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Just a few weeks ago, we still had an overstretched labor market. More vacancies than applicants. It was urgent for employers and recruiters looked for needles in haystacks with a magnifying glass. Then everything changed.
The coronavirus threw schedules upside down and put a large part of the labor market on hold. Do you now have to wait with your recruitment campaign thumbs up until the virus has blown over? Certainly not! We give you recruitment and selection tips that will help you score as an employer. From a distance, too!
We humans love direct contact. Look straight into each other's eyes, shake hands, literally sniff at each other. Especially when you first meet, all your senses are on edge. You register in detail whether the other person matches you.
Not surprisingly, personal contact is an essential part of a recruitment and selection process. It often determines whether or not you will be hired.
But what happens to the corona crisis now? Now that direct contact is suddenly impossible and even a meter and a half is actually not feasible?
It may be just as difficult to look beyond the coming month now, but there will probably come another time when you desperately need those applicants again. So make sure this crisis doesn't end your search for a new colleague. That's not necessary either.
You just have to organize your recruitment and selection smartly. Even smarter than usual, because, of course, you have some extra bumps to overcome. But luckily, we have a few tips for you!
Just 15 minutes of waiting at the front desk provides an applicant with valuable information about the company culture.
He hears the operator talking to someone, sees potential future colleagues walking by, tastes coffee. It may seem like trivial things, but all those experiences help you connect with a company. Now that everything has to be done remotely, the applicant is therefore missing a lot of information.
So it's time for creativity!
Provide even more attractive input into the vacancy itself, and when inviting the interview. Just a photo is not enough to connect with an applicant. Opt for moving images and sound, which approach reality as much as possible.
Add enough speed, a dose of humor and try to surprise. Then you're more likely to persuade someone to respond.
You probably already have a general company video on the shelf to add to your vacancy text. Now add a video that shows exactly what the job entails. Do it creatively, but don't make it too complicated.
For example, literally walk around the department, talk to a colleague and show off the workplace in advance.
Does a candidate pass the letter selection and do you want to invite them to an (online) job interview?
So invite him by video. Send an email with a link to a video with more information.
Don't you have too many candidates? Then you could even make it extra personal by starting the invitation video with the manager greeting the candidate in person. Of course, you can then use a standard module with more general information about the procedure.
Don't make it too formal if your organizational culture isn't a jack-and-go.
Keep the invitation light and use the possibilities of images. Let not only the HR advisor or manager have the chat, but also a direct colleague or, so to speak, the cleaner. See the video as a replacement for fifteen minutes at the front desk. So show yourself as you are!
Of course, you make it as easy as possible for the candidate. With the invitation, you've sent a handy link to the video call, including some tips on how best to log in.
He does not have to look for the meeting location and is in his own familiar environment. So it's a piece of cake for your applicant to sit behind their screen on time.
Now you!
Our tip of the day: also check your own agenda. Reserve enough opportunity to make a good connection and find a suitable workplace. This prevents unnecessary unprofessional harrassing at the start of the conversation.
Like half of the Netherlands at the moment, you are probably working from home.
Provide a representative meeting room, or, for example, set the company logo as a virtual background. That looks a lot more professional than the school photos of your children or your partner who just took out the bin.
Perhaps in abundance: dress like you're actually at work. The applicant puts his best foot forward and is not waiting for a manager in pajamas.
Another golden rule for home workers: make sure you are not disturbed. No cat talking about the keyboard or child yelling at your desk.
A job interview is exciting and confidential for every candidate, and should therefore be treated with respect.
Maybe you already used it, but now it's a must became for each selection procedure: the online assessment.
Especially in a virtual environment, you can do this in any direction, exploit that. Of course, you can use a specialized agency that takes the test from your candidate. But you don't necessarily have to outsource everything; an assessment made for and by your company offers more customization and flexibility.
There are many opportunities to test your candidate's knowledge and skills.
You can easily let the composition of the assessment evolve with the complexity of the vacancy by using a modular structure.
Don't just look at the hard requirements, but also take soft skills included in your test environment.
After a wonderful assessment, do you think you've found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Congratulations!
Then there is one last step: the employment conditions interview. Unfortunately, this milestone also has to be hit online again during the corona crisis.
Fortunately, you can also give it a festive touch from a distance.
For example, create an unexpected move, by now not only inviting online, but contacting the applicant by mail. Don't just include the usual documents and standard brochures. Create a surprise effect.
With a bouquet of “mailbox flowers”, a chocogram, a bottle of champagne or a shirt with a company logo, your applicant already has one foot in.
That's possible! We are used to working remotely, know (almost) everything about the online options and are happy to think along with you.
So feel free to contact us. Then you will ensure that your recruitment and selection process not only continues during the crisis, but even better!
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
