By Susan Hanold
For businesses, managing recruiting strategy and the hiring process during periods of uncertainty is critical. How you portray yourself to potential candidates and communicate changes in process can impact a company’s brand reputation and talent pipeline – both crucial components of success. As a global pandemic changes the face of the world of work, increasing numbers of workers are finding themselves in states of flux, as companies navigate challenges in recruiting and retaining talent. However, in times of uncertainty, it’s perhaps more important than ever for job seekers and businesses alike to consider how they’re approaching their respective searches to position both parties for shared success despite circumstance. Here, I break down some of the key changes job seekers and businesses will see over the coming months.
Changes for Job Seekers
Adjust to virtual interview formats. As companies increasingly tell their employees to practice social distancing and work from home until the COVID-19 pandemic gets under control, job seekers are finding that potential employers are switching in-person interviews to video. Check with each company on their interview process and protocols such as banning on-site interviews and moving them to virtual formats. Most importantly, job seekers should request specific information about the company’s timeline and hiring plans to manage expectations.
Continue to learn new skills and look for opportunity. Learning new skills is advantageous when you want to be ready to take on a new role, grow in responsibility or be prepared if your job description is evolving due to market demands. Don’t stop preparing with your skills development. Seek out virtual training opportunities that target specific areas you want to develop. Additionally, leveraging your company’s internal job posting site or networks can offer visibility into the different types of positions that are open as priorities shift.
Changes for Hiring Managers and Recruiters
Communicate now more than ever. For hiring managers and recruiters, communicate as clearly as possible with job seekers to avoid leaving any candidates hanging or on hold for a prolonged period. Have a communication plan in place if open jobs are postponed to avoid losing valuable candidates you might want to pursue in the future.
Amplify open opportunities. With networking events and career fairs being rescheduled at this time, having a social media and advertising plan will be beneficial as well. Save time and fill talent gaps faster by automating key recruiting and hiring tasks, such as creating or updating job descriptions and posting jobs.
Consider your remote work policies. With many jobs on a temporary work from home situation, consider the policies you have in place around remote work. Modern communication and collaboration technology have made remote work more effective and easier to manage, and a great remote work program can put your organization at the top of the list for a much larger audience of talented individuals.
Promote work-from-home jobs. This is an excellent time to promote the jobs that are work from home or have a flexible structure. Certain industries are seeing a greater impact than others in the current business climate, and those employees may be anxious to land quickly or adjust in the short term. A flexible work schedule may be just the decision-maker for some candidates. Really evaluate the critical roles that need to be done in-person and which ones can be done remotely.
Positions that need to be filled and skills gaps that need to be addressed within an organization will likely not disappear despite current circumstances. As best as possible, the goal is to navigate the challenges in order to deliver a seamless talent acquisition experience. All eyes remain on how workers and firms are dealing with difficult hiring conditions.
ADP, VP Strategic Advisory Services