The pandemic has pushed businesses to think out of the box in every possible sense to mitigate the effects of such unprecedented adversity. Modern businesses must be resilient, agile and innovative to sail safely and stay ahead. 

The pandemic has even affected talent sourcing since the already existing skill gap in the workforce has been widened. It has shifted a major sector of the workforce in unanticipated ways. 

It’s already known that human resources are an asset to a company but only if handled properly. So, we at TechNext strive hard to connect businesses with the right talent despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Not only do we help recruit a highly skilled and dependable workforce, but we also offer expertise in upskilling the existing workforce with training, helping organizations and their employees adapt to the rapidly evolving professional work environment.

THREATS AND CHALLENGES POSED BY COVID 19 IN THE PROCESS OF TALENT SOURCING

Let’s begin by talking about the biggest threat as a result of the situation created by COVID-19, layoffs. During the months when global lockdowns were announced, the unemployment rates across nations skyrocketed. In April of 2020, the US unemployment rate jumped beyond the 14% mark, the worse it has been in decades.

Another survey of employers, conducted back in June 2020, revealed that an additional 49% of surveyed US companies were considering layoffs.

The layoffs have already begun in the industries most susceptible to the economic impacts of a global pandemic. Two of the most prominent industries affected include the tourism industry and the hospitality industry.

While it is true that other industries, including the IT industry, have seen a dramatic increase in their demand for professional talent, there are thousands of talented and experienced professionals still struggling to find relevant opportunities. 

It is also true that things are improving. Thanks to the development of several vaccines, lockdowns are being lifted and the economy is regaining traction. As a result, unemployment rates are also declining. 

However, the pandemic hasn’t passed yet, and there are still many recruitment-related challenges businesses should prepare to overcome. Vaccines only prevent severe reactions to the virus and the number of variants are increasing. This means, there is still a pressing need for social distancing to ensure the pandemic situation continues to subside.

For businesses, this means the process of recruitment needs to be adapted to hire people who are willing to stand by the organization through any crisis. At the same time, there is also a need to virtualize the whole recruitment process to make it safer. 

62% of US workers were working from home at the peak of the crisis brought about by the pandemic. While this number is expected to go down, working with remote employees is going to be a big part of how companies operate in the future.

Besides adapting to the work from home model, another recruitment challenge is that people are less likely to change jobs, as the security of having a comfortable and familiar job is reassuring in times of uncertainty. Even organizations that have found the right talent and have persuaded them to switch jobs are in for surprising challenges. 

For instance, it’s not easy for organizations to provide a great onboarding experience without a face-to-face meeting or giving an office tour to new employees. The lack of physical contact has turned every experience into a virtual one, drastically reducing the possibility for emotional attachments.

As the work-from-home culture becomes more and more popular, problems related to non-exclusive employment commitments from workers, not having enough ground workers in the right geographical locations, and adapting to remote interviews and onboarding processes will start becoming more apparent.

THE NEW POSSIBILITIES AND SOLUTIONS

Amid all the challenges and problems that have arisen as a result of the pandemic, there are also new recruitment opportunities for forward-thinking organizations. 

For instance, because of the mass layoffs that happened last year, many exceptionally talented and hardworking professionals have also lost their jobs. This presents an opportunity for recruiters to connect with such talent, which brings a mix of specialized and generic expertise to the table. 

TechNext has a rich database that allows us to find exceptional talent in real-time. Companies can rest assured that the talent we refer to a company will add value to in more ways than imaginable.

COVID-19 has led to special emphasis being put on the use of technology for talent acquisition. 

As a technology-first company, TechNext believes technology is a bi-directional tool –  attracting exceptional talent and presenting talented candidates to clients.

To achieve this, we utilize targeted content for branding our clients as ideal employers and, at the same time, attracting candidates.

The practices involved in the selection process at TechNext are absolutely thorough. We vet candidates to fill the talent gap and fit the company culture, whether the job is on-site, remote, or a hybrid arrangement.

Be it for full-time resource requirements or temporary resources for a special one-off project, our digital platforms will surpass all the stymies and provide you with the best talent that will help your business bounce back and grow to new heights.

We also believe in giving a personalized experience to employees after recruitment to help them assimilate into a company’s culture, create connections with the organization and showcase their talent.