The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 49: June/July 2020 | Page 20

The Recruitment world has cha
says CMD Recruitment’s Dan B
As the effects of COVID-19 rock the world on so m
given me time to reflect on how this will not only
impact the recruitment industry, but how these n
we’re navigating could re-shape our way of life fo
Six months ago, if someone had told you you’d be working with your team
supporting staff juggling homeschooling whilst balancing workloads, you
believed them. Whilst we will hopefully see some normality return soon,
been forced to learn new ways of working that would actually be better fo
Virtual recruitment
With some companies having to recruit
new staff and onboard them without even
meeting candidates face-to-face at the
moment, it has thrown up the question of
how efficient our process has been up to
this point.
There’s no doubt that a lot can be learned
about someone from meeting them in
person, but take away that initial handshake
and small talk at the coffee machine, would
it not be possible to conduct interviews via
webcam in the future? Candidates may feel
more at ease in their home environment,
giving you a window to their world in the
process.
There are many benefits to virtual
recruitment, including time-saving for key
members of staff who are already seeing
a shortage of staff in their team, hence
why they are needing to recruit in the first
place. Recruiters and line managers having
the ability to call into interviews could
be an important step in the evolution of
recruitment.
Remote working possibilities
We were already in a technology-driven
world, but perhaps this way of working
would have opened doors to higher skilled
staff living further afield before this time?
Some businesses have had their eyes
opened during this pandemic as they learn
that their team can work efficiently from
home. With free online tools including
Skype, Whatsapp and Zoom at your
fingertips, the world has been made a
little smaller, making it perfectly easy to
communicate and manage a business
online.
Going forward, you may consider having a
core team at the office, supported by virtual
employees working anywhere in the world.
This opens up the recruitment process
globally, allowing you to cherry-pick the
most skilled employees, whilst giving them
the perk of home working and saving on
commuting costs.
Offering a full or partial remote working
option to existing employees could also
improve staff relationships, offering
them flexibility but also cutting your own
overheads in the process. One less desk,
electricity supply and office space could
provide extra money for the bottom line,
but also give cashflow to pump back into
bonuses and pay increases to motivate your
team and increase productivity.
Increased volumes of applicants
Whilst the government battle to do
‘whatever it takes’ to keep businesses in,
well, business, there’s no doubt people are
falling through the cracks when it comes
to income support and job retention. This
is going to cause an increase in applicant
numbers when businesses reopen their
doors, taking us from a candidate led
market to one full of applicants.
People currently have time on their hands,
and some are using this to ‘level up’, taking
courses and expanding their skillset. They
may be disgruntled with how their current
employer has treated them during this crisis
and be looking to completely shift career
paths once normality is restored.
All of this will contribute to an increase
in applications…and from those who may
not have previously applied for your job
openings. Transferable skills which may
be beneficial to you should definitely be
considered, and the job application review
process ideally would need to be reworked.
Supporting each other
Whilst technology is helping many of us find
a way through this unprecedented situation,
it’s also important to remember that we are
all human. Some of my team have partners
who are NHS workers or in the Care sector.
With the added pressure of homeschooling,
the best thing for them has been furloughing
so they can concentrate on their family - we
are standing by them to offer extra support
through this time.
In the recruitment industry, we are