Virtual recruiting is the practice of conducting any step in the hiring process out of a face-to-face realm into a digital one. This can include events like job fairs, interviews, and application screening. Virtual recruiting typically uses phones, internet, or computers, but candidates and recruiters do not engage in person.
Virtual recruiting is not a recent invention — it has been around for decades. But widespread mainstream adoption was accelerated by the pandemic. Many more companies are now recruiting, hiring, and onboarding without meeting candidates face to face.
How the process works
Here’s how a virtual recruiting process might operate in practice. The company uses an AI-assisted workflow:
An AI “virtual recruiter” conducts an initial call with a candidate. Application documents and responses from that call are then forwarded to human recruiters, who determine whether the candidate fits the role and schedule follow-up interviews. If they don’t fit, the candidate is notified and directed to a job board where other opportunities may exist.
The main categories of tools and methods that make up a virtual recruiting strategy include:
Programmatic advertising
Social networks and management platforms
Text/email
Chatbots
Employee referral tools
Candidate relationship management systems
Virtual career fair tools
Video interviewing
Behavioral and skill assessment tools
Phone screening, live video conferencing, virtual office tours, Q&As with team members
Key benefits
Virtual recruiting delivers concrete benefits to employers in terms of reach, cost, and team collaboration:
Broadens the applicant pool beyond local areas and across borders, enabling employers to hire professionals from any part of the world
Lowers the cost per hire
Recording features allow non-present team members to review and share feedback
For job seekers, virtual recruiting removes common barriers to participation:
More people in front of recruiters in a short period of time
Removes barriers of travel, scheduling conflicts, childcare
In fact, the ability to remove those barriers makes virtual recruiting a powerful tool for diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Virtual recruiting facilitates interactions with a more diverse candidate base, which would otherwise be ignored or unintentionally excluded through traditional in-person practices.
Legal requirements and practical considerations
Legal compliance requirements apply just as they do to in-person hiring. Employers must comply with EEOC guidelines regarding job ads, recruiting methods, application process, and interview questions. Protected characteristics include race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age 40+, disability, and genetic information. These requirements apply whether the virtual recruiting is conducted by a recruiter, supervisor, or online pre-screen program.
There are factors that require extra attention or an adjusted approach when recruiting virtually compared to in-person. Assessing cultural fit is harder online, so employers must elaborate exactly what it is looking for. Communicating cultural requirements online is trickier and requires more recruiter expertise. Local or time-zone-aligned recruiters reduce friction, since they know the talent market, salaries, regulations, and expectations better than someone far away.