Dive Brief:
- Indeed will host a national virtual job fair tour, using its "hiring events" platform to try and fill 20,000 positions across the U.S., it announced Sept. 14. The tour goes through October, and is free for job seekers and participating employers.
- The program will provide employers "proprietary video interviewing technology" to "remove technical hurdles and speed up the interviewing timeline," according to a statement emailed to HR Dive. Employers wishing to participate must have at least 20 available positions open.
- Additionally, Indeed is partnering with Goodwill Industries International to provide job seekers participating in the job fairs with coaching and virtual workshops. "This Virtual Hiring Tour is designed to help people from all backgrounds — essential workers to licensed professionals — quickly find roles, in a way that is safe and effective," said Chris Hyams, CEO of Indeed.
Dive Insight:
Technology was already set to play a large role in the near- and long-term future of recruiting, according to multiple sources who previously spoke with HR Dive. Many organizations were already ramping up their technical capabilities, but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of those plans and forced many others to quickly set up systems for virtual hiring.
Indeed, whose job postings are down significantly compared to last year (also due to the pandemic), recently started to merge its platform and services with Glassdoor, the job review and employment branding company which shares a corporate parent.
The job site’s entry into virtual hiring products aligns with competitors such as LinkedIn and increased adoption of technology promoted by vendors such as Brazen, a virtual job fair technology, and HireVue and ModernHire, two recruiting platforms that include automated engagement and video interviewing.
In light of the pandemic and the radical shifts it has made in the labor market, many companies are working on social initiatives or other promotions to support or connect job seekers and employers. Some examples include 2U’s commitment to providing technical training for underrepresented groups, HackerRank’s virtual career fair, and Microsoft’s recently-launched 'Accelerate' program.
