The short part of this is that the recruitment world is very much open for business.
It goes without saying that with the ever increasing uncertainty created by Coronavirus, that clients, candidates and us consultants need to be extremely careful and respectful of all protocols that have been put in place. We can work with most of this – we already use a great deal of technology and we’re not looking to re-invent the wheel. We can facilitate the varying stages of the interview process; video -based interviews are already common and, it could be argued that corona-virus aside, they are under-utilised as an effective screening tool that is both efficient in terms of time as well as being economically and environmentally friendly. We have the ability to utilise further screening methods to support a recruitment process such as psychometric testing, personality profiling, and specific skills testing, all of which can take the process all the way to a final face-to-face meeting with an individual or small number of preferred candidates. We therefore encourage our clients and candidates to keep their foot on the recruitment pedal as, what we are experiencing, we hope, will only be short-lived.
A further question though - will Coronavirus provide the impetus for businesses to have a more permanent change on their view on the work-world? On day 1 a new starter is typically presented with a laptop and the ability to work flexibly with the expectation that they will work whenever and wherever, but will the next few weeks and months provide evidence to even greater levels of flexibility? Hot-desking, remote working, the reduction in the requirement for permanent office space and an increase in the need for serviced offices and the availability of meeting spaces. We have already seen in many locations around the world that a decrease in travel resulting from the pandemic has quickly resulted in a significant decrease in pollution. Perhaps, if some of our learns regarding the practicalities of the pandemic may lead to working practises that more permanently reduce travel, and in doing so, more permanently reduce environmental damage. Whilst there will clearly be much hardship, both human and economic, stemming from the Coronavirus perhaps there may be some positive legacies also.
If you are a client planning to embark on a recruitment process, or one who is nervous about beginning one, please contact us. We will be happy to advise you regarding the practicalities of you process and support the decision of appropriate and safe screening options and can advise you with regard to video-based interview techniques. Likewise, if you are candidate preparing yourself for such screening then we can support with regard to tactics for testing and your own on-line interview technique.
So if we are open for business…… are you?