Talent acquisition teams have been replaced by virtual recruitment and physical offices have been replaced by the remote workforce. According to a recent study, such drastic changes in the workflow have made working from home psychologically challenging for 25% of employees as they feel lonely and isolated from their colleagues. In this article, we will talk about other challenges the recruitment industry is dealing with, in the current context of a post-covid era.
Virtual hiring complications
We’ve been hit by agonizing social restrictions due to the pandemic, such as wearing medical masks, keeping social distance, and staying home under endless quarantines and self-isolation. These conditions have made the usual recruitment processes inappropriate and unsafe. Thus, the question of virtual hiring came into place. However, for many recruiters, such change was not easy to accept since they could not understand how it can be possible to hire employees without meeting them in person.
Nowadays, interviews are held via video conferencing, and it is already seen as a norm in society. Managers and candidates had to quickly adapt to this virtual hiring mode, but they have also realized that in fact, remote interviews save them a lot of time and money. For instance, food and transportation costs, etc.
Stiff competition in the talent pool
At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a temporary stagnation in hiring. The reason for this is that people were emotionally overwhelmed by the events taking place. They had to rethink their lives and figure out what to do next, so they put their hiring and transitioning plans on hold. This has resulted in a significant shortage of talent in the recruitment market and left a window of opportunities untapped.
The pandemic is currently slowing down and people are getting used to living with Covid 19. Many professionals are now re-entering the market after a long hiatus because they feel ready to get back on track. This creates fierce competition between candidates and tightens the market for recruiters, leaving them with less choice. A great resume prepared with a professional CV template is what can help a candidate survive such competition since the candidates are becoming less adequate with very weak CVs that need improvement. And a pay rise is what can help hiring managers stay competitive in the marketplace and find the best fit for their job openings.
Drop in companies’ reputation
Many companies lost their reputation for panicking and mistreating their employees when the pandemic first hit. They made poor choices such as firing some employees instead of letting them work from home and cutting the salaries of other employees when they needed money the most. After the end of the pandemic, none of the professionals would be willing to go back and work for such a company that did not support them in difficult times. Therefore, the ones that led their teams successfully during the pandemic and showed their employees how much they care for them and value them, have now the best reputation in the talent pool.
Emotional and physical burnout among leaders
There has been an evolution in our day-to-day lives due to the pandemic. Everything has changed. The way we work, the way our kids go to school, the way we spend our free time and meet with our friends and families. Such changes caused a lot of stress for many people leading them to post-pandemic burnout, and leaders are no exception.
Leaders had to put in an incredible effort to keep their businesses afloat and to stay motivated to keep their teams’ spirit high. They were doing great at the beginning, but the pandemic lasted for too long, so physical and emotional exhaustion was inevitable. And when your own hands fall, it is very difficult to find the strength to inspire others. Thus, it is important for a leader to learn about the signs of burnout and, if necessary, seek advice from a specialist on how to deal with it.
Bottom line
The world of recruitment has changed forever and that's the reality we have to accept. There are no more physical perks in the workplace such as free snack stations or ping-pong tables that may attract new employees or keep motivated the existing ones because many of them have switched to working remotely. Therefore, leaders must now establish a clear culture and lasting values in their companies to keep their staff happy and engaged in a post-covid era.