How to Keep Recruiting Great Talent During COVID (Social Distancing Style)

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how businesses operate, and some of these changes may not disappear once the threat of the virus does. In this massive shift to remote work and limited direct contact, organizations have had to adjust their recruiting processes to effectively field successful candidates while accommodating to these new challenges. Recruiting great talent during COVID is possible. In this blog, we’ll present four strategies that businesses can use to enhance their recruitment process in the era of remote work.

Don’t Go Silent

Now isn’t the time to take a break from marketing employment opportunities. Instead, ensure that you are effectively communicating your hiring status to potential candidates.

Candidates are nervous to take a chance on a new career when the workforce is unstable. By promoting your hiring availability, you can instill confidence in candidates that your organization is resilient to these disruptive market changes.

Furthermore, as you continue to promote your hiring status, your organization will gain access to a larger diverse pool of candidates, so stepping up your hiring now can greatly help your organization in the long run.

Don’t be afraid to try new platforms when sharing opportunities. With over 20 million jobs lost so far during the pandemic, your traditional platforms may be overcrowded.

Rework and Rewrite Your Process

Moving from in-person hiring to remote hiring is going to entail some new processes and procedures to remain effective. As you adjust your current processes, it’s important to standardize and document the new workflow. This will allow you and others involved in the hiring process to remain consistent and successful.

As you build your remote recruiting workflow, consider who will need to be present for virtual interviews and how these remote sessions will be conducted. Consider if there are any interview steps such as whiteboarding or role playing that will be challenging or ineffective when done remotely.

Formalizing these processes and procedures will not only allow you to more effectively conduct a remote recruiting process, but also enable your team for success as you’ll have a clear cut workflow to provide for them.

Be Transparent

It’s more important than ever for both employers and candidates to be transparent regarding a given role. As a hiring professional, setting clear expectations and considerations around the proposed role is critical for the long term success and job satisfaction of a candidate.

Could this role move from full-time to part-time in the near future, or are there specific requirements that would influence a candidate’s after hours or weekend activities?

Keep in mind that candidates likely have more than ever on their plate, including monitoring remote learning. Nearly half of surveyed parents feel guilty when caring for their families because they feel they’re not as focused on their work responsibilities. Knowing as much as possible about a job’s requirements will help candidates decide if it’s a good fit for their schedule before applying.

Remain Flexible for the Future

The process of recruiting great talent will continue to evolve, even once remote requirements fade away. But for now, remember that while these disruptive factors are challenging, they also present new opportunities and initiatives for organizations to take part in.

As you continue to navigate the hiring process, consider new ways to adapt and improve upon outdated workflows. Creating more dynamic and resilient processes, especially in the recruiting space, will allow your organization to stand out from the competition and be more prepared for future unprecedented disruptive events.

Start Recruiting Great Talent Virtually Today

As we continue to promote healthy business practices in the era of remote work, we urge businesses to use this as an opportunity to engage in new hiring practices and recruiting strategies.

Recruiting great talent virtually doesn’t need to be intimidating or difficult. With a little innovation and fluidity, any organization can make the switch.

Let’s Talk!

If you do not have an HR partner, Tandem HR is happy to help. Give us a call today at (630) 928-0510.