the high level of certainty from the business.
During this unprecedented time Altum Consulting continues to partner with clients to deliver both permanent and interim solutions remotely for business-critical finance roles. If you have any upcoming recruitment requirements or would like to speak to our team about their view of the market, please get in contact with us.
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