is875512464 hire talent lgThis past spring, businesses across the country and the world changed how they worked. Many chose to have their employees work from home while others made tough decisions to let some employees go. The COVID-19 pandemic is also forcing businesses to find and hire the right employees in new ways.

After months of adapting to this new normal, the pandemic is beginning to wane. Businesses are beginning to reopen. Yet we’re experiencing hot spots popping up in opened regions and the threat of a second wave looms. It seems this situation will be with us until mid-next year, possibly longer.

[quotes]With the need for social distancing and working remotely, recruiters are changing the way they attract new talent.[/quotes] Hiring teams are relying more on new technology to attract, interview, evaluate, and hire new talent. In a virtual world, both job seekers and recruiters are learning to adapt to virtual communication and new hiring processes.

How can businesses attract the talent they need in today’s new normal? How are staffing needs and candidate experience changing? Here’s what you need to know about finding new talent in a post-pandemic world.

How Staffing Needs are Changing

At the beginning of the pandemic, you may have let some employees go. Others had to hire new talent as business demands grew abruptly in the middle of the pandemic. As businesses across the globe reopen, your staffing needs may be changing.

[quotesright]Now is the time for you and your HR team to assess your business needs before hiring new talent. [/quotesright]

  • How has your business changed during the pandemic? Look at changes such as business costs, employee engagement, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Working remotely can impact these areas.
  • Take note of what areas are thriving and what areas are struggling. Some employees may be performing well working from home while a few others may be struggling. Has productivity improved, remained the same, or decreased?
  • Consider how your business’ work environment is changing. Will remote work continue or do you plan to bring employees back to the office?
  • Can you use part-time freelancers for some work for more flexibility in hiring? Boards like Upwork and Fiverr may provide spot solutions that give you top talent as needed in some positions.

Understanding these factors will help you make smarter decisions for your business now and in the future. With remote work, you have the flexibility of hiring talent outside of your location. This can save you money on office space and allow for flexibility with employee salaries.

If remote work isn’t the best option for your business, you’ll need to consider making changes in the workplace to keep people safe and healthy. This includes spacing out employees and offering personal protection equipment (PPE). [quotesright]Part of the post-pandemic new normal is ensuring employees and customers are safe. [/quotesright]

Attracting the Right Talent in the New Normal

After assessing your current and future business needs, you’ve decided you need to hire new talent. Like everything else in your business, the hiring process will be different, too. How can you attract the right talent for your business?

Update Job Descriptions and Requirements

As you reshuffle job positions in your business, you may find that you need new hires with experience managing and working in a virtual setting. Update job descriptions and requirements to reflect your business needs.

Mention what steps you’re taking to keep employees healthy and safe after the pandemic. Include information about working remotely, PPE gear, and software requirements. Candidates are becoming more concerned with what companies are doing to keep employees safe.

Digital is the New Normal

Businesses are relying on digital technology for recruitment and hiring processes. In a world where almost everyone is social distancing, digital recruitment is replacing in-person recruitment processes.

[quotes]If you haven’t already, it’s time to take advantage of digital job boards.[/quotes] Benefits include saving money, promoting your brand, and having a wider pool of job seekers to choose from.

More businesses are relying on referrals from others prior to hiring a prospective employee. Some digital job boards allow you to request referrals. More offer video and chat services to replace the need to meet in person.

Invest in Quality HR Technologies

HR technologies can manage business productivity, communication, and recruitment processes. These are essential for businesses with HR teams and other employees working remotely.

The right HR software can streamline your recruitment process. HR software can help organize and store applicant information. Combined with AI technology, it can point you to the applicants with the talent and experience your business is looking for in a candidate.

HR technology can also motivate and engage current employees. HR tech allows you to add a personal touch to communications within the business. You can also create a personalized experience for new recruits and applicants.

Choose wisely. If you pick a cumbersome, burdensome system or one that appears to say “We don’t trust you,” it can do more harm than good.

