In the midst of COVID-19, it can be tough to predict the future, not to mention plan for it. However, it’s essential that you start thinking about how your hiring team is going to adjust to the future hiring climate before it even arrives. Organizations with solid plans for how they will attract the right applicants, assess candidates, and train new hires after COVID-19 will have an easier time snagging top talent than organizations that are unprepared.
Here are 4 tips to ensure your team is ready for post-pandemic hiring:
1. Get Everything Online
Though interviewing candidates in their living rooms might seem strange, hiring remotely might actually become the future norm. Ensuring that your remote hiring process is seamless will help you quickly fill positions when the time comes. Make sure your remote talent pipelines, ATS platform, online pre-employment testing service, online training modules, and video chat software are all ready to go. Also make sure that your HR department is as paperless as possible, as online files are easier and quicker to manage. Furthermore, many candidates likely will not want to come into the office to sign paperwork during or soon after the pandemic.
2. Have a Succession Plan
It is unfortunate to think about who will take over the position of company leader if they fall ill and resign, but in a pandemic, this kind of thinking is critical. Prepare an outline of every employee who will take an executive’s place in case that manager must take a temporary or permanent leave of absence. This avoids rivalries between employees or a frantic scramble to hire a new leader in the case of an emergency.
3. Brainstorm Positions
It is important to ponder what positions your company might need in the future and how you might fill these positions. Will you need lots of entry-level talent? College grads? Seasoned specialists? Employees to fill positions that have been vacated during COVID-19? Have a plan in place and make sure you have an idea of what recruitment marketing strategies and talent pipelines you will employ to target the individuals that you need.
4. Rethink Benefits
During a pandemic, deficiencies in sick leave, insurance plans, or flexible work options become glaringly obvious. Even after the pandemic, job seekers will likely pay close attention to what benefits companies offer. If your organization is serious about attracting top talent, offering competitive sick leave, remote work options, insurance, and health and wellness benefits can make your company stand out from the rest.
Once you have set in place a plan to tackle any hiring needs during the pandemic, set your sights on recruitment strategies for after the coronavirus ends. Many tools that you are using to hire or work remotely will likely be the norm for the foreseeable future. Make sure that your organization is prepared to hit the ground running when hiring ramps back up after the crisis.
