5 Strategies for Recruiting in a Post-Pandemic World

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the business world in every possible aspect. From the stock market crashing to unemployment rates reaching record lows, the past few months have proved to be incredibly challenging in every sense of the word. With so many companies forced to lay off employees and so many employees without work, looking ahead to the post-pandemic world is filled with uncertainty.

As cities and economies begin to re-open, CEOs and HR representatives are searching for comprehensive ways to handle hiring. Regardless of whether or not your company is hiring right now, it's extremely important to understand how the recruiting landscape is actively reshaping due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As it has always stood, hiring qualified, hard-working people is essential to any company’s potential success. In order to secure your company’s future, keeping good hiring strategies is imperative. Using this guide, we’ll walk you through five strategies for recruiting in a post-pandemic world.

1. Cultivate your culture

Your company culture is arguably the number one element potential hires are looking for. If you’re looking to build a team that’s committed to your vision and mission, you need to hire candidates who are ready to buy-in. A finely-cultivated company culture plays an increasingly important role in this.

Think of hammering out your company culture as an opportunity to showcase how your company handles highs and lows. Candidates will want to know how you react to a crisis, and how your employees respond. They want to know what you bring to the table that other companies might not. Ultimately, you need to figure out the answer to “why should I work for you?,” and come ready with a thoroughly devised culture that speaks for itself.

Ask yourself the following questions: how is my culture working? How does it benefit my business? What is missing? Challenge yourself to continue to reassess your culture, and eventually reset it in line with the "new normal."

2. Allow remote work

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc throughout each and every state, millions of American employees found themselves suddenly shifted to remote work positions. Such a rapid change in the work landscape has opened up the doors and a long-debated discussion about the feasibility of remote work. As quickly as employees are realizing, companies must adapt.

Some companies will go permanently remote, and others will offer part-time remote. Decide where you want to fall on the spectrum, but do keep in mind that zero flexibility will likely result in a stunted applicant pool

3. Consider adding to your list of employee benefits

The coronavirus pandemic has allowed people to be increasingly cognizant of the benefits their company has—or doesn’t have—and many workers returning to the job market will be on the hunt with more structured ideas and demands about the kind of benefits they need to ensure their wellbeing and financial security.

Think of employee benefits as any form of compensation paid to employees beyond mere salaries or wages. In the post-pandemic world, you will likely need to be prepared to offer more. Whether that means improved sick leave policies, more comprehensive healthcare coverage, or other benefits related to people’s well-being, there are a number of ways you can cater to potential hires and promise them a good life and career.

Consider onboarding some of the following benefits to your employee package plan:

• Paid time off (mental health days, sick days, and vacation days)
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Childcare benefits
• Gym memberships or discounts
• Wellness programs
• Employee recognition programs
• Relocation assistance
• Commuting/travel assistance
• Retirement benefits or accounts
• Healthcare spending or reimbursement accounts, such as HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs
• Long term disability insurance
• Short term disability insurance
• Workplace perks such as bonding activities, food and coffee, and flexible work schedule

4. Encourage diversity in your hiring

It’s not rocket science—the first step in building a diverse workforce is hiring more diversified candidates. Diversity hiring is so much more than an HR trend, it’s an intelligent way to do business and set your business up for success.

A diversified workforce brings more to the table. In fact, according to research, diverse companies:

• Have higher revenue due to innovation.
• Have higher levels of employee engagement.
• Are more likely to be innovation leaders in their market.
• Have higher employee retention.

With so many statistical perks, you’re likely wondering how you can begin to diversify your workforce, and it all begins with your hiring practices. Turn to diverse job boards to begin attracting diverse talent.

5. Perfect your video interview process

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the hiring process puts recruiters in a unique position. So as to keep in contact with prospective hires and proceed with the recruiting procedure, video interviews are an unquestionable requirement. The very basis of the interview process largely remains constant for video interviews, too. In any case, there are a few subtleties to know about. Let’s break it down, step by step.

Step 1: Develop a process

First and foremost, develop a formal plan with your entire hiring team. You’ll need to tackle how the interview process will change now that it’s being conducted remotely, and you will need to discuss any steps candidates will be required to complete ahead of their interview.

This could be submitting additional work samples or completing a pre-employment screening check. Be sure to meticulously hash out these details before diving into any interview.

Step 2: Ask excellent and consistent questions

If you’re looking to build an outstanding team, you need to vet your candidates well. Skip questions like:

“What are your biggest strengths?”
“What interests you about this position?”
“Why should we hire you?”

Make better use of your time by coming to the interview with more thought-provoking and situational questions that give you a better idea of the candidate’s work ethics, background, and history. Fine-tuning your questioning tactics can help you better gauge whether or not the candidate is a good fit for your company.

Try out these stellar interview questions:

“How would you describe yourself in 5 words or less?”
“Can you describe a situation where you have gone above and beyond?”
“How will you contribute to this team?”

Wrapping up

Even though the COVID-19 crisis has upturned modern hiring, it’s only a matter of time before things return to normal. As we make that incremental return to normalcy and business begins to ramp up again, be sure to keep these hiring strategies in mind to keep your growing business on a healthy upward projection.

This article is written by Samantha Rupp. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and working as a managing editor for 365businesstips.com. She lives in San Diego, California and enjoys spending time on the beach, reading up on current industry trends, and traveling. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com