There’s a ton of uncertainty in the labor market right now. Unemployment claims have slowed but still seem to hit 1 million each week. The cycle of hiring, letting go, and rehiring has thrown everyone a curve. The effects that the pandemic has had on companies has been uneven to say the least. Those working in essential services are extremely busy, while others have to let workers go just to stop themselves from going under. It’s a stressful time for the recruiters that are still actively searching for talent.
Be Transparent With Talent
Now that many areas are reopening and hiring has started to pickup, it is important to keep potential candidates engaged NOW. Be transparent about when and how you plan to hire. How potential candidates are treated right now creates a lasting impression, making sure you treat people well is extremely important.
Now is not the time to post jobs just to collect applicants you don’t plan to hire. Now is the time to keep people interested in your company so that they will still be interested when it is time to hire. This means funneling them into a talent community. For the vast majority of companies this could simply mean collecting emails from candidates who one day have an interest in working for you. You can then send them periodic updates as to your hiring plans and include news and information about your company and industry to keep them informed.
Review Your HR Tech Stack
After the pandemic some companies may have to go back to high volume hiring, where efficiency is key to recruiting talent in multiple vacant positions before other companies get to them. While idle, now is a great time to invest in newer better technology to make the hiring process more efficient. I have heard from a number of HR tech vendors who said they saw an increase in demos during the height of the pandemic. If your ATS is still a road block for hiring, replace it asap. If you need automated scheduling tools, get that too. Recruitment automation tools and features will become more dominant inside the modern talent organizations of tomorrow.
Make Remote a Priority
According to new research from background screening company Checkster, they found that 72 percent of recruiters will have to option to work from home permanently, while only 16 percent required to come back to the office. That represents a significant shift from pre-pandemic times when only 8 percent of recruiters reportedly worked from home.
The study also indicates that the majority of recruiters employed some form of video or other virtual communication, with Zoom mentioned most frequently, followed by email, phone calls and texting. If you haven’t yet mastered remote working, interviews and onboarding then you will soon need to. Remote hiring is poised to become the norm not the exception as the world of work goes virtual.
Once we get through this crazy period in history there will be new changes to the recruitment process as well as the nature of all work. But for now, planning for what lies ahead is what most good talent teams are prepping for.