Engage with Prospects

[quotes]Communication is the key to finding and keeping talented applicants.[/quotes] If you had to freeze the hiring process during the pandemic, you should keep in contact with these prospects. Let them know what is happening with the hiring process and how your company is adapting to the new normal.

Candidate relationship management or CRM software can help with candidate communication. It's also a great place to let prospects know about new job opportunities.

Be Flexible

Flexibility is a must in today’s business world new normal. Allowing employees to work remotely or providing adequate PPE gear will make your business a more desirable place to work.

You also have to consider the employees’ personal lives. With some schools pursuing the virtual route for education, parents need to stay home and assist their kids with education. This causes some employees to work outside of the traditional Monday-Friday 9-5 work hours.  Adapt and trust your employees – real world results say remote workers are more productive than those in offices. [quotesright]Studies have found that productivity increases up to 27 percent when workers function remotely. [/quotesright]

With the many uncertainties surrounding businesses and employees, both need to be flexible. Fortunately, there is plenty of great technology to help with communication and productivity.

Improve the Hiring Experience

While a virtual hiring experience may not be ideal for some companies, there are ways to improve it. Engagement throughout the hiring process is key to finding the most talented candidates. Maintaining communication and keeping the hiring process short will improve the hiring process.

Pros and Cons of Hiring New vs. Keeping the Old

The traditional hiring processes are changing. It can be challenging to find a new employee who'll be a good fit when you’re both limited to virtual meetings rather than meeting in person.

Are you unsure if you should hire new or stick with your current employees? Here are the pros and cons of keeping your current employees and hiring new ones.

Why You Should Keep Your Current Employees

Hiring is more challenging today than it was before the pandemic. Without meeting face-to-face, it’s difficult to know if new hires have the talent, experience, and personality to fit well in the company. Businesses who look to foreign talent are facing immigration challenges due to border closures and slow immigration processes.

Shifting your focus to your current employees can save your business money and time. [quotesright]Keep employees engaged by maintaining communication and offering opportunities to learn and grow. [/quotesright]

There are many high quality learning opportunities today that cost very little yet will upskill your staff. Udemy.com is one such site, but there are many more.

You should, however, continue to assess employees’ productivity. You’ll find some employees may not do well working remotely. This can be a problem for businesses planning to change some positions to remote work and don’t have room for in-office work.

If you’re a business who is growing, it’s better to invest in new hires rather than overload your existing employees. Giving existing employees too much work can lead to poor performance and burnout.

Why Look for New Candidates

[quotes]The advantage of hiring new talent is that you can find candidates with experience working in a virtual or remote workplace.[/quotes] You can shape certain positions into part-time or full-time based on how your business’ needs evolve over the next few months.

Businesses that are new to the virtual work world may want a fresh face experienced with virtual and remote work. This new hire can help manage remote employees, boost engagement, and keep everyone productive.

With a work world filled with uncertainties, you may not want to commit to a full-time hire. You can hire new talent part time for a certain number of months with the opportunity to join full time.

Candidate Traits and Experiences

Many businesses are finding they need candidates who have experience with virtual environments and technology along with a willingness to learn. It’s ultimately your company needs that will determine the right candidate traits and experience your business needs.

A few candidate traits and experiences most businesses should look for include:

  • Ability to adapt,
  • Organization skills,
  • Ability to be creative,
  • Communication skills,
  • Willingness to work in teams,
  • Leadership skills, and
  • Problem-solving skills.

If you’re a business moving to remote work, you’ll want to look for self-motivated candidates, strong leaders, and team players.

Find Great Talent After a Pandemic

As the pandemic winds down, businesses across the country are reopening and adapting to a new normal. While the recruitment and hiring processes are changing, they’re not impossible to navigate. By assessing your business, being flexible, and maintaining transparent communication, you’re sure to find and hire talented candidates.

Want to explore further? Questions? Get in touch and let's set up a time to talk. Brian Tracy   USA: 877.433.6225  Email Me

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