How The Pandemic Has Changed Hiring and Recruiting Practices
You don’t have to be a market researcher or workforce analyst to see that the way we work today looks far different than how it did at the end of 2019. With the world emerging out of the pandemic at last, we are facing new post-pandemic challenges. It’s important for companies now more than ever, to identify what has changed and evaluate which parts of this new normal in recruitment they will bring forward with them into the post-COVID world.
It’s clear that we live in a post-pandemic reality where the recruiting landscape has been changed for good. This isn’t to say that it’s a negative thing. The way businesses have adapted their operational agility and are taking an employee-first focus are two clear positive outcomes.
We take a look at the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on recruiting and hiring practices, as well as what that means for the future landscape of work.
Limitless Talent Pool
Perhaps one of the most exciting changes the pandemic has brought to the recruitment process is the massive expansion of the talent pool. Due to many businesses having had to transition parts or all their operations online, it means that the whole world is now your oyster. Pre-Covid the search for the right talent used to be limited by geographical considerations or relocation budget, now organisations have a chance to tap into an exponentially bigger talent pool.
New recruiting strategies should be adopted in order to maximise opportunities created by the post-pandemic virtualisation of the modern office space. Expand your scope of search far beyond old-school geographical limits you may have once been constrained by.
This can seem a daunting challenge when you are used to sourcing your talent locally, however by putting in place goals to recruit a specified number of remote and international workers you’ll be able to define the parameters by which you define success in your approach. This new opportunity has a chance to tine in well with goals for your entire organisation now, especially around inclusion, globalisation, and diversity.
Virtual Interview Processes and Video Interviews: The New Norm
From the on-set of the pandemic, businesses have had to embrace the virtual interview process. At first it was out of necessity, however the cost and time savings for both parties have made it a highly attractive process. Candidates have found it far easier to schedule in virtual interviews, as opposed to traditional face-to-face ones, particularly at early stages. Due to this the interview process is moving far quicker than it did pre-pandemic.
Evolving employee needs
Not only has the pandemic changed the way businesses operate, but it has also changed candidates and employees. This means that recruiting practices that offered great results a few years ago, are obsolete in today’s work landscape.
Businesses can no longer simply fall-back on a competitive and fair salary and a well-rounded benefit package to attract talent. There have been a whole host of studies into work trends that have found that the expectations and needs of workers for their work lives have evolved and changed due to the pandemic. Workers have had time to reassess their values, needs, and priorities when it comes to their careers. This means that people who have spent the last two years in the pandemic may not be exactly very willing to return to the rat race.
As such, effective recruiting in the post-covid world should prioritise the complex and diverse needs of employees. Now, more than ever, people are prioritising work/life balance and they are looking for employers who will help them achieve it. Companies need to prepare for the new workplace, by revising their practices to show potential talent that their business understands its employees needs and that the future of work is changing. It’s an important thing to highlight, as the best talent will not want to join a company that is falling behind the curve and unwilling to keep up with work trends.
Something as simple as hybrid/remote work options or flexi-time can be a major selling point for a talent pool that is becoming more and more resistant to the rigid 40 hour on-site week.
Companies must sell themselves in the interview process.
With a general talent shortage, businesses need to learn how to sell themselves. It has always been the case, but now even more so. As we exit the pandemic, businesses have grown and recovered and the workforce have a lot of choices to pick from. Gone are the days where you can just roll out a set of technical skills, put an offer in and the candidate will accept. Businesses need to start selling themselves to talent as much as the other way around in the interview process.
True Company Culture can’t be replaced By Physical Perks
Before the pandemic a lot of business will have based their company culture around the physical workplace. But that is becoming far less important than before. This means that businesses can no longer rely on offers of free refreshments and a ping pong table in lieu of cultivating a clear and true culture. Now is the time for companies to focus on their culture and define the values under which they exist and operate.
Company reputation will be key in hiring
Talent is more informed than ever before about prospective employers and working conditions. Not only that, but people will remember how companies responded throughout the pandemic and it will make a big difference in the talent you attract. The way companies lead their teams throughout the crisis will determine employee retention and pave the way for how they interact with candidates in the future.