Can We Continue to Hire in Times of Crisis?

Publié le 30 March 2020 Par Matt Dodge

The current COVID-19 pandemic poses serious threats to the health and well-being of countless people. The headlines we see everyday are heartbreaking, and we all must do everything we can to support each other. This includes taking every possible step to flatten the curve and reduce the spread by washing our hands, practicing social distancing and following all WHO guidelines.

While government measures aimed at helping people and families in need of financial relief and businesses seeing a massive revenue drop have been announced, many people still find themselves in urgent need of work. Those of us in HR have to ask ourselves the following question: can we continue to recruit during times of crisis?

The HR world cannot escape this crisis or its effects.

We have all heard the news about large numbers of layoffs in several sectors, both public and private. Leaving many people out of work, and HR managers scrambling to adapt in whatever way they can. Those of us able to transition to remote work and work from home are incredibly fortunate. Many businesses have closed their doors — permanently, in some cases — resulting in reduced work and income, even though bills and rent are still due.

The inescapable fact is that people are still looking for work, and we are in a position to help them find it.

Many industries are currently hiring right now, including health, food, transportation, manufacturing and security.

Even if your company does not operate in one of these areas, but is still looking to hire new employees for a safe work environment, you can start or continue your online recruitment process through Jobillico.

Proactive Recruitment in Times of Crisis

Proactive recruitment means searching for the right candidates for job roles instead of waiting for them to come to you. Many of the job opportunities to be found through Jobillico are designed to meet future recruitment needs. In times of crisis, this recruitment method needs to be reinforced. Why is this necessary?

Once we emerge from this crisis, it is clear that there will be long-term effects. Of course, those who witness or experience the devastating effects of this virus firsthand have to be our main concern, and as communities and societies we have to support them in every possible way.

For us in HR and labour, we will also be emerging from a long period of labour shortages in the coming months. We must be ready to face these challenges head on in order to help people find work and regain some level of financial stability.

All indications are that many companies will be faced with the following scenarios:

Rehiring employees that were laid off and continue to search for qualified candidates.
Hiring new employees for existing positions after previous employees found employment with other organizations.

Our Advice

We believe that it is possible to continue recruiting during this crisis, provided that we adapt and change some of our practices.

For many companies, hiring employees without an in-person job interview would go against their HR practices. While this is more difficult as many businesses transition to remote work, there are still multiple steps in the recruitment process that can be performed before an interview. If you know that your sector will be facing a labour shortage, you can still get the process started and identify qualified candidates as soon as possible. For those companies hiring right now, we must be ready to change our hiring processes, including conducting job interviews over the phone or using video conferencing apps.

Many crisis managers will say that businesses need to prepare for the post-crisis period right away so that we will be in a position to help people find work without a delay. Using the Jobillico platform, you can prepare your organization by:

Creating an application database
Proactively search for qualified candidates
Reviewing your recruitment process

Creating an Application Database

This step involves gathering existing job applications for positions that are or will be in demand. If you know that your company needs program coders, graphic designers or transport drivers, this will still be true in the coming months. You can prepare lists of qualified candidates who you can contact the moment you can resume hiring.

Proactively Search for Qualified Candidates

You don’t have to wait to contact qualified candidates. Many people are looking for opportunities and you can still reach out to those who meet the needs of the position. This gives you the time to get to know them as a candidate, and they will be able to review your available job position and see if it is the right opportunity for them. You can still be proactive, for the benefit of your organization and the candidates.

Reviewing Your Application Process

The current crisis is forcing employers and employees to rethink the way we work, collaborate with our colleagues and serve our customers. We are finding ourselves using new tools for all aspects of our jobs, including basic communication and organization. We should also rethink the recruitment process and question old traditions, such as the in-person interview, for example. Experiment with different tools and see if they suit the requirements of your organization. It’s important to make an effort to stay in communication with your existing job candidates, and keep them up to date on all changes to the recruitment process, as this directly affects them as well. This way no one will miss out on potential opportunities.