The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic was disruptive in so many ways, including recruitment efforts. Virtually overnight, recruiters had to shift how they seek and hire talent. Many of the changes implemented during the last 18-20 months are here to stay, especially if a company has a global workforce. HR leaders and especially recruiters will have to adjust to these new ways as we continue to move forward in a post-pandemic environment. The war on talent was heating up before the pandemic; now in the days of the Great Resignation, it’s literally on fire. During the height of the pandemic, many individuals were either forced out of their jobs. Even when offered their old position back after mitigation measures took hold, they still decided to pursue new opportunities.
Even as vaccines and other measures have helped mitigate the spread of the virus, companies cannot expect they will be able to revert to the traditional methods of recruiting. The tools and approaches to recruit talent have changed as well as the expectations and wants of prospective candidates.
Virtual Hiring Will Become a Mainstay
During the height of the pandemic, we saw the sprouting of virtual job fairs to help attract and recruit people for certain positions. The idea that you could host a job fair virtually seemed a bit foreign, but they took off and so did virtual interviewing. Over TEAMS and Zoom, hiring managers met with prospective candidates and human resources made job offers without meeting the candidate in person.
The concept of virtual interviewing was a safe one in that it kept people separated while simultaneously accelerating timelines and onboarding people more quickly. They also helped organizations streamline their recruiting process while at the same time helping them become more diverse. With most positions being remote, geography and proximity to the workplace were no longer an issue.
As more businesses return to the workplace, these virtual interview methods will most likely continue, and HR leaders will need to embrace them or be left out in the cold. While there may be an in-person element added to the recruiting process, the virtual component will most likely become a mainstay.
A Need to Look Within
Recruiting efforts in a pandemic world also require companies to look within their existing talent pool to fill positions and focus on inward mobility. HR leaders will need to collaborate closely with leadership and development to create a renewed focus on training and reskilling.
Bringing people up the company ladder instead of recruiting from external sources may improve morale, engagement, and most importantly retention. It may also shorten the hiring timeline and lower costs, too.
A Less Traditional View
The recruiting landscape has no doubt changed what HR leaders should look for in prospective candidates. While the traditional tendency has been to look at academic degrees and what looks good on paper, HR leaders and recruiters should consider hiring outside of traditional talent pools and look more at recruiting efforts more broadly. This approach may uncover a host of prospective and fresh talent.
What Prospective Employees Are Looking For
No longer can companies expect to hire and retain top-notch talent with company perks that include pizza parties and chair massages. Prospective employees are looking at ways companies responded to the pandemic in addition to how they can help them achieve work/life balance. They are more carefully weighing all of their options, which means companies must understand how they are viewed in the marketplace.
Now that it’s been proven that employees can work remotely, prospective employees may be looking for opportunities where they can work from home and have more flexibility. The pandemic has also underscored the importance of being around family and engaging in meaningful work. HR leaders and recruiters will need to wrap these elements along with compensation, health care benefits, and professional development opportunities into their Total Rewards packages.
Left Behind
Employers who do not welcome post-COVID 19 recruitment practices will be left scratching their heads and wondering where their strategy went awry. The world of work, including how we recruit viable job candidates has changed, and to move forward, leaders who wish to sustain their profits must turn the chapter to the next page.
Conversely, employees and job seekers need to be realistic. Although many jobs can be done 100% remotely, there is value in building trust, maintaining relationships, and collaboration, which may be difficult over a screen. An approach that could be implemented is the hybrid approach. This will allow you to initially build rapport by proving you have the capabilities to do the job effectively and to better understand your customers.
With all of this in mind, adaptability and flexibility will lead you to success.
Keep the Conversation Going with Tam Nguyen
Tam Nguyen is an international business management & human resources leader possessing expertise and technical knowledge in the areas of strategic human capital management and execution, including business strategy, global compensation & benefits, human capital performance and measurement, employment law, global mobility, and HR information systems integration and deployment to stabilization. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.