Hiring in lockdown

So much of our lives is now hosted online and that includes the recruitment process, for those looking for jobs and those employers who are still hiring.

It can be daunting to keep up an active job search at this time – using the time to build your virtual networks through LinkedIn and other platforms is important as is being proactive and approaching employers where there is a good match or some previous contact.

Employers looking to hire at this time also need to think carefully about how they move their recruitment processes online.

For those who already use remote working tools and video interviews, virtual interviewing and onboarding is easier than for those who don’t. Still, they may need to consider adding an extra step into the onboarding process to improve the experience for candidates and give them a sense of the culture at the organisation and the people they might be working with. For instance, talent experts might ‘meet’ the candidate in advance of the interview and then introduce them to the interview panel. During the onboarding process different members of the team can also ‘drop by’  to say hallo.

Company culture

Even before the interview it is important to give a flavour of the company culture through online videos. After a successful interview,  a personalised video welcome from members of the team a person will be working in can help build a remote sense of employee engagement.

New starters in particular need to be supported in their first weeks through finding the right remote tools that work for them, whether that is Webex, Google hangouts or Zoom for online meetings, for instance. Different people find different tools work better for them so it is a good idea to offer a few.

Online meetings tend to be shorter than face to face ones. That means the kind of informal chats that people have in the office, and which can be particularly important when you start in a company,  have to be booked in and, in the current circumstances, employers need to be flexible on when these times are.

It’s also a good idea to have a team model with a single point of contact where  individuals can get support, for instance, during lockdown about practical issues such as any caring responsibilities. A strong team model also means people check up on each other either individually or through regular calls. Communication is vital and should be regular and clear and give people the information the need without overwhelming them. It’s also important to listen to what employees are saying about their concerns and try to address them.

Remote working social media tools such as slack channels enable employees to share information on what works for them, for instance, fitness videos or information about standing desks so it is not too top down. They are also good for suggestions for remote social meetings, such as quizzes.

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