{"id":39319,"date":"2020-11-04T14:47:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T18:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=39319"},"modified":"2020-11-04T14:47:31","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T18:47:31","slug":"recruiting-staff-during-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andysowards.com\/blog\/2020\/recruiting-staff-during-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Recruiting Staff During the Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2020 has been a difficult year for many businesses, but as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re beginning to adapt to new ways of working and operating through the pandemic and fluctuating restrictions and guidelines, many of us are seeing our businesses getting back on track. If this is true for you and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re experiencing success, you may find that you want to take on new staff members to expand your company and boost your business\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 success. Of course, recruitment is going to be a little different right now. Most recruitment processes<\/a> will now be carried out remotely and you may be feeling a little lost as to what you should do to secure the best quality staff without ever meeting them on a face to face basis. Here are a few tips that should help to guide you along the way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advertise Vacant Positions Well<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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3 ways to keep your job search active during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first step you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have to take when it comes to getting new staff on board is advertising the vacant or new positions that you are looking to fill. Now, traditionally, many companies may have put out physical ads – often job notices pinned up around their commercial premises. But even before the pandemic, this practice was slipping out of fashion. Nowadays, the best way to attract new staff is generally to post the position on an online jobs board. There are a number of sites that you can use to do this, or you can even use job boards on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn. This will allow all sorts of potential candidates to see the position without having to leave the safety of their own homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing Potential Candidates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When applications start coming in, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to start sifting through them to root out potential candidates who you feel may be relevant or suitable for the job that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re advertising. Of course, unemployment is extremely high right now, so many people are applying for positions that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t relevant to their actual qualifications and experience. Many people who are recruiting new staff members are finding themselves flooded with applications and resumes and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the time on their hands to actually go through the hundreds or even thousands of applications. If this sounds familiar to you, you may want to use a recruitment agency to help. This comes at a cost, but will free up your time<\/a>. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get someone in the position as quickly as possible without the process interfering with your own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conducting Interviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to Hire During a Pandemic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once you have some potential candidates lined up, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to start conducting interviews. Nowadays, for many businesses, this is now a multi step process. Most businesses will now conduct a phone interview to get a feel for the candidate, followed by successful applicants getting through to a face to face interview stage. Of course, most of us are working remotely now, and face to face interviews may not be possible. So consider conducting the interview over video call software like Zoom instead. Here are some interview steps to work into the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduce Yourself<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start the interview by introducing yourself and anyone else from the company who is present within the call. Give the candidate a brief idea of your position, what you do in the company and why you, in particular, are interviewing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask the Applicant to Introduce Themselves<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, ask the applicant to introduce themselves<\/a>. This will serve as an ice breaker of sorts. It will also give you an opportunity to get a feel of their character, an insight into their interests and a better idea of whether they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be a good cultural fit within your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go Through the Job Description<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, you should do a quick run through of the job description for the position that the applicant is applying for. This will give them an idea of what would be expected of them within the role and what responsibilities they would take on if offered the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go Through the Applicant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Resume and Cover Letter<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then ask the candidate to give a brief overview of the information in their resume and their cover letter. This could include talking about the qualifications that they have listed, the experience they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve claimed that they have and any other additional information that is relevant to the role. Sometimes, candidates don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put all of their previous experience and responsibilities in detail within their CV and this gives you a chance to review their suitability for the position. They may turn out to be better suited to the position than you originally thought, or vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have Interview Questions Prepared<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bulk of the interview will then consist of interview questions that you should already have prepared. Now, there are a few questions that are commonly asked in interviews for good reason – they give good insight into the applicant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suitability. Some common questions you may want to consider asking include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n