Web conferencing, online meetings and all things digital have been the backbone of numerous workforces across the globe during the lockdowns imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic. Not since the beginning of the twentieth century during the Spanish Flu has the world had to face such unexpected and unforgiving trials. Unlike our forefathers, we have knowledge and tools that have enabled us not only to mitigate untold damage but to stay safe, protect each other and, in some cases, even thrive.
It may be difficult at first to consider that anything positive could come from such dark times as these, but the success stories are there if you know where to look.
- Digital Accessibility Champions and Advocates have been campaigning for decades for improvements to processes which would allow disabled staff to work safely and regularly from home. With the exponential rise in numbers of individuals needing to work from home, process improvements have surged forward like never before which paves the way for more staff working from home on a long term basis. This means organisations and institutions can be more inclusive than ever before.
- International Schools are also benefiting from these optimised digital platforms. Recruiting without having to be physically close to candidates is easier now than it had been previously. Multiple digital platforms and conferencing services are striving to improve their services and these improvements will continue to be felt long after the global recovery from our current situation.
- Thanks to the normalisation of online communication and community spirit imbued by lockdown (along with many other factors) there have been numerous improvements made to digital platforms enabling discussions around Mental Health. 1 in 4 of us experience Mental Health issues each year. Mental Health Awareness Week took place in May this year while the lockdown in the UK was at its height, meaning many services had to adapt and go digital. The security and anonymity afforded by online communication have enabled more people to come forward and speak out to hopefully, in time, get the help and support they so well deserve.
So what are you waiting for? Become your organisation’s digital communication champion by exploring the new Online Meeting Scheduler on the Client Portal today.
How to schedule Online Interviews
Scheduling online meetings and interviews with candidates can be done directly from the Client Portal. As soon as you and your hiring team agree on which candidates you would like to contact you can arrange meetings via Skype, Google Meet or a custom meeting straight away. Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings will be available in the near future (this article was written on June 25th, 2020).
With Eteach’s new online meeting scheduler, your hiring team can adapt to any hiring environment, so you never miss an opportunity to interview the perfect candidate. Distance is no longer a barrier to consider when arranging interviews, you can even make sure that you and your candidate are scheduling according to a set time zone.
Within the Scheduler, there is a 3-step process to help you organise online meetings between candidates and the hiring team. You have the option to opt-out of the meeting yourself which means that you can set up meetings and interviews for others and another Administrator can do the same for you.
- Select your preferred online meeting tool. This could be Skype, Google Meet, custom set up or, coming soon, Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Whatever tool you choose, the scheduler will provide you with clear instructions on what to do next. These instructions will help you make the most out of each meeting platform. Once you are happy with your selection click on the "Set Meeting Details" button on the bottom right of the Scheduler.
- In this step, you can customise your online meeting’s title, start date, start time, duration and more. This is also the step in which you will determine attendees. Your candidate and yourself (as the user setting up the meeting) will be the default attendees. You can add other members of your hiring team and you can choose to remove yourself at this stage. Once you are happy with the meeting details, click on the "Notify Attendees" button.
- At this point, you have the option to customise the email which will be sent to all attendees in this meeting. You can provide your candidate with all the finer details about your interview process at this point. When you are happy with the email content click on "Schedule Online Interview". Now your online meeting attendees will receive your email.
All attendees will be notified via email. Attached to the email they receive they will see a .ics file. This file, when opened, can be added to each attendee’s calendar. This will allow attendees to set custom reminders for themselves via their usual calendar for your online meeting.
Is your organisation making the most of the digital tools available to it? The Client Portal has been tailor-made by our education recruitment specialists to streamline your recruitment processes and cut down on time consuming administrative tasks. Find out more about the features and benefits of our Lite and Premium Licences:
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About the author
Jennifer Vaughan
As an Open University graduate with TEFL certification, Jennifer has spent a good deal of her professional life as somewhat of a digital nomad. After years of studying and then teaching across five different countries, Jennifer has settled in the UK and when she isn’t teaching, she’s writing or working on all things content, from Accessibility to UX. Jennifer’s passions are the concepts of accessible education and universal design where she can contribute to a world, both physically and digitally, more easily accessed by all.
