Optimizing Your Recruitment Plan During COVID-19
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed a lot in the workplace. Everything from management, recruiting, and onboarding has been affected.
With many companies adapting to the new normal, old processes are bound to change—hopefully for the better. A new, virtual recruitment plan will ensure that both your employees and potential hires stay safe.
Remote work offers have doubled since January, and remote work applications have increased by almost 150%. These statistics show the importance of effective recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and why you need to optimize your recruitment plan to adapt to these changing times.
However, only 16% of HR professionals report feeling prepared with virtual recruitment. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of best practices to help with more effective recruitment online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Best practices for remote recruitment
Brainstorm
First and foremost, brainstorm what the process will look like. Think about how to improve your hiring processes based on your hiring needs, and start thinking about next steps and action items.
For example, if one of your priorities is hiring productive workers, brainstorm how you can alter the work environment to achieve that. Things like hosting social events online can boost moral, employee well-being, and feelings of connection within the company, leading to a more productive worker. Allowing more flexible work hours can also not only help with employee retention, but also keep employees engaged and productive in the workplace.
Collaborating with marketing to produce new recruitment marketing materials could also be an idea to engage a potential employee pool. Consider some other departments to collaborate with. During the pandemic, when everything is virtual and online, consider talking to the IT department to ensure there is an effective system set up in case new hires (or hiring managers) need help with video calling or other technology-related issues.
Plan
After brainstorming some ways to improve your recruitment process to be more tailored to your current needs, it’s time to move on to the recruitment plan.
Although some processes will be similar to recruiting in person (compiling a candidates list, narrowing it down, and choosing the ones you will interview), other aspects will have to adapt to a virtual environment. For example, interviews may have to be done online through a video call.
If you are looking for new employees who are already experienced with remote work (and thus have a shorter learning curve), ensure that this is clear in your recruitment plan. Hiring experienced remote workers can make their transition to your company easier and increase their productivity.
However, it may be useful to plan for hiring employees who may not be as experienced with remote work. In this case, you will want to ensure that guidelines are clearly laid out and that your employees should keep consistent communication with you. This way, if there are any questions or concerns, you can be made aware of them and work to address them. This ensures that your employees have the resources they need to succeed and thrive in a remote work environment.
It is important to ensure your planning is future-oriented. If you are hiring for a remote position now, consider what that position would look like in the future, once the pandemic is over. Will the position still be remote, or is the employee expected to come to the workplace? Remember to plan for communication with potential employees as well. Talk with potential employees for the job to make sure your plans and values align with theirs.
Ask good questions
As another step in the planning process, you will want to ensure your interview questions truly reflect what you want to see in an employee. If you are interviewing someone who has never worked remotely before, it might be wise to prepare some hypothetical scenario questions or a situational question where they recount previous independent work experiences.
Other questions you could ask include how potential employees maintain a work/life balance, especially now that most work will be done from home. Asking about problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and overcoming barriers can help you further assess how the potential employee will fare in a remote work setting in your company.
Make use of existing resources
An example of an existing resource would be candidate pools or mailing lists. If you prefer contacting people who have previously shown interest in working for your company instead of actively looking for new applicants, this can be a valuable resource. Using this resource can save a lot of time and effort because you will not have to coordinate the marketing of new positions.
Another example of an existing resource would be surveying current employees. This can be done anonymously, and can provide you with valuable feedback from people currently working at your company. Employees can tell you what you should look for in a potential hire, how they would fit into the company and its values, and how you can improve the recruitment process.
Market
After all the planning is done, it’s time to market the job opening. To ensure others know you are hiring, spread the word on social media.
Platforms you can post on include:
- Company website
Don’t forget to upload job postings on websites specifically for remote work postings, such as We Work Remotely or the other sites outlined here.
Communicate
Your communication plan should include potential employees. Ensure you clearly communicate to them the next steps or updates, which is more important than ever during COVID-19’s digitized environment. This will show potential hires that your company is organized and cares for employees, which can prevent scathing Glassdoor reviews.
Something to communicate to potential employees include concrete video interview times, dates, links, and other details like who will be calling whom. Ensuring the process is clear and designating a single, clear point of contact for potential employees can vastly improve the hiring experience.
Another way to communicate to potential employees includes using a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your website. This will save you a lot of time as well as provide clarity for people who are interested in applying for a job at your company.
Be realistic
Although this should partly be addressed in your recruitment plan, ensure that you are realistic about the hiring process. Will your company be able to support a new employee? Think about the costs versus benefits. You may have to spend more in postage costs, but save on parking, gas, or other travel reimbursements. Have future-oriented thinking. What will the position look like after the pandemic is over?
Remember to clearly communicate your realistic expectations to potential employees: state how long the employee should expect to stay with the company, and whether the position is a permanent one or a temporary one.
Empathize
During these uncertain times, remember to be empathetic towards potential employees. This is an unprecedented situation for your company as well as for many others’ personal lives. Show understanding, compassion, and kindness, which can include being clear about your expectations so that potential employees are not misled.
Let us help
In addition to advising best practices for recruiting during COVID-19, Imagine Better Solutions also helps with onboarding during COVID-19 and managing employees in remote workplaces. As a company that strives to be a one-one-stop shop for ease of management, we have all of your HR needs covered.
Feel free to contact us for more information at https://www.imaginebettersolutions.com/.
