Full database – empty jobs: the conundrum of recruitment post-COVID

October 13th, 2021 | Industry News

Even the best recruitment software for agencies can’t make people sign up for work. The UK furlough scheme has ended, emergency unemployment benefits in the USA ceased several weeks ago, but the expected upsurge in interest in work hasn’t emerged. The President of the American Staffing Association puts it this way, “People who have been on the sidelines have by and large stayed on the sidelines”. In July there were a record 10.9 million job vacancies int the USA.

So what can recruiters do? Online recruitment software can use a softly softly approach engaging potential employees, using automated systems like newsletters and follow up emails to keep in touch with candidates who once expressed interest in employment but are now hesitating to go back to work. Addressing the reasons that people aren’t seeking work can help employers find new staff. There’s been a surge in online applications, but not a matching one in face-to-face engagement. Why?

1. Many people don’t enjoy commuting – and during the lockdowns they found out the didn’t need to do it. New jobs that offer working from home aren’t believable if their recruitment process requires spending time ‘at head office’.

2. Flexitime became the norm during the pandemic – and it’s equally expected in recruitment. Automated recruitment systems engage candidates when they are free to complete questionnaires, answer questions or complete other tasks, which makes potential employees feel like their desire to work whenever is best for them is being recognised from the very beginning.

3. Few people enjoy interviews – and the online interview has become a real joy for those who don’t do well in stressful situations but are well equipped to do the job on offer. The best recruitment CRM allows the best candidate to shine, not the person who’s best at being interviewed.

Agencies making use of software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms such as Recruit So Simple, have a massive advantage in being able to use social media approaches to run recruitment campaigns. From initial advertisement to online interviews through to digital onboarding programmes, web-based recruitment software takes much of the sting out of the traditional recruitment process. While there’s been a trickle, rather than a flood, of new applicants since the various financial support systems ended, that trickle has been largely online… and that’s something traditional recruitment processes need to understand.