Most of us have been tucked away in our home offices for more than two months. But as the country begins to take those first steps towards reopening, CHROs and recruiters need to stay one step ahead. The only thing we know for sure? Recruiting is never going to be what it once was – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We all have the opportunity to transform and optimize the recruiting process and redefine work, talent, and recruiting – but we need to act now.
Structural and Procedural Changes Will Be Necessary for Recruiting Optimization
The big changes that will be coming to most organizations center around redesigned spaces and traffic patterns because we may still need to keep that six feet of distance for quite some time. That means more people will continue to work from home. Google, Facebook, and Zillow have already authorized their employees to work from home through the end of 2020. More companies will follow suit.
But the other thing that is going to change is hiring; the entire process may need to be reevaluated. Are you going to be bringing people in to interview? What parts of your interview/selection/preboarding/onboarding process have a high degree of face-to-face contact that may need to change? Do you have the technology in place to facilitate video interviews and online preboarding and onboarding?
Policy Changes
During the pandemic, you may have simply made allowances without actually changing any HR policies. But as these once-temporary modifications continue, and people are allowed to work from home permanently or for long-term, do your policies need to be updated to reflect that? And if you are offering a more flexible work environment, is that something you can leverage to attract new and different talent? We all know that there are a lot of talented candidates who have been overlooked because they were unable to relocate or commute. Is it time to make some permanent changes to your policy that will allow you to recruit more effectively?
Start Recruiting Now
Don’t wait to start filling the talent pipeline. Not only do you need to identify who you need now but you need to start recruiting for who you anticipate you’ll need in the next 6-12 months. You need to stay visible and relevant, remain active on social media, continue to work on refining your process, and work now (not when you’re desperate for talent) to optimize your recruiting process and prepare your recruiting teams.
The Long-Term Recruiting Optimization Plan
It’s going to be a long time before things settle into whatever norms will define the future of work and the future of recruiting. Rather than wait and see how it will all turn out, get out in front of it.
At Beacon Lane Consulting, we define Recruiting Excellence as the right hire, for the right role, at the right time, for the right cost…every time. While this concept often seems ambitious, we continue to help clients work towards this through the ideal blend of process standardization and innovation, resulting in the most aspirational candidate experience. If you are looking to optimize or transform your recruiting function, get in touch. We’d love to help.
