In these challenging times, interviewing candidates face-to-face is rather tricky
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it would have been unimaginable to think of making a C-level hire without meeting someone face-to-face, according to Jason Gay, Head of Talent at document productivity company, Nitro.
However, with a few key C-level roles to be filled, Nitro had no choice but to adapt – and so far, they’ve been pretty successful in their efforts.
"We have been very fortunate to work with a great executive recruitment firm for all our current C- and VP-level roles and that has made a huge difference in terms of being able to leverage additional resources and ultimately,” Gay told HRD.
This has helped to not only source the right quality and quantity of strong candidates, but also assist in managing and coordinating the hiring process end-to-end.
Consequently, Gay would highly recommend going this route if you’re struggling to fill key roles.
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“It can be expensive, but it’s worth it if you’re working with the right firm,” said Gay.
"In terms of the process on the Nitro side, our CEO, COO, and Exec Chairman have all been more heavily involved in the search process from the very beginning, working with the recruiting team to continuously calibrate on candidate selection and feedback, and that has been hugely helpful.”
Moreover, Nitro arranged several 1:1s with key execs and other Nitro team members to further vet and qualify selected candidates. It also gave them the opportunity to “meet” as many of the team as possible and get to know the company and the culture beyond what you can find online.
Group video sessions with potential team direct reports also helped to give candidates a better sense of team dynamics and top challenges/opportunities for the role.
Gay added that a core element of their process prior to COVID is a presentation from final candidates to the exec team, which is now delivered remotely.
“That’s obviously not as seamless or as effective as doing something like this in person, but we’ve made it work,” said Gay.
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So, how have Nitro managed to conduct all of the mission-critical processes during the pandemic, such as meetings, signing contracts, etc?
"We have had to overcommunicate with everyone, both internally and externally, to make sure nothing falls through the cracks,” said Gay.
"This involves keeping people engaged throughout an interview process that is likely different than any they have experienced in the past.
“For example, our team has put an emphasis on being more consultative in our approach. We are engaging with candidates on a personal level to see how they are handling life during this time, and not where else they are interviewing.”
Gay added that despite their inability to do face-to-face meetings for the foreseeable future, they are confident that the experience for their candidates will be “just as great if not better”.
"For example, we address the elephant in the room on the first call with candidates. Our recruiters emphasise how understanding we are of the current situation and assure candidates that wifi connection issues or loud kids in the background shouldn’t be something they need to worry about.”
