ALTEN Romania: Employers digitized their hiring processes and look towards candidates living in small towns

The digitalization of HR processes has been accentuated more and more in Romanian companies, in the last year, states ALTEN, the local subsidiary of the French group of origin and one of the most important IT and engineering consulting companies. With the implementation of teleworking, employers have digitized their recruitment processes, giving more attention to candidates from smaller cities, in conditions of maximum flexibility, which is less common before the pandemic.

Trends in the HR industry in 2021 The pandemic has led companies to reconfigure their HR processes, from administrative operations to recruitment activities and work. In the last year, many industries have rethought their business processes, adapting to the new context of crisis and the changes imposed by COVID-19, especially in the job market. Most companies have focused mainly on retaining employees, but also on recruiting new specialists – this time, however, in a different way than before: they have focused 100% on online interactions with candidates, since at the first interviews.

“Recruitment and remote work are, today, natural approaches for many employers and employees. Both companies and candidates have adapted quite quickly to the new reality, embracing the need to be safe, work flexibility and online communication. They have become globally implemented practices and have opened new horizons for the labor market. For example, the new trends offer more opportunities to candidates who live in smaller cities, but who want to work for companies whose offices are rather present in the big cities of the country “, explains Corina Soare, Recruitment Manager within ALTEN Romania.

According to data published by the recruitment platform BestJobs, in January this year, the number of jobs in Romania increased, in 2020, by 5% compared to 2019, and most of the available positions were in the area of ​​qualified employees (known as “ white collars ”). The most sought after jobs were in the automotive, financial, engineering, medical, IT&C and sales fields. “Despite the difficulties we went through last year, the offer of IT jobs was extremely vast on the Romanian market, due to the accentuated digitalization and the vital technological contribution in the activity of many businesses.

According to figures recently published by recruitment platforms, companies in the IT and telecom industry were among the largest employers in 2020, along with companies in retail, medical, pharma, construction, energy, financial and consulting. “We are talking here about the key areas that have managed to create new jobs and support the economy. For example, last year we moved the recruitment process 100% online, and today we continue to recruit approximately 100 IT and engineering specialists for our offices in the country “, points out Corina Soare.

In the last year, ALTEN has managed to attract a large number of candidates by expanding the networking of each recruiter, as well as by improving the search and selection process. At the same time, in order to maintain a constant growth rate of the teams, the company approached new market segments, diversifying its portfolio, such as: civil engineering, medical engineering or railway engineering, establishing collaborations with companies from the respective industries.

The same BestJobs study highlighted the fact that most candidates were interested in remote work, a trend that will grow strongly in 2021. At the same time, according to data published by the eJobs recruitment platform, the number of daily applications at jobs available online increased by 36% in 2020 compared to the same period last year.

How are the IT & C companies recruiting today

The pandemic imposed changes both in the recruitment process and in the style of work or regarding the facilities offered by employers.

For example, recruiters have been even more active in the last year in recruiting candidates online, both through company websites and through social media platforms (LinkedIn and Facebook) or recruitment platforms. The selection processes have taken place and are still taking place today at a distance, the classic interviews being replaced, without problems, with telephone conversations or online video meetings between candidates and recruiters, regardless of where they are.

At the same time, currently, the testing of candidates also takes place online, through HR applications and platforms. In fact, employers have begun to abandon the classic CV format and seek more and more often CVs that are as simple, concise and graphically attractive, with up-to-date and objective information, which summarizes the professional experience of candidates in one or more two pages.

At the same time, the opportunity to work from anywhere has opened a new horizon, both for candidates and employers, namely to recruit specialists who do not live in cities where companies have offices, but also to apply to candidates from smaller localities in the country.

“We have identified this opportunity since the middle of last year, and we are currently successfully applying it in the recruitment phase. It is a win-win situation for both sides, and the trend is just beginning. In essence, we are adapting to the new reality and offering more opportunities to those who live outside the big urban centers. Technology, as well as context, make these things possible, why ignore them? ”, underlines Corina Soare.

According to ALTEN representatives, the number of candidates applying today for an IT job has increased by about 30% compared to the pre-pandemic period, depending on the role available. This is also due to the return of a large number of Romanians from abroad, but also to staff turnover. With small steps, many industries are beginning to show signs of revitalization in terms of team expansion. After the remote recruitment process ends, employers face a new challenge: the integration and loyalty of employees, without the possibility for them to relate face to face with their colleagues (often, they do not even get to know each other personally).

According to specialists, the integration and retention of people in the organization, without establishing live interactions with them, causes managers to use even more IT solutions with which to create connections and determine them to quickly integrate into the company: from trainings and online one-on-one or team discussions. And beyond that, the game also includes extra salary packages, benefits, cards that are charged remotely and allow employees to have access to a multitude of resources, such as: books, online fitness classes, specialized courses or training. personal development, meal vouchers, as well as the possibility to order various electronics or fashion products – depending on the policy of each company. In fact, more than ever, recruiters are attentive to the skills, needs and expectations of candidates, the flexibility they want, as well as all the factors that build the happiness and stability of employees in the workplace.