Only 4 out of 10 employers have virtual hiring toolkit that detects candidate impersonation: Reveals HirePro study

HR/TA leaders from IT/ITES, Engineering, Financial Services, Education, Healthcare, E-commerce and FMCG among others, participated in the survey.

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the established ways of doing business across all industries, and the corporate workforce has witnessed its fair share of instability. Recruitment in organizations was affected which prompted them to rely on makeshift solutions for campus recruitment. A recent study by HirePro, titled Evolving Remote Campus Hiring Processes and Tools, was conducted to gauge the preparedness of employers and students for successful virtual campus hiring. The study witnessed participation from 66 leaders in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition, and 5,787 students across the country graduating in 2021 and 2022.

Organizations faced multiple challenges of implementing an efficient and effective virtual hiring toolkit and achieving equity in the recruitment process. Candidates faced obstacles during the recruitment process due to inadequate infrastructure required for virtual interviews and assessments.

The report finds insights about the infrastructure shortcomings at the students’ end and the gaps in the virtual recruitment process at the employers’ end. Given the high number of students hired from campuses, verifying their identities throughout assessments, interviews, and onboarding to ensure fair selection is a challenge that recruiters face. This can be attributed to the finding that about 60 percent of companies either use solutions that lack deep proctoring capabilities to detect candidate fraud during the process, or were unsure of their tools’ proctoring capabilities.

The report further elaborates, 59 percent of companies believe students are well-equipped with the necessary infrastructure to participate in virtual campus hiring. However, 53 percent of students do not have access to a broadband connection at home, and 60 percent students have access to a desktop computer or laptop to complete virtual examinations. One in every four students owns two of the following devices: a desktop/laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet. A little more than a third of students do not have access to a power backup. This makes it important for companies to ensure that their virtual hiring tools support process continuity by preserving interview/assessment progress and allowing students to resume the process from where it was halted.

Organizations faced multiple challenges of implementing an efficient and effective virtual hiring toolkit and achieving equity in the recruitment process. While candidates faced obstacles during the recruitment process due to inadequate infrastructure required for virtual interviews and assessments.

“Last year, we saw organisations battling with remote campus hiring. Employers relied on makeshift solutions for assessments, interviews and onboarding of candidates,” said S. Pasupathi, COO, HirePro. He added “Remote campus hiring is here to stay, it’s a process that predates the COVID-19 pandemic and became the only way to execute campus recruiting operations during the outbreak. As organisations are transforming their college hiring strategy by adopting a hybrid model for the future, our study aims to uncover the preparedness of both employers as well as students for the evolving virtual process. It provides practical insights into the processes involved in remote campus recruiting for both organisations and students or colleges / universities.”

Virtual hiring toolkits

For campus recruitment, 95% of businesses rely on popular video conference tools rather than specific video interviewing software. Employers should invest in dedicated technologies since they accommodate different formats of interviews and give candidates greater flexibility in completing the process. While a dedicated platform can detect fraud as well, employers may maintain video logs, gather feedback, and produce real-time reports to make smoother selections.

When asked by employers to identify the areas that their hiring tool lacks, scheduling assessments and interviews came out on top (16%), followed by post-offer engagement, candidates’ communication, identity verification, and dashboard (14%). In addition, roughly a third of businesses stated their virtual hiring toolkits don’t have candidate impersonation detection skills, while another third was unsure. Their hiring toolbox detects impersonation, according to 40% of them.

Connectivity issues

54 percent of employers find low internet bandwidth at the students’ end is an obstacle in conducting online assessments successfully, while 61 percent have pointed this out in case of interviews. 45% of students have a basic internet bandwidth (less than 25 Mbps), which could limit their ability to participate in remote interviews and evaluations. Recruiters must employ systems that allow for low-bandwidth tests and can overcome the prevalent network issues in India.

Other findings:

• 60% of students own a desktop computer or a laptop to take virtual assessments. 1 in 4 students has any two from among desktop/laptop, smartphone and tablet. A little over a third of students do not have a power backup.
• 52% of students said they use a mobile hotspot to take online assessments and interviews. Employers that use virtual interviewing platforms/apps have more chances of successful interviews/assessments even when using the mobile hotspot as they are designed to work well with low bandwidth.
• 41% of students do not have a business laptop if they get selected in a campus recruitment event and the employer wants them to work remotely.
• The top four suggestions shared by employers for successful participation in virtual campus recruitment included training and instructing students before assessments, providing buddy support, and ensuring a good internet connection.

About HirePro

HirePro is a leading recruitment automation and assessments solution provider to corporates, educational institutions, and governments. Established in 2004 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India, HirePro offers preeminent technology platforms and allied services to companies that require expert support to navigate the talent landscape. As a distinguished provider of automated selection platforms and solutions, HirePro holds the prominence of a strategic partner in the talent acquisition and recruitment market today.