The hiring process has undergone an intense transformation over the past few years. 75% of HR professionals struggle to find talent to fill positions due to skills gaps among potential hires. At the same time, more than half of the workforce currently holds a job that is compatible with remote work. Additionally, nearly a third of the workforce might continue to work from home several days a week, even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global health crisis has resulted in 45% of companies issuing a hiring freeze, accentuating the pandemic. Companies have also transitioned to remote work, which for many, has been a welcomed change. 56% of hiring managers report that remote work has exceeded their expectations. Thus resulting in more businesses opening to incorporating distance contractors into their teams.
Working with remote independent professionals has become a preferable solution to the search for the right talent. Digital staffing offers an excellent means of finding and engaging with potential contractors.
However, with the wealth of digital platforms available, it can be difficult to understand what digital staffing entails and how to make it work for your particular organization. Let’s explore what digital staffing means for your company and how you can use it to find the best contractor for your upcoming project.
Defining digital staffing
Digital staffing can encompass a range of activities that help to identify potential workers online. Given the number of means that companies can use to find people in the digital ecosystem, there can be many applications of the concept.
Turning to digital staffing involves incorporating digital platforms and technology. Through these online platforms, companies can identify and assess talent and engage in nontraditional work arrangements. Organizations can take advantage of the global nature of the internet, seeking the best fit for their needs no matter their location.
Digital staffing can incorporate social media platforms. Apply algorithmic searching and matching to identify the best talent. Digital job boards, assessments, and work marketplaces like Upwork can be used to find the best contractors.
Digital staffing strategies for building a better team
As you get ready to uncover the potential of digital staffing, you will need to navigate various platforms to find the best options. Here are five tips to discover the talent you need.
Ensure mobile friendliness on your job website and promotions
The company website remains an integral part of digital staffing strategies. While looking for work, more than three-quarters of people will visit the websites of organizations that interest them.
However, mobile internet usage increased by a shocking 222% between 2013 and 2019. Now half of all internet usage comes from mobile devices. To attract the best talent, companies need to make sure their promotions and job descriptions are mobile-friendly due to the high mobile usage.
To help potential team members, use a mobile-responsive website and job description that is easily read on a small screen. Short paragraphs, bullet points, and targeted explanations will work well.
Optimize applications or assessments that workers can fill out directly from the job listing to be used on mobile devices. Including a simple option to save your job opening for them to re-engage later on a larger screen will also help.
Use social media to build brand reputation
People spend an average of over two hours browsing social media sites every day. This means that these platforms lend themselves nicely to digital staffing. So, it makes sense that 70% of employers report using social media when looking for people to fill particular roles.
With the prevalence of social media, these platforms provide an excellent opportunity to build your brand’s public perception. Highlight stories from your teammates about their positive experiences that can entice the top talent to apply for your openings.
If your organization receives any accolades, such as appearing on “best companies to work for” lists, promoting these through your social media pages can boost your reputation. Potential applicants also enjoy hearing about the perks you offer. 92% of employees indicate that the benefits offered to impact their job satisfaction.
Encourage qualified applicants to your openings using social media to promote your company as an excellent business to work for.
Employ digital assessments
Digital assessments can be your first step to finding the top talent for your company. The internet can simplify the process of administering necessary screening tests and tasks to find the best fit for the role. These screening tests enhance the quality of the responses you receive to your postings.
With your assessments, you can target different characteristics and traits to help you narrow your search for the best possible talent. For example, you can examine:
- Their flexibility and focus
- Their level of engagement with others
- Their willingness to take constructive feedback and learn from their mistakes
- Their problem-solving skills
- Their willingness to abide by predetermined rules and procedures
Following your initial assessments, conducting a paid work trial is an excellent idea. During such a test, you give the prospective talent a compensated project to gauge their fit with your team. This will help your decision-making process regarding the professional who will fit your needs.
Prioritize the interview experience
The interview process allows you to lay the groundwork for your relationship with a future worker. They will learn about your communication style, and this allows you to set expectations regarding engagement, reliability, and response times. In a digital environment, communication cannot be done by stopping by teammates’ desks throughout the day. Managing expectations for regular communication remains essential.
When you have found candidates you would like to interview for a particular position, keep these ideas in mind:
- Keep to your hiring timeline and schedule. Let people know when they should expect to hear from you at various points in the process, and live up to those expectations.
- Use this opportunity to build a rapport with the candidates, showing them that your brand is reliable and consistent. This helps to enhance your organization’s reputation with all those involved in the process.
Prioritizing the interview experience and the impression you make on your potential hires demonstrates your respect for the professionals and increases their assessment of your business.
Engage independent talent on Upwork
Brands interested in filling their contractor openings should not neglect the importance of turning to work marketplaces like Upwork. With an average time to hire of three days and an 84% enterprise fill rate versus 40% for the rest of the industry, our platform offers ample potential for those interested in engaging with the modern independent professional.
Using freelancer quality metrics, talent sourcing assistance, and an onboarding dashboard, Upwork makes it easy to find the talent that you need and take full advantage of digital staffing potential.
We make it easy to navigate the global independent workforce and find the best matches for your organization.
Achieve digital staffing success with us
As the internet has become a staple in the lives of people around the world, it has also become a central component in the modern job search. With the ability to match independent professionals with the skills and experience to perform excellent work to companies looking for the talent that will fit their needs, digital staffing should be a central component in the talent search for companies of all sizes.
