Hiring During A Pandemic? How Managers Can Adapt Their Recruitment Strategy

By Larry Dolinko

 

 

For many managers, 2020 brought forth unexpected challenges that have ignited the need for change among their organizations. As we enter the final quarter of the year, employers are evaluating how they are working, communicating, and hiring, in hopes of adapting to a new “normal.”

But while change is necessary for progression, it isn’t always easy. As an organization, you may be struggling with ways to recruit and retain talent in a job market that seemed to have changed overnight. If you’re looking for ways to get started with a new recruitment strategy, here are four things to consider:

Your goals for recruitment

Whether you’re ready to actively hire or not, it’s important to have a clear plan in place before adjusting your recruitment strategy.

While getting talent in the door is an important part of recruitment, so is your ability to retain your best employees. Since first impressions often become lasting ones, your retention strategies need to start on day one of your hiring process and be reinforced throughout the onboarding stages.

To provide the best experience, start by evaluating your current recruitment needs and what they may look like in the future. Some important questions to think about are:

1. Are you falling short on any newly desired skills?
2. Has your hiring budget changed?
3. Will working remotely impact any of your roles?
4. Are you comfortable and prepared to virtually interview?
5. Are your offerings still competitive with similar employers?
6. What does your onboarding strategy look like for new hires?

Pre-screening candidates

Due to shifts in the job market, the candidate pool is higher than what you may be used to. When it comes to scheduling long interviews with members of your team, you’ll want to reserve their time for the applicants who best qualify for the role. In order to be efficient in your search, consider coming up with a strategy for pre-screening candidates.

A pre-screening interview serves as a way to weed out a candidate with an appealing resume, but who ultimately may not be a good fit.

A good rule of thumb for interviews like these is to keep them short, and have a list of simple, yet detailed questions. These questions should help you understand things about the candidate that you wouldn’t necessarily get from their resumes or LinkedIn profiles. A few examples include questions such as what type of environment they work best in, what they are looking for in their next career move, and what interested them about the role.

Working with a recruitment firm

When time is of the essence, handling all the facets of recruiting new talent may just not be feasible. This is especially true when there is a large pool of applicants to screen and you are hiring for multiple roles. If your business strategy calls for hiring, but the process seems to be too much of an organizational burden, consider working with a recruitment firm. A recruiter can spend time with you to learn about your hiring needs and present you with top candidates they’ve already screened.

Hiring for potential

Sometimes, even with an abundance of applicants, the stars may not align. If you’re having trouble finding a candidate who has all the desired experience for a role, consider hiring for potential.

Hiring for potential could allow you to find a candidate who is an overall great fit for your organization, and possesses the skills and determination to grow and succeed in their role over time.

About the Author:

Larry Dolinko is the CEO of Tandym Group,, a leading recruitment, temporary staffing, and workforce management solutions firm. Larry leverages his experience in client management, relationship building, negotiation, and sales to oversee strategic growth for the firm, including business development and employee engagement. 

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