The Guide To Recruitment In Challenging Times

The COVID-19 pandemic has scattered businesses across the boards. Industries are experiencing a dynamic shift, unlike anything that's happened before in known history. For a lot of organizations, the dynamics of virtually every aspect of operations have shifted overnight - forcing organizations to scale back operations and cut costs, create and manage virtual workforces on a global scale, or ramp up and adapt to sudden surges in demand for their products or services. Others find themselves grappling with all these challenges simultaneously.?

During times of scaling down operations and cutting costs, companies let go of the majority of their workforce only to keep the organization running, creating a massive market of unemployed individuals who have been laid off, creating an opportunity for organizations to hire these talents that best fit their organization.?

If your business needs to hire one or more individuals, regardless of local and international conditions, it might be challenging to begin and complete the process while keeping the rules and principles of that new environment in mind.

With multiple layoffs lately, recruiting tactics must be adapted to fit the new reality: online interviews, virtual training, and social distancing events that help new employees become familiar with their colleagues.

When it comes to drafting talent that meets your professional needs, here are a few strategies that can help.

1. Visibility is key

The first thing is letting people know that you are hiring. Many qualified workers were laid off when the crisis hit, so they might think that no other company was hiring. Therefore, you have to make that clear and visible.

Advertise all current job openings on your company's website, bring attention to positions on social media and recruitment apps, and ask current employees to share company social media posts on their personal pages to reach a broader audience.

2. Take a fresh look at your candidate pool.

The second thing you can do is re-examine your existing pool of candidates. Most companies maintain databases of people who have previously submitted their resumes or come in for an interview at some point. Maybe that candidate wasn't the right fit then but might be perfect now since conditions have changed.

You can try to choose candidates from the existing list of former candidates if you don't have the time or your advertisements haven't yielded the expected results.?

3. Be clear about what you are offering.

Furthermore, it is imperative to be realistic and explicit about what you have to offer. Times are uncertain for everyone, so people may be less willing to set high expectations, and companies may have to cut their financial offers.

You should aim to create a permanent position with a competitive salary and perks, without going overboard, since this is not the time to go overboard. Your company should be able to afford the new employee without cutting back from others or negatively impacting further activities.

4. When choosing, consider all factors

You should establish a thorough recruitment process. Hiring remotely differs significantly from hiring in person, so you and your Human Resources department should be prepared for it.

Test the system ahead of time, so there won't be any glitches when it comes time to conduct interviews. Organize departments to speak with candidates in the following order: Human Resources, the project manager, the technical director, and the general manager. Mention some critical aspects of job requirements and benefits.

Set some strict standards for yourself and stick to them because in these difficult times, there will likely be a lot of candidates, and you'll need to choose the best for your team and your company.

Our take on this:?

We have to expect the unexpected. If we need to make a pivot or change the direction our company might be heading, we have to be prepared for that. It all depends on how fast, unique, and flexible you can be as an organization. This is why it's important, above all else, to maintain our candidate-first hiring and onboarding strategy so that there's no uncertainty about where we stand with our employees from day one of their employment. Maintaining candidate-first hiring and onboarding throughout a crisis is a business priority that will pay off in the long term.