TheUnstitchd
The recruitment sector has been shaken up in recent years. It can be said that it was worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The way companies recruit staff, the types of people they are looking for, and how they attract them have changed dramatically since the pandemic crisis began in the 2020.
Let’s start with what has changed: there has been a widespread shortage of people willing and able to work for various reasons, and recruitment methods have had to adapt to the new normal.
One of these changes was that companies became more open to letting employees work remotely. This led many companies to rethink their recruitment strategy and allow remote working as a policy.
This was considered as one of the most effective ways to entice people into applying for jobs and also keep employees motivated and satisfied with their jobs. Another key change that shaped recruitment practices during the crisis was the many restrictions on movement that were introduced because of the pandemic (e.g., quarantine zones, travel restrictions, etc.).
So what about now? What has changed since these measures were first implemented? Well, not much, really; despite some early predictions suggesting there would be an end to the pandemic within only some months, its effects are still being felt even as institutions are pressuring people to get vaccines to deal with the pandemic! With the uncertainties that surround the whole pandemic ‘thing’, we’re stuck in a similar situation where companies struggle to find suitable recruits.
Let’s take a closer look at the recruitment sector to try and make things clearer…
According to the latest review specialists, the current crisis has not just affected the pandemic-stricken countries, but it’s also had another effect that has almost gone unnoticed – many successful people have emigrated from the pandemic-affected countries because life there was just too difficult. And even if they don’t emigrate, they will still be out of work for several years due to illness or quarantine measures.
How Companies can prepare for Post Pandemic Hiring. 5 Tips that can help
Despite the challenges, we still have to keep moving. So what can companies do to be ready for when the pandemic finally ends? Here are some practical suggestions you may want to apply to your business.
- Be realistic about recruitment numbers: With an end in sight, having a plan to recruit more people will be key to getting back on track with business operations. The question is, how many people do you expect to employ? It’s probably not worth making any concrete plans just yet, because it’ll depend on what life is like post-pandemic. This means that if you have limited room for new recruits, it might be useful to consider whether investing in recruiting now will pay off when the pandemic does come to an end – or even before!
- Update your recruitment strategy: Although there have not been many changes to the way we recruit staff since the pandemic, it will be when it ends, and we get back to ‘normal’ life again. Even now, companies can adopt a more modern approach – consider what you could do now before things really take off again! We get it. Trying to update your strategies especially during such times when you have other commitments can be complicated. Ideally, you may want to hire resume writing services best specialists (that’s if you’re studying on the side) so you have all your focus on one thing at a time. The key is finding the best ways to reduce the load on yourself.
- Prepare for remote working: While this might not appeal to most employees, there are some advantages for both companies and employees. To help make remote working attractive for job seekers, work on increasing your company’s online presence by ensuring that your website is accessible on all devices without any problems (e.g., any screen sizes). And also, think about how having an online recruitment process might benefit applicants who cannot or don’t want to attend open days/interviews – this might even help your HR team to save time!
- Reduce the distance between candidates and recruitment process: Online application forms are great because it means that job seekers don’t have to fill out long, complicated forms; it also makes it easier for companies to manage these form submissions without having any problems (e.g., double applications, etc.). With many people only applying for jobs online during this crisis, you need to ensure that your online presence is first-rate. This means ensuring there are no broken links on your website, or if there are, fixing them as soon as possible. But perhaps more importantly than anything else is reviewing how your company’s recruitment strategy will adapt once the pandemic is over…
- Nurture talent now for the future: This is something that you can do even when the pandemic still appears to be ongoing because it doesn’t require any big changes to your recruitment process. You just need to start thinking about what your company could do to ‘future proof’ itself for when the pandemic finally comes to an end – perhaps consider remote working or modernizing your website.
