The shift to telework and video meetings by many state and local IT departments since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hasn’t hurt the recruitment of IT professionals, Techwire has found. In some cases, it’s made life easier for state hiring managers as well as for candidates.
“For the most part, the candidates seem much more relaxed during the remote interview process than in-person interviews,” said Anita Gore, spokesperson for the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). “The hiring manager is able to get a good read on most of the candidates,” Gore told Techwire via email. DMV is using Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx for interviewing candidates.
Gore also noted another change in the candidate field for jobs in DMV’s Information Systems Division (ISD).
“DMV ISD is starting to see an increase in highly qualified private industry candidates,” Gore said.
Kaylee Cooper, talent acquisition manager for Covered California, reported a similar experience.
“Recruiting, interviewing, and hiring during this pandemic has been a great success!” Cooper told Techwire via email. She said the gains in the process were a pleasant surprise for the agency, which connects consumers with insurance carriers.
“During the pandemic, Covered California began recruiting efforts for key leadership positions within the organization, including recruiting for a chief information officer,” Cooper said. “As we kicked off our recruitment efforts and outreach, we didn’t know what to expect from the candidate market. Were people looking for new career opportunities right now? Were people feeling overwhelmed with our new normal and not interested in the thought of job searching? We quickly found that people were indeed looking for new opportunities, were more open to relocation, and were ready to hop on the phone to chat.
“We ended up receiving an overwhelming number of qualified applicants for our chief information officer position, as well as for other roles.” (The department has not announced a new CIO.)
Karen Ruiz, chief information officer for Covered Cal, said preparation is the key to a successful recruitment.
“You do need to make sure you have a plan logistically – just like you would if the interviews were in person,” the CIO said in an email. “Who will ‘greet’ the interviewee? How will you get any necessary ‘paperwork’ to the interviewee virtually? Also important – have a fallback plan for both the interviewee and interviewers in case of technical difficulty. Is there a phone-in option if Internet/video are not working? Once those logistics are in place, the interview itself should go just as smooth as an in-person interview!”
Covered Cal’s chief deputy executive director for operations, Karen Johnson, said Cooper and her talent acquisition team “adapted quickly to new technologies to meet the ongoing need for a strong workforce to help those consumers.”
Johnson told Techwire in an email: “We connect with candidates, in a virtual way, using many of the same approaches and considerations that Covered California developed before the crisis. Covered California conducts a video test-run before virtual interviews, and we continue to provide an opportunity for the candidates to view the questions ahead of time so they are well prepared.
“All in all, Covered California’s talent acquisition team has made transitioning interviews from onsite to a virtual setting relatively seamless, and we have been able to interview qualified candidates and hire for key positions, which helps consumers and our state during this recession.”
Gore said the DMV’s IT shop has maintained the same standards and processes in hiring virtually as it did before the telework protocol was put in place in mid-March.
“DMV ISD continues to follow the established interviewing, vetting and hiring practices,” Gore said. “However, the logistics for setting up and hosting remote interviews is simpler for the candidate as well as the department. The candidate avoids the challenge of traffic, parking, as well as the check-in and temporary-badging process. The department has flexibility for scheduling the interviews without the constraint of meeting room (availability).”
The California Department of Technology (CDT) said it allows hiring managers to decide what format to use for candidate interviews.
CDT’s human resources unit “has adapted to the current environment by making adjustments and streamlining some of the hiring documentation and review to be done electronically, as many of our employees are teleworking,” a department spokesperson told Techwire via email.
“The interview format depends on the preference of the hiring manager,” the spokesperson said. “There are pros and cons to both in-person and video interviewing, but each interview follows the same procedure regardless if it’s being conducted on-site or virtually.”
Covered Cal’s Cooper added that technology needn’t be a help nor a hurdle to job-seekers.
“Now is a great time for candidates, and employers alike, to get out there (virtually speaking) to make professional connections and build relationships,” she said. “LinkedIn is my go-to for this.”
CalHR, the state’s personnel agency, reported the following in response to Techwire’s inquiry about the rate of job applications during March/April 2019 and March/April 2020:
|
Month |
Job postings |
Applications received |
Applications per job |
|
March 2019 |
3,139 |
81,454 |
25.9 |
|
April 2019 |
2,899 |
77,171 |
26.6 |
|
March 2020 |
2,984 |
70,263 |
23.5 |
|
April 2020 |
2,424 |
52,420 |
21.6 |
