At the start of the pandemic, the world went remote:

While the focus was largely on the shift to empower employees to work virtually, nearly all aspects of many businesses had to pivot to remote settings—including hiring. Sourcing, recruiting, onboarding, and other key hiring steps all needed to become remote, and employers had to respond with technology-enabled tools to make that a reality. When the pandemic is eventually in the rearview mirror, tech-powered recruiting will likely still be ingrained in HR, as employers are increasingly seeing the value of automating aspects of HR operations.

Here at Integrity Staffing Solutions, we’re witnessing this firsthand. In the fall, we rolled out our Opportunity Engine app, a full-service platform where candidates can view and apply for jobs, and complete all steps of the hiring and onboarding processes. The app, which already has 19,000 active users, has enabled us to reach new and wider pools of candidates and offer an end-to-end hiring process that is quick and efficient—a plus for both candidates and clients, especially in this challenging hiring market.

Technology-enabled solutions offer employers significant promise on a number of fronts, including:

Diversifying the talent pipeline

When organizations aren’t bound to location-based hiring, the possibilities skyrocket. With app-based remote hiring, employers aren’t reliant on the physical location of recruiters or hiring managers and instead can look beyond candidates’ geography as a qualification. That opens the door to a much wider pool of candidates, who can bring a diversity of experiences and skills to the organization.

Enhanced communication

With traditional hiring methods, recruiters and hiring managers may play phone tag with candidates or waste significant time corresponding back and forth via email throughout the process. When employers utilize an app-based hiring platform, those avenues of communication are much more instantaneous, pushed right to the candidate’s phone—making the position and the company visible and memorable.

Real-time hiring

Better communication means quicker, more efficient hiring. For instance, in our OpEn app, when a client has a new job post, the platform notifies qualified candidates and invites them to apply. That means candidates can be jumpstarting the application process just minutes after a new job opens up—and with the ongoing automation embedded throughout a hiring app like OpEn, candidates can be walking through the door for their next role in just hours, as opposed to days or weeks.

All of these benefits have never been more vital, as employers everywhere contend with stiff competition for talent. Given that, candidates need to have a seamless experience from their first interaction with the company. With a recruiting and hiring app that is user-friendly and prioritizes applicants’ time, they feel valued and included—which can start their employment with the company off on exactly the right foot.