- Give your recruitment strategy a makeover: Once the pandemic ends, you may find that things have changed quite a lot. This means it’s important to take a good look at how you go about recruiting new staff now and if anything can be done differently in the future. With everything taken into consideration, now is probably not the time to start with a serious change to your company’s recruitment strategy. Just keep an eye on what works best for you and focus on these areas instead of trying to change too much too soon. Of course, once the pandemic does end, you’ll then have a much better idea of what to do with your recruitment strategy going forward.
Workforce Strategies for Post-pandemic Success: What your Company Needs to do to Survive Once the Crisis has Passed
It’s important for companies not just to focus on what they’re doing right now but also look at how this might change when the pandemic finally comes to an end. Once this happens, there might be a lot of changes to the way you go about recruiting staff – perhaps even different ways of defining which jobs need filling and who should fill them.
This applies to your company and other organizations, too; so it’s important to start thinking about how you can adapt once things return to ‘normal.’ Here are eight practical ideas that may help you with your recruitment strategy once the pandemic finally abates:
- Improve job adverts: The first thing you need to do is ensure that the person writing your job adverts understands what you are looking for, which means they must have a good knowledge of the role, the company’s values, and needs. You also want them to be able to write engagingly, so candidates are encouraged to apply, but at the same time not give away too much information about what it is actually like working for you.
- Review your internal processes: Businesses often suffer during a pandemic because they have very rigid working practices, which means their business doesn’t make any allowances for hold-ups or setbacks caused by the pandemic. So instead of having lots of complicated procedures in place that need updating each time, there is a change to the recruitment process; try to think about what your company could do differently – just in case you have another pandemic.
- Update your company website: Another important thing to remember is to make sure that any changes you make to your recruitment processes are also reflected on your company’s website. This means keeping it up-to-date with the latest vacancies and new job perks, which for some companies might involve offering remote working opportunities or extra time off work around Christmas time. Moreover, updating your website will also help attract more people during a pandemic when many of them tend not to use traditional methods of communication like the phone. As part of updating your website, it would also help make sure internal processes are updated for each new role.
- Send out regular emails: Part of managing a successful recruitment strategy during a pandemic requires both flexibility and communication, which means you need to ensure that any changes you make are clearly communicated to employees via email or newsletters. Ideally, you will need to be clear about which roles and skills you need. It’s very easy to get carried away when making changes to your recruitment strategy, but it’s important not to give too much away in the process. This means ensuring that any new vacancies are only advertised in the places where relevant candidates will view them, so have a think about whether it makes sense for you to list them on specialist job boards or LinkedIn.
- Open up vacancies to current staff: If certain vacancies within your company aren’t being taken, don’t just leave them closed until the crisis has passed. Instead, think about whether it might be possible to advertise these jobs externally but then encourage internal applicants too by offering them training or even financial incentives if they are successful in their application. This also applies to other roles that haven’t been advertised but where internal recruitment is needed, such as developing specific project teams for new work opportunities.
- Encourage people to apply who have different skills: Now may be a good time to look at potential candidates with skills you would usually fail to consider, if they might want some things to add on their resume. Using a recruitment specialist can be helpful in this regard as they will know where the best talent is hiding and how to work with them most effectively, so take advantage of this expertise during a pandemic.
- Advertise on social media: Statista estimates that there are more than 3.7 billion social media users in 2021 only and the figures are predicted to hit 4 billion+ by 2025. What does this mean? In this day and age, it’s very rare for people not to have at least one social media account, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, so why not try advertising your job vacancies there too? This way, you’ll reach an entirely new pool of candidates that you probably wouldn’t have come into contact with before.
- Don’t forget about headhunters: Finally, if all else fails, you might find that using a specialist recruiter will give you access to a different pool of talent that you may have faced hurdles accessing before. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case, such as using specialist headhunting software or knowing which recruitment marketing tactics will work best during a pandemic, so it’s worth working with one of your other strategies that aren’t bringing in the results you need.
In Closing
The pandemic may have shaken your industry and you really need to have a thick coat to navigate the challenges. Be proactive and keep brainstorming to find the best ways of building your recruitment strategy after the pandemic.