A Recruiter's Guide To The Apocalypse

Well, this is certainly an unprecedented time, isn’t it? A month ago, I was somewhat worried about COVID-19, but assumed it was probably overhyped, just like how the media went into a frenzy over SARS, Ebola, Zika (remember that one?), H1N1, and every other “killer virus” in the last twenty years. 

I was wrong. 

In just a few short weeks, the world has been upended. The travel and hospitality industries are on their deathbeds, shockwaves have rippled throughout the economy resulting in the largest unemployment spike we’ve ever seen, and Congress has passed a gargantuan stimulus bill that makes the 2008 bailouts look like pocket change. 

Given the fear, uncertainty, and nosedive in revenue, many companies have frozen hiring entirely, if not laying off massive swaths of employees. For you, the in-house recruiter, that’s bad news. If the company isn’t hiring, you’re not needed. 

Or are you?

There’s no way to sugarcoat this. Many recruiters will lose their jobs. As a matter of fact, many already have. However, if you’re still employed, here are the steps you need to take NOW. While there’s no silver bullet, these tips will give you the best chances of becoming indispensable to your company. 

Take On New Projects

Did all or most of your reqs get frozen? Now is not the time to sit idly by and wait for something new to open up or be told what to do. If you don’t have a full req load, you need to proactively create something for yourself to do. 

Assuming your organization has open lines of communication, you’ll know what big projects are in the works. That may be an ATS migration, evaluation of new software, institution of a D&I initiative, or building out an employee referral program. 

You know your business better than I do. Pick an issue that’s been on the back burner due to urgent hiring needs. Bring up to your manager the project you’d like to implement, outline how it will be helpful to the business given today’s climate, and ask for permission to proceed. 

Branch Out of Recruiting

No room for a new project? Get involved in a function that is tied to recruiting but doesn’t involve hands on sourcing, interviewing, coordinating, and so on. 

Employer Branding: Offer to manage the company’s LinkedIn page, team up with the marketing/communications department to craft messaging designed to proactively answer questions or concerns you’ve heard from candidates, or star in promotional videos about working at your company. Write an article for the company blog or create an initiative to improve your Glassdoor score from existing employees, 

Employee Engagement: This is a huge adjustment for every person on every team in your company, doubly so if you are not used to being a fully remote employee (which is most of us). Fear is prevalent, and work is not at the forefront of many people’s minds right now. Organize virtual happy hours, encourage open dialogue on how we can collectively get through this, and step up as a leader within the company to keep morale up. 

Transfer Departments Entirely

It’s not ideal, I know. This is your craft that you’ve worked so hard at, and a complete transition away from recruiting probably isn’t what you want to do. However, if there are openings in relevant departments, it’s worth a conversation. While it may not be forever, it’ll keep the wheels on the financial bus during these times of uncertainty.  

Account Manager: At the end of the day, we deal in long term relationships. We interview candidates, and they eventually become our coworkers. For others, while they may not be the right fit today, we ensure we leave them with a good impression so we can call them later when the right role comes up. And finally, we have to maintain good relationships and be collaborative with our hiring managers. These skillsets naturally lend themselves to account management, where you nurture client relationships with existing customers. 

Public Relations: As a recruiter, you are on the front line of all new applicants to your company and are responsible for sharing the company mission, values, and culture. You are the first to address negative reviews on Glassdoor and articles about the company in the media. While it’s your job to evaluate the candidate from a skillset and culture perspective, you must also sell them on the company and act as an ambassador. By leveraging these existing skills, you can transition into representing the company at a corporate level- provided you have the ability to write in a compelling manner. 

It’ll All Work Out Eventually

Is the apocalypse phrasing in the title hyperbole? Maybe a little, but you read this far, right? What’s not hyperbole is that this is the greatest health crisis seen in the last 100 years since the Spanish Flu. It’s also not hyperbole that while the economy has slowed, it’s never come to a screeching halt like this.

 That said, it won’t last forever. Will this create rifts in the global economy that we can’t predict? Yes. But while it is a cataclysmic event, it has not inherently changed how we do business, with perhaps the exception that working from home will be far more acceptable outside of the tech world. It may not be this month, maybe not this quarter, but things will eventually stabilize and return to a sense of normalcy.

Riece Keck is the Founder of Vault Recruiting, a San Francisco based RPO and R4R (recruiting for recruiters) agency. This article was originally posted on our blog.