INTRODUCTION
Weathering the storm of a pandemic can be particularly challenging for recruiters. Currently, we are battling with corona virus. After this pandemic is over, no doubt, there is going to be a possible recession on the horizon. This means there would be fewer jobs which translate to less demand and less work for recruiters. However, a pandemic can also present varied opportunities.
Now is a good time for recruiters to not only look at their to-do list but to make sure that they have a to-don’t list. The things on the to-don’t list would be don’t panic, don’t be depressed, and don’t take hasty decisions. What you should do is make sure that you have patience, risk tolerance, and a to-do list to tough out the volatility.
So what should a recruiter do? Well, let’s discuss some of the success strategies
#1. Build a robust relationship:
In recruitment, how you build a relationship with your clients is all that matters. It won’t be wrong to say that ‘clients are the king.’ A sustainable relationship with the clients should be top of mind, especially during tough times. Good companies can’t find a good candidate without a recruiter. A major responsibility of a recruiter is to help them get the right one. With less work during a pandemic, the relationships you form with hiring managers/clients and candidates become very important. The efforts you invest in relationship building during this time will certainly pay off. You should be the one they should rely on for getting the right candidate on board. The only way to ensure this is by creating a lasting relationship with the clients. It should be an ongoing process.
#2.Augment your skills:
Have time on your hands during this pandemic? Well, hone your skills. Utilize your time to diversify your skillset. The more you can learn, the more value you provide to your organization. Do relevant research and pick up anything which adds value to your company. You can start with HR policies, hiring strategies, career counseling or anything of your choice. Why don’t you do something for your personal growth too? Think of strategies to work upon your communication skills, interpersonal skills, relationship-building skills, listening skills and many more. With less work during a pandemic, focus on skills to increase your productivity at the workplace
#3. Conduct Virtual Interviews:
Now is not the time for a company to conduct face to face interviews for candidates. The concept of “social distancing” is taking over. We are hiding from everyone, trying to cocoon ourselves, in the hopes that we don’t catch the coronavirus. But it doesn’t mean that interviews can’t take place at all. This may be one of the best times to interview as many people for a profile. Interviews can be conducted via phone calls or video calls. Recruiters just have to be proactive and act as a bridge between the companies and candidates. Let them know that a telephonic round/ video call is an advantage for a candidate and as well for the employer too. Ensure that you lay the groundwork through such rounds, for when things get better, the candidate can join the company without any hassles.
#4. Ensure swift closures:
A recruiter’s job is to scale up the onboarding process of a candidate. Unfortunately, sometimes, quick closures can be difficult. But, during a pandemic, we can surprisingly have a different scenario. With some efforts, closures can be rather paced up. How we do it? Let us get one thing straight. If the coronavirus impact continues for a few more months, there could be severe job losses. But, the silver lining is that companies would be ready to close the open positions soon so that once the economy improves, they can take off fast. A recruiter can take advantage of such situations. The most proactive thing he/she can do now is laying the groundwork. Please keep in mind that candidate assessment and closing are much easier when they are unemployed. They don’t have much to bargain for. They are primarily focused on the security of reemployment rather than compensation or perks. A recruiter can orient the candidate and scale up his/her closure.
THE WAY FORWARD
Here’s the reality. For a good time, things won’t be rosy. The job market and economy are going to be very tenuous. Companies are skeptical to hire as they don't know what the future holds. Their thoughts are “What is the use of hiring when we might need to cut down our workforce?” Even if an interview could happen, it's not easy to pull everything together. But we need to hold on. Things would get better and this will surely happen. Understand that nothing may happen right now, but when things pick up, companies would require your service. So don’t get discouraged. Accept the current reality, foster relationships with clients, lay the groundwork, so that when things are normal, you are ready for all the bigger things.