Company News
Moving Forward with Virtual Recruitment

Moving Forward with Virtual Recruitment

Most organization’s way of working has dramatically changed in a few short months because of COVID-19 and the quarantine placed in the country. With employees grappling the idea of remote working, organizations reevaluate and explore opportunities for recruitment in the virtual world.

The future of virtual recruitment presents a way for organizations to create better and broader opportunities for those looking for employment during these challenging times. Online career fairs, live video conferencing to meet employers, and Q&As with various team members are quickly becoming the new standard of recruitment in this current period. 

Shift to digital recruitment

UnionBank of the Philippines, through its unprecedented shift in digital, has started to exert its efforts in finding suitable talents virtually, with talent acquisition teams providing ways for the Bank to be open to opportunities that can help those who are looking for employment in the wake of the coronavirus.  

Talent Acquisition Head Abeegail Caberte said it allowed them to save on spending because her teams can use free online platforms for recruitment and achieve better engagement with their audience. She adds that virtual recruitment has its benefits, one of which is saving time for interviews.   

The previous recruiting process, according to Caberte, takes a lot more time. Before the pandemic, the recruitment process takes half a day to finish, from call preparation to the applicant’s actual interview. As a result, the team is limited to interviewing a small number of candidates, averaging between 5 to 8 candidates a day.

The use of technology helps minimize exposure and enables the team to make their work faster and easier, even in the comfort of their homes. More time is saved, and the average candidates they interview are doubled. Although virtual recruitment provides numerous benefits for employers, some challenges still occur when it comes to finding talents suitable for an organization.

“How easy it is to attract and invite candidates to join our series, it is also equally easy for them to step out and be disconnected,” Caberte said. “I observed this during live conversations. You find candidates who are stepping out while the activity is happening.”

She also mentioned different possibilities of distractions, including internet connection and the sudden errands at home, among others. “We learned from the experience, so we added interesting activities and ice breakers to keep the engagement and the momentum,” Caberte shared.

Keeping the human touch in virtual recruiting

Many recruiters who work from home are still figuring out how to stay engaged during the virtual recruitment process. But Caberte addresses this issue through video conversations. Simply turning on the camera and letting the candidate see the recruiter’s face on the other screen creates a more in-depth connection or “high-touch”.  

Virtual onboarding is also gaining momentum with organizations. Everything that new hires need to hit the ground running can be done in a short period. Talent Acquisition initiated a different version of their new hire onboarding with its Digital NEO (New Employee Orientation), a set of e-learning modules essential to their needs as a new hire and as a UnionBanker.

The Bank also gave its new employees a more hands-on reception with gifts delivered right in front of their doorsteps. The Talent Acquisition Team piloted its UnionBanker Starter Pack last April 16 for its new hires within Metro Manila. Even Unionbank’s Singapore resident, AI and Data Executive, David Hardoon, received his personalized package from the Bank.

Talent Acquisition also started a “virtual kamustahan” called “Coffee O’Clock Presents” with new hires to ensure employees are welcomed properly to the Bank.   

Skills needed in the future

Those with digital skills can have an advantage with other candidates as organizations are looking for a wider skill set and broader experience in technology. According to Caberte, talents needed because of this pandemic are digital tech talents such as info security, cybersecurity, data governance, data science, AI engineers, data privacy officers, full-stack software developers, customer experience, robotics, UX/UI, among others. 

Soft skills are also a growing interest in some organizations. Caberte also mentioned that soft skills such as resiliency, tolerance, grit, and integrity are important for her when looking for candidates.  

Digital presence

Utilizing social media and other online platforms have become more popular and routine during the recruitment process.

Talent Acquisition is present in all social media channels such as FacebookInstagramLinkedin, as well as traditional job boards like Jobstreet and Kalibrr.   

The Bank is also preparing to launch its One UnionBanker Hub (1UHUB), an in-house developed HR app called where candidates can apply.

Virtual Career Conversations

Talent Acquisition recently launched its Virtual Career Conversations, where graduating students or fresh graduates can learn to maximize their internship experience, build a proper online profile, prepare for a virtual interview, and to say yes to the right job offer. “Talent Acquisition’s role is not only when there’s a need to hire, but a bigger part of our job is to build a robust talent pipeline to ensure that the Bank is ready to hire the right talents anytime,” Caberte said.  

“Through our ‘Own The Future’ Virtual Series, it enabled us to achieve both roles – sourcing and hiring. It made us know more about our candidates and get firsthand feedback from them on what to continue doing and what to improve on. It gave birth to another role of Talent Acquisition – to become influencers of our target job market.”

2 thoughts on “Moving Forward with Virtual Recruitment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *