Online Recruitment After COVID: Growing Importance and Hiring Foreign Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the way companies search for new employees. Restrictions on in-person meetings and the shift to remote work accelerated the digitalization of recruitment processes. Online recruitment, which had previously been more of a supplement to traditional methods, became the main channel for reaching candidates – and it continues to hold this role today. Moreover, companies increasingly use online platforms not only for local hiring but also for recruiting foreign workers to meet the growing demand for qualified personnel.

With the rising importance of online recruitment, companies have started using job portals, social networks, and video interviews more extensively as primary tools for attracting candidates. At the same time, demand has increased for technologies that support efficient recruitment management – from communication automation to recruitment process management. These tools are equally crucial when engaging foreign candidates, as they must take into account language, legal, and cultural differences.

Why Measuring Recruitment Effectiveness Is Essential

Without measurement, there is no management – and this applies doubly to recruitment. Recruitment represents a time and financial investment for companies. Without quality feedback, it is difficult to determine which practices are truly effective and which consume resources without delivering results. This is true for both domestic and foreign recruitment processes.

Accurate data enables organizations to optimize recruitment workflows, shorten the time to fill positions, and improve candidates’ overall experience with the company. In the case of foreign applicants, it also provides insights into how quickly and effectively a company can respond to the global labor market.

Key Metrics for Online Recruitment

The digital environment allows tracking every step of the candidate journey in real time. Companies thus gain precise data and can approach recruitment similarly to online marketing – with a focus on performance, return on investment, and continuous improvement. These principles also apply to online recruitment of foreign workers, where additional metrics like visa processing time and relocation speed become important.

Time to Hire

Time-to-hire measures how many days pass between the start of the recruitment process and the signing of a work contract with the selected candidate. In online recruitment, especially when hiring foreign workers, this metric is critical. Candidates often expect a fast response, and prolonged hiring times may lead to the loss of top talent who accept other offers in the meantime.

Cost per Hire

Cost-per-hire includes all expenses related to filling a job position – from advertising on job portals to social media campaigns. In the case of foreign recruitment, this metric also reflects costs for relocation, visas, or language training. Analyzing these data helps companies plan their budgets more effectively and invest in areas where recruitment delivers the best results.

Conversion Rate in Online Recruitment

Conversion rate shows how many people from the targeted audience responded to a job offer. For foreign recruitment, this metric is crucial as it indicates how clear, attractive, and trustworthy a job posting is for candidates from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.