5 Things HR Leaders Need To Do To Prepare for Post-Pandemic Recruitment

With COVID-19 vaccination efforts rolling out across the United States and around the world, organizations are starting to consider how a return to normalcy will look. Over the past year, hiring teams have adopted flexible approaches towards recruitment. Moving forward, companies utilizing an adaptable approach towards recruitment and employee retention will find themselves better off when it comes to competing for top talent. Below, we break down six things HR leaders need to do to prepare their recruitment pipeline for a post-pandemic world.

1. Embrace HR Technology

In 2020, HR leaders shifted to platforms that enabled virtual recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding. As many organizations continue to adopt a remote or hybrid work format, identifying and embracing tools that support a virtual recruitment process is essential. Rather than relying on the support of one single tool, HR leaders need to look at solutions that integrate well with one another, creating an efficient process that supports and nurtures their recruiting efforts at every point in the journey. For a strong end-to-end platform, HR leaders need to utilize the following tools:

• Applicant Tracking Systems

• Interviewing and Screening Software

• Digital or Paperless Onboarding Software

• Performance and Goals Platforms

• Employee Engagement Surveys

In order to stay competitive, recruiters and organizations need to weave digitalization into their existing processes. Many businesses have stopped utilizing in-person recruitment strategies (at least for initial screening), leading to a rise in digital recruitment approaches. Moving forward, recruiters should consider their recruitment processes a part of the overall employee experience. By embracing tools such as digital and paperless onboarding platforms, job management boards, and applicant tracking systems, recruiters can hire teams of qualified A Players that will take their business to the next level.

2. Review Your ATS

Before you start completely looking to change your old processes to create new ones, take the time to review your practices and strategies and see whether they still apply today. One great place to start is with your Applicant Tracking System. Ensure that your ATS is built to screen for and nurture your ideal candidates, and remember that a strong ATS is one that scales alongside your business. When reviewing your ATS, make sure that it is:

• Easy to implement — the right ATS is not only easy to set up but is also easy to use. The sooner you can get going on your new platform, the sooner you can start bringing in more top talent.

• Saving you time — with features such as Interview Scheduling, Video Interviewing, and Interview Feedback, your ATS will streamline processes so your recruiting team can get more top talent on board.

• Providing easy communication with candidates — your ATS needs to use features like Candidate Texting, Text-to-Apply, and Mobile Apply to make it easier for candidates to apply to your open roles.

• Allowing you to re-engage past applicants — with Talent Communities or pools, your ATS needs to be able to match previous applicants’ skills to best-fit positions, giving you a pool of qualified candidates to engage with right away.

• Integrating with your existing strategies — today’s job seekers use a plethora of job boards and platforms to search for jobs. Make sure your ATS can integrate with top job boards for fast posting and to cast a wide net for talent.

3. Adopt Digital Recruiting Processes

Over the past year, many recruiters have embraced virtual interviewing tools. Video interviews help reduce time to hire and expand your talent pool by eliminating geographical barriers. Candidates can interview from anywhere in the world, opening the doors to top talent you may not have reached otherwise. 

Candidates benefit from the rise in virtual interviewing tools, too. One of the greatest benefits to job seekers is the increased transparency from hiring companies’  company information. Virtual interviewing has led to companies sharing information about the work environment and company culture much more quickly via virtual tools like Zoom, rather than over the course of several conversations like with traditional recruiting strategies. Job seekers also appreciate a streamlined hiring process with no need to schedule travel or commute to an interview. Finally, candidates who are casually job hunting have enjoyed the flexibility that digital recruiting tools offer. Passive job seekers can now get more information about job opportunities and have conversations with companies without having to take time off of work.

4. Recruit and Hire for Flexible Roles

COVID-19 has reshaped the way we conduct business, in some ways permanently. Many employees now desire a flexible work environment, whether this means a hybrid option of partially remote, partially in the office, or the flexibility to choose their working hours. Flexible jobs help diversify teams by keeping parents – especially women – in leadership roles. Shifting to a more flexible workforce can also help companies save money by hiring at scale for contingent workers.

5. Focus on Retention

Today’s job market heavily favors the candidate. With a lack of qualified talent on the market and a high demand for talented employees, HR teams need to find ways to keep their existing employees happy while sourcing new ones. HR leaders need to ensure they’re providing the right support and tools to their teams so that every employee can succeed in their role. With assistance from tools such as employee engagement surveys, leaders can quickly gauge the sentiment of their staff and identify areas of improvement. By investing in your current talent, you save your company time and money.

The pandemic won’t last forever, but some of the changes to our recruitment strategies might. As organizations continue to compete for A Players, finding ways to adopt digital tools that support your remote and in-person workforce will help you stay ahead of the curve. 

ClearCompany’s Talent Management Platform helps organizations looking to transform their approach to recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent. With fully customizable digital solutions, our end-to-end software helps reduce time to hire and meet your organizational goals and keep your current talent happy. And, with our award-winning ATS, HR leaders can quickly find and hire the best talent in any employment landscape. For more information about how we can help you refine your recruitment strategies for a post-COVID world, reach out to one of our experts or sign up for a free demo now.