Professional Staffing and Recruiting Post-COVID-19: What Does the Landscape Look Like?

A year and a half ago, professional recruiters used tried-and-true processes to capture, screen, and hire professional candidates for their organizations. Then the pandemic hit and changed those processes—possibly forever.

While COVID-19 has not gone away completely, there are a few recruiting and staffing practices that we believe are going to carry forward in the post-pandemic world. Let’s take a look at some of them.

 

Specific Skill Sets Are in Demand

According to a LinkedIn survey, one of the skills that recruiters are actively looking for ever since the pandemic hit the globe is adaptability. Companies from most sectors and industries have faced challenges that they weren’t prepared for and have had to make considerable adjustments to make things work. Hiring managers are now seeking candidates who display adaptability and a willingness to be flexible during uncertain times.

In addition to adaptability, recruiters are also looking for candidates who possess specific skills that the pandemic has deemed necessary. For instance, given how business operations went virtual in the initial months of the pandemic, one skill recruiters now look for is a candidate’s fluency in technology and online tools.

DE&I Matters Even More

If there was an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) pre-pandemic, that has doubled during the COVID-19 crisis. Not only are organizations under greater scrutiny regarding their commitment to DE&I, but recruiting firms are also making an active effort to honor DE&I visibility.

Today, companies are more aware of perceptive societal disparities, and candidates are more inclined to join organizations that value diversity and inclusion. Therefore, the post-COVID-19 landscape is likely to have a continued focus on DE&I.

Virtual Recruiting Isn’t Going Anywhere

As the gears shifted and companies began operating remotely, virtual meeting platforms became crucial tools for ensuring a smooth work-from-home process. Employees aren’t the only ones who’ve benefited from these virtual tools. Recruiters and prospective candidates have also had their share of remote operations.

Online assessments, video interviews, and remote calls have been common parts of the recruiting process since the pandemic hit, and these strategies are here to stay. Companies have successfully hired new candidates via virtual recruiting practices, saving time, money, and resources. In a post-COVID-19 landscape, virtual recruiting is expected to be a consistent practice, especially for entry-level positions and initial screening stages.

Not sure how to go about the hiring process for your company? Contact Brookwoods Group for all your staffing needs. As an executive staffing agency and sales and marketing recruiting agencies in Houston, we’ll help you find the candidates who are perfect for your company culture.

Get in touch with our executive search consultants in San Antonio for more details.