Seeing the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity: Why you should get the decisive edge in recruiting right now

Over the last few days, we have been able to speak to a number of recruitment managers and personnel consultants about this. There have been recruitment freezes in many places, but even promising applicants are increasingly withdrawing their applications out of uncertainty. In this crisis, candidates want to avoid the risk and see themselves in safe harbour with their current employer, even if a change would mean many opportunities and personal development. Therefore: Yes, recruiting right now!

Set the right signals even during the crisis 

Companies are increasingly drawing the conclusion from this development that recruiting activities should be stopped for the time being. What is the consequence? The really acute need for personnel in some sectors remains - the search will inevitably have to be continued in a few weeks and then the whole process will start all over again and it will take another few weeks before really important positions can be filled. Candidates who were already in the process and are now being cancelled for the time being due to the crisis will receive the wrong signal. They scrutinise their potential new employer and doubt the security of the crisis. Especially in times of crisis, it is important to send the right signals on the labour market. Show strength and determination, especially now, because the factors that motivate candidates to change jobs will change in the future. The crisis will change a lot here.

Impending change in the candidate market Recruiting after Corona

For years, we have been experiencing an increasing shortage of skilled labour on the one hand and fewer and fewer candidates considering a change on the other. A candidate market has developed in which specialists can dictate the terms of a change. Always higher, faster, further. This could now come to an end. The pandemic has made us all realise the finite nature of our feel-good oasis. Jobs we thought were safe are not safe forever. After all, there are things that we cannot influence and that can hit us like an avalanche. This borderline experience changes our awareness of the really important things in life. Family and health. Employers will be re-evaluated and the requirements for the ideal workplace will change. Attractiveness will increasingly be measured by factors such as crisis security and readiness for modern and flexible forms of office work ("new work").

Standing still is a step backwards

This is precisely why it is so important to continue now. Standing still is a step backwards. Those who move forward now will have a decisive advantage after the crisis. Because one thing is also clear: there will be a time after the corona crisis and there will be jobs that need to be filled, even after corona. Stopping all these activities now is a big risk and will put you under pressure to act at a later date. Use the time wisely now and send the right signals to the candidate market: we are still on the ball, we will continue to expand, we will survive this crisis and want to continue to grow.

What can you do now?

Build up your candidate pipeline - recruiting after Corona

Instead of abruptly cancelling application processes that have been started, it is better to continue discussions now. Now is exactly the right time to get to know candidates and conduct interviews. Many people now have the time to conduct interviews that they would never get round to in their normal working day. It works in people, they question their current work, their employer and open up. If you send out the right signals here, you will be able to respond to your employees immediately after the crisis. Pipeline and fill important positions quickly. This is what will give you the necessary head start when the economy picks up again.

Digitisation of the Recruiting processes

Even before the crisis, many candidates who were only latently willing to change jobs were not in the mood for long and time-consuming application processes. Do candidates really always have to travel all over Germany for an initial interview in person? Doesn't it make sense to increasingly rely on the possibilities of digitalisation and offer video interviews? A decisive second interview can still take place in person, but especially at a time like this, there is an opportunity to continue conversations and not stop all activities. You can practice, optimise and perfect this type of conversation. Perhaps it will even become an important tool for recruiting in the future?

There is no reason to stop recruiting and cancel all activities. Take advantage of the opportunities that arise and give yourself the head start you need when life returns to normal. This will ultimately lay the foundations for future success.