Recruiting During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has by now infiltrated all aspects of our lives, and business is no exception.

While many of the effects of the pandemic have been adverse, some businesses are using this opportunity to select the strongest candidates in the market.

If you’re not in a position to wait until life returns to normal before you hire new employees, read on for effective, low-cost tips to recruit the best talent.

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Keep your social media accounts up to date

Make sure your social channels really sell the value of working for your business. This shows potential candidates what it’s like to work for you.

Set up a strong employee referral program

If you’re not getting much response, consider a quick engagement survey to test your company's culture; a couple of Net Promoter score-type questions will get this done quickly.

Content marketing

Create content marketing to appeal to candidates and build your reputation as a top employer. Marketing is not just for attracting customers to your business!

Revise your job ads

Highlight the benefits and rewards of working at your business, rather than listing the candidate’s “must-haves”.

Focus on college recruiting

Internships are a great choice. Implement a job shadowing program and intern programs for high school students and college students.

Low-cost alternatives

Consider looking at alternatives to high-priced recruiters such as using an HR consulting company; use their tools but do the work yourself.

When hiring during the coronavirus pandemic, technology is your friend. Use an applicant tracking system to collate the top candidates.

Pre-hire assessments can be done before the interview stage and will tell you if the applicant is a good fit; there are many options and all can be completed from the comfort of the applicant’s own home.

Video interviews via Zoom or another video conferencing channel are almost as good as in-person. Ask for the candidate’s permission to record the interview so you can review it or share it with colleagues.