Happy Summer...Sort of Five Things You MUST do Today

I spent Memorial Day weekend, which is the unofficial start of summer here in the states, on Cape Cod with my family. It felt weird there. No traffic, beach houses boarded up, and our favorite lobster shack closed for business. 

I kept thinking, if this is the new normal, I’m going to need to stock up on more liquor! 

Most of us are feeling the stress of the pandemic in one way or another. 

I was speaking with a client the other day who told me he’s worried because his company has put a hold on all open requisitions, including key positions that will need to be staffed the moment the governor announces that it’s okay for businesses to open.

He’s right to be worried. 

 It’s easier to shut down a business than it is to ramp things up from a dead stop.

If you’re thinking it’s going to be easier to staff jobs now that more people are available, think again.

 Consider the following.

You post a job on Monday and by Tuesday morning, you have over a thousand applications. Yikes! Who is going to mine this pile to find the gems you’re looking for? 

Certainly not the recruiting team. You eliminated those positions when you thought it was going to be years before you’d be in hiring mode again.

It’s Wednesday now, and another batch of resumes have landed in your in-box. Calls are starting to fill up your voicemail from hungry job seekers looking to schedule interviews. 

Who is going to call these people back? Certainly not your assistant. She’s got her hands full helping you comply with all the new regulations associated with being able to reopen for business.

By now, you’re feeling overwhelmed. You need these positions filled yesterday, and people trained and ready to go in less than two week’s time.  

Here’s how to quickly dig yourself out of a hole that soon may be swallowing you up.

Step One: Triage your list of vacant jobs into three categories: Urgent, Can Wait, No Longer Needed. Eliminate the No Longer Needed jobs. 

Focus all your energy on the Urgent positions and forget about the Can Wait jobs for now.

Step Two: Hire a contract recruiter. Consider reaching out to a former member of your recruitment team to see if they’re willing to take on this role. If they say no, ask them if they know someone who might be interested.

Call people in your network and ask them who they might recommend for this job.

Step Three: Streamline your hiring process. Do this now. Start by making a list of everyone who is involved in the hiring process. Draw a line through the middle of this list. Anyone who is below the line will no longer be part of the hiring process.

This simple step will help you slash your hiring time in half.

I’ve had clients do this and they always come back to me and say, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

Step Four: Get comfortable hiring virtually. I get that this idea can be scary. I mean, what if things don’t work out? You don’t have much of a choice here if you need to fill jobs rapidly, so you’re prepared to reopen.

Keep in mind, It’s not like you’re being forced into an arranged marriage. If things don’t go as planned, you can both part ways.

Step Five: Come up with a plan to onboard and train people virtually. The experience will not be perfect. Accept this and course correct along the way.

The key is to remain nimble. 

I’m here if you want to talk through your plan to rapidly fill key positions and restart your business on a high note. Click here to send me a note and we'll schedule time to speak.

Here’s hoping that when summer officially starts, the feeling of weirdness will have dissipated and I can finally get that lobster roll that’s been on my mind since the end of last summer.

? Matuson Consulting, 2020.