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“The future of work consists of learning a living.”
- Marshall McLuhan, Canadian Philosopher
Imagine that you are in a situation where you have to rethink your entire way of doing business overnight. Despite your initial fears, it turns out that the new method shows promise for something more long-term. It acts as a blueprint of sorts for the days ahead. Believe it or not, this is what most workplace leaders discovered in the Covid-19 crisis. The future of work trends points to the fact that the hiring crisis of the post-Covid-19 era will haunt us for many days to come. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to adapt. You could even thrive with the right strategy in place.
Let’s recap, in the wake of the pandemic, what did we see? We saw a mass global migration for pretty much all sectors across the majority of industries. This migration was one where everyone was either moving to the digital realm or upgrading their existing online infrastructure. The pandemic essentially forced our hands at improving our approach to business, the technologies therein, and even how we search for talent.
In this article, we will be looking at some key strategies that should help you better navigate the hiring crisis of the post-Covid-19 era. This will give you a better idea of how to approach the future of work.
The better your internal teams and external initiatives are aligned, the higher the quality of hires are.
One thing that you should keep in mind when going through the recruitment process is alignment. This refers to the alignment of your internal and external resources as well as the candidates with the values of the organisation. Let’s break it down. In today’s landscape, it goes far beyond just an interview. One has to make sure that the hiring leaders are fully aware of the changing market landscape. For this purpose, many companies have been proactively hiring external agencies to help skill up hiring leaders.
This makes for a better alignment of the hiring leadership with the talent acquisition team. Once everyone is on the same page, you get better results. In terms of aligning your candidates with the values of the company, just be sure to have a clear idea in mind of the type of employee you are looking for. This should give you a good idea of what criteria a candidate has to meet to effectively carry out their duties. With that, your stage is set and you are ready to tackle the future of work.
The Future of Work: Attracting Candidates in a Tight Job Market
Look, with the onset of the pandemic and everything shifting to digital, first impressions have become all the more important. In this day and age, it isn’t just the candidates who have to impress the company, it’s a two-way street. Companies have to go out of their way to show candidates why they would want to work there over the competition. It’s the only way to stay afloat in this economy. Having said that, here are a few ways you can go about this.
"You have to value skills and not just degrees."
- Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM
#1 Make Candidate Experience a Priority in the Future of Work
The first step to any successful recruitment process is to design it in a way that puts people first. The future of work depends on the candidate’s experience. It is the most important thing that can come out of it. It should be constructed in such a way that the recruiter has time to connect with people during the hiring process. As we mentioned before, technology has seen massive improvements in the workplace, so use it to your benefit. Use technology and things like automated reference checks to take the admin work off your recruiter’s plate. Free them up to get to know the person behind the resume. It is crucial to understand how the work will fit into the candidate’s life and not the other way around.
The world and the future of work have changed drastically over the past few years and continue to evolve. We now find ourselves in a state where candidates are looking for work that offers them a holistic lifestyle as opposed to just another paycheck.
#2 Try for Candidates with Transferable Skills
Another way to attract top talent in these tough times is to look into transferable skills. A good way to think about this is to consider candidates from industries that have relevant or adjacent skillsets that can be adapted for your business. This provides you with the benefit of time saved on upskilling freshers, while still retaining an employee who can absorb new knowledge about the industry. Alternatively, you could also consider recruiting internally!
This is a great way to build employee loyalty and fill in the talent gap at the same time. Use what you have, that is the ultimate takeaway from this point.
You need to offer employees something that will make them want to work for you. It's a two-way street.
#3 Polish Up Your Employer Value Proposition for a Better Future of Work
As the needs of the job market shift, so too should your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) to accommodate the future of work. As mentioned above, candidates want a job that provides them with a degree of satisfaction. You need to carry yourself in such a way that you look desirable as an employer. People should want to work for you because of what you have to offer them. This could take the form of better work hours, more time off, a wide range of benefits or even a higher pay scale.
Make sure that whatever changes you implement in practice, are out there for the world to see. Revamp your website and social media platforms. Highlight what you stand for and what you can offer your employees.
#4 Referrals Are Your Best Friend
Glassdoor is a great example of referrals or peer-to-peer advocacy. People want to hear from people about the company. They want to know the employee’s perspective before they commit to your business. Referrals have always been a great vehicle for recruitment. It even plays a massive role in automated reference checking if you think about it. Word-of-mouth carries weight.
However, now you have the technology to back up your efforts, so use it! Get a dedicated team to jump on the phones, follow up with referrals and make the most of it. A positive word about your business practices can work wonders when trying to accommodate the future of work trends.
#5 Keep the Hope Alive to Navigate the Future of Work
This is not emphasized nearly as much as it should be. Frankly speaking, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world face-to-face with some of humanity’s darkest times. This applies both economically and socially. In such a case, it’s crucial to maintain a positive mindset. You, as an employer, need to take steps to boost employee morale. Because, at the end of the day, everything we mentioned so far, stems from a healthy outlook towards the business.
Take time to reflect on shortcomings, challenges and success. Celebrate the little things and the things you learnt. This will preserve your company’s values and just help things run a lot smoother in the long run. In a way, it brings us back to the first point. It’s all about people. People help you run your business, so put them first to the best of your ability. So, there you have it, some of the key ways in which you can adapt to the future of work in the post-Covid-19 era.
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