Managers, HR Managers, Technical Managers… we are all in the same boat: the public health crisis has pushed us to rethink the way we interact, communicate and connect in a business setting. Given the current situation, people tend to fall into two different categories. ‘Passive people’ are those who wait for the situation to improve and are in stand-by mode. A sensible strategy. The second group are ‘active people’ who are the complete opposite, they naturally see (or choose to) see the situation as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. This strategy allows new opportunities to flourish, it encourages people to take advantage of lockdown time and prepares them for life after covid. You can adopt a passive or active stance to current recruitment processes: what is the best strategy to adopt? Which one have you chosen to follow?
This article aims to cover the 5 main ways to run a successful recruitment processes during this unprecedented time, for both filled positions and vacancies. It’s over to you to influence the teams of tomorrow!
1. Don’t freeze all of your recruitment applications, but prioritise the 3 most important one
When budgets are often frozen, some businesses automatically close all of their recruitment processes. However, the right candidates have already heard about your company, your organisation and have maybe even heard of you! If the process doesn’t move forward a little, or if the process is cancelled at worst, these good candidates will lose interest and will look to your competitors for opportunities…
Be clever about it and keep at least three key positions open (perhaps the Automation Manager position? Or Purchasing Manager? Or even Field Service Engineer Position?). Prioritize and focus on high-stake positions, where there is a skills shortage is key. What are the three profiles that you will need the most once the covid period is over? Reassure your current candidates (those that have already made an application) by telling them that their recruitment process is pending. Candidates are always attracted to ‘healthy’ businesses who are recruiting.
2. Take advantage of time to look for candidates
There is nothing motivating about lockdown, and staying at home can be seen as a huge burden for some people… however, there are benefits, huge benefits: you (finally) have a little more time. Less meetings and less untimely disruptions (at least if your children are quiet), more independence and flexibility in your daily schedule… It’s the perfect time to plan ahead, why not schedule in one hour every day to open up your network and look at different candidates to see who you would like to have in your own team. To make the most out of your search, why not read our article on key words (here). For example, you could concentrate on getting 2 new contacts per week.
3. Make yourself visible on social media, it’s the ideal time to go digital!
Here are some guidelines for finding candidates: Firstly, it’s important that your Linkedin profile is up-to-date, with at least a photo and description. For those who are not used to professional social media sites, why not subscribe to some interest groups (e.g. Field Service Engineer News, CNC jobs, etc…) which will allow you to access business news, as well as being able to find out about potential candidates that you may be interested in.
If you are already a pro on Linkedin, perhaps you could start using local platforms such as Viadeo (France) or even Xing (Germany).
4. Continue the onboarding for filled positions, but adapt the processes using the right digital tools
For positions that have already been filled and who are scheduled to start in the coming weeks, don’t panic! Provide new starters with a smoother onboarding process, by using the following easy tools:
- > MEET: a great alternative to Skype. Start by taking the time to introduce all of the members of the team by organising a conference call (or several) with 4 or 5 people. It is easy to use (you can use the link without signing up before), it’s a free tool and the audio is good quality.
- > MIRO: if you ever need to work/brainstorm together, the software is very intuitive and allows you to create notes using digital post-its.
- > SLACK: software that ‘archives’ and documents all chats based on predefined themes (e.g. Client A Project, Client B Project, covid internal flash info, communication supports, etc…). It’s a very useful tool for finding attachments and shared documents. It’s very practical software to use when working with a lot of services on one project.
- > WETRANSFER: for sharing large files quickly (e.g. a complete file, PNG or JPEG files, or even photos and videos…). Sophisticated software that acts as a temporary ‘cloud’ allowing you to use a link for a given amount of time to get the file and then the link expires in two weeks.
Here is a more comprehensive list if you would like more information on this topic (French article).
5. Make a point of building a more ‘informal’ relationship with your colleagues
Keeping up with recruitment processes also includes taking care of your team at the same time, especially during this stressful time for everyone. Make the most out of your time and schedule daily one-to-one meetings, at set times (e.g. from 11am to 12 noon, before lunch). Find out how your employees are feeling, as well as managers and share daily updates. Finish by talking about current recruitment processes, to reassure them that your business is healthy.
Want to find out more on this subject? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our editorial team and send through your questions on our contact page!
Maybe you’d like to spend more of your lockdown time reading? Check out our ‘news’ section.
See you soon
The Field Service Recruiter Team