Companies and recruitment managers need to rethink the current form of HR in line with current events in the economy and business. Here are eight tips on how to create a staffing strategy to help you assess your recruitment needs and tailor your procedures to respond to new challenges.
Prioritise recruitment needs based on the urgency, role, and location of the employee. Positions that lend themselves to home office should take precedence over others.
Assess what new roles and positions may arise in the new economic climate and find out what roles existing employees will have in this structure, or how they will need to be further qualified.
Look primarily for candidates who have experience working in a virtual environment. If the candidates' qualifications are comparable, focus in particular on those who already have experience of teleworking and could assimilate more quickly. Select candidates who are familiar with virtual enterprise platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Asana, Trello, proprietary VPN and CRM of all kinds.
Identify candidates who are successful in what they have never done before. Most people increase their qualifications linearly based on previous experience in the field. At present, however, we do not live in a linear age. Therefore, look for candidates who, for example, have managed to succeed in another field during their career.
Look for candidates who will accept the idea that there is a business opportunity even in chaos and will support efforts to develop the business further during this turbulent period. People who feel bad about product promotion and ethically maximising profits during downturns will find it difficult to support your business in generating revenue, reducing expenses or simplifying processes.
Evaluate existing recruitment and onboarding processes and arrangements. Assess what human and training resources will be needed to hire a new employee so they can be involved in the active process as quickly as possible, even in limited operating conditions. Effective onboarding conditions are key to achieving a quick return on investment in a new employee.
Assess possible forms of harness for the new position. Will it be more economical for the company to hire a contractor or employ a full-time worker? Consider whether in the current uncertain times it might be worth using an external expert for a given position.
Communicate with existing employees and promote an open environment that shows them you are "all together". Frightened, angry or stressed employees will hardly give a good performance and keep the company going when it most needs it.
Look for candidates who have previously proven they have managed to survive and support the company even in uncertain times, and adjust your recruitment criteria accordingly.
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