A Pandemic is simply something that impacts the entire world. In 2020 it is the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus outbreak is taking a dreadful facet with over 18.8 million worldwide cases till the date. It has undoubtedly changed many things over a few months, bringing challenges for every sector, mainly corporate and recruitment. 

From replacing employees with interim staffing to working from home, employers implement various strategies to maintain workflow and productivity during the pandemic. However, many organizations or employers are still dealing with recruitment challenges, as COVID 19 has a significant impact on the hiring process. 

The COVID 19 outbreak obstructed employers’ hiring plans. Now, many employers are halting their hiring processes until the situation evolves. 

We have decided to highlight the major hiring challenges caused by a pandemic and their appropriate solutions. We will help you know how to turn current recruitment issues into great opportunities. 

Before moving to the main topic, here are a few points a candidate and employer or recruiter 

should keep in mind:

1. The high-risk coronavirus situation does not mean that candidates aren’t actively searching for jobs.
2. Digitizing the work and recruitment process is no big deal; you can embrace the change easily.
3. You’re ready to make the work environment safer and more convenient to encourage and protect employees at the workplace.

Recruitment Challenges in Pandemic 

1. No Face-to-Face Interview

A face-to-face interview is crucial for a more accurate candidate screening. However, the Coronavirus outbreak has restricted our ability to meet and have direct interactions, which is one of the biggest hurdles for employers. 

Solution:

The very first and well-known solution to this is to conduct a telephonic interview. Still, there is always uncertainty about whether the candidate is genuinely answering (without any help). Thus, the better alternative is to conduct interviews on video conferencing. You can use video conferring apps like Microsoft team, Skype, Google Meeting, or Zoom for screening the applicant. With video conferencing, you can have face-to-face conversations and identify the candidate’s honesty. You can also consider recorded video interviews. 

2. Reduced Number of Applications 

People prefer security over uncertainty, especially in the recession period caused by the pandemic. Many employees are unwilling to switch their jobs. Also, employees having a full-time contract with their current organization can’t think of job changing. Overall, sourcing candidates in this pandemic has become more difficult. Employers can’t receive enough applications for open positions. 

Seems like there has been a high reduction in job applications compared to past years. According to WaveTrackR’s report, in February 2020, there was a 47% decrease in applications in all industries as compared to February 2019.

Solution:

The ultimate solution is to focus on those candidates who fear their current organization’s potential layoffs and those who are already fired due to the recession. These candidates are more open to new career opportunities. 

You can implement some intelligent employer branding to attract and source the best candidates. As most of the employees are at home or have some leisure time, it is easy to catch their attention through the targeted ads. You can also use other recruitment marketing tactics, such as social media channels to attract candidates.    

3. Cutting Hiring Cost 

As the pandemic resulted in recession, cost-cutting is a major challenge for organizations. Many organizations are planning to cut down their recruitment costs. However, it is difficult to hire talented people at low payment. 

Solution:

The best solution to fill open positions is to hire fresher talent. Yes, they may take little extra time for onboarding, but they can be more productive resources. The stipend or initial payment of fresher candidates tends to be less compared to an experienced one. Thus, this can help you in cost-cutting. 

Another solution to cut your hiring cost is to stick with one reliable recruitment software or agency. Having multiple agencies or software can only result in jumbling and money wastage.

4. Onboarding New Employees

Despite the extraordinary times, you will surely find the right employees. But, the next challenge you will cope with is onboarding those newcomers. For an efficient onboarding, a tour at the office and face to face conversions are a must, which is impossible in a pandemic situation.

Solution:

You can still offer excellent onboarding experience to new employees by going digital. Collect all the documents and other stuff you would typically provide the new employee on their first workday and make them digital. This may include introductory videos, questionnaires, company culture handbooks, and so on. You can also use pre-onboarding software to ease your job by gathering all this data into one place.

5. Hiring a Large Volume of Candidates 

While the pandemic situation badly affected industries like travel, hotel, bars, and hospitality, it has opened unexpected opportunities for other sectors. Many organizations need additional employees to fulfill the increasing demand for their services. For instance, the world’s largest online delivery platform Amazon is opening 100,000 new jobs to withstand the massive demand during COVID 19. Also, Walmart needs to hire 150,000 workers to handle the surged demand for everyday goods. Instant hiring of a bulk amount of staff during the pandemic is a big challenge for these industries.  

Solution:

If you are an organization that has to hire a lot of people suddenly, you need extra assistance. The ultimate solution is to leverage the best recruitment agencies and software. Moreover, you can opt for advertising and social media platforms for instant outstretched about job openings at your organization. Another solution is to look for interim staffing for the bulk work; many passive employees are willing to work temporarily and join immediately.

Keep Calm and Hire Smartly! 

Although the novel Coronavirus has shaken the entire world and affected many industry sectors, it is important to keep calm and look for betterment. Thinking out of the box is a key to survive your business in this pandemic. You have to embrace the challenges and reframe them into great opportunities. We hope this list will help you to hire candidates easily.

Further, to speed up the recruitment process during this pandemic, you need to improve the way things are done, such as healthcare policies, work culture, etc. Also, try to embrace the right digital tools for efficient communication and candidate hiring. Or you can seek hiring assistance from one of the well-known recruitment agencies Darlington. 

The post Recruitment During Pandemic - Interim Staffing Agency first appeared on Articles Reader.