17th March 2020
At the time of publishing, a total of 1,543 people have
been tested positive in the UK for Coronavirus (Covid-19), with medical experts urging anyone showing the
smallest signs of a fever or a continuous cough to self-isolate, and people in ‘at-risk’
groups being asked to stay home for 12 weeks.
Businesses of all shapes and sizes are having to find new
and innovative methods of enabling operations to continue with as little
disruption as possible, with remote working options becoming a vital part of
the ‘social distancing’ strategy to slow the spread of the virus and enable
businesses to carry on as normal (as possible).
But when it comes to the recruitment process – is it
realistic to think that it’s ‘business as usual’? Google
certainly thinks so, it hasn’t taken them long to replace
traditional face to face interviews with video interviews.
For many industries, particularly hospitality and high
street retail, these are trying times to say the least. But for other
employers, there is an urgent need to recruit – for instance Amazon is looking
to hire an additional 100,000 full and part-time staff to keep up with demand.
27.5 days is the average time to hire in the UK
– if
employers who are looking to recruit wait until the coronavirus outbreak
subsides, the delays could have a significant impact on those businesses who
are not ahead of the game.
Employers who are in a position to do so, need to continue
with a selective recruitment process, enabling them to focus on only interviewing
the best applicants or at the very least have a bank of suitable applicants
ready and waiting for a face to face interview when the pandemic ends.
So, how
can you start ‘remote recruiting’?
Recruitment doesn’t have to come to a grinding halt,
technology can enable you to continue the recruitment and selection process –
and it can even help you to save time and avoid those costly mistake hires by
adopting varied selection methods…
Online Pre-employment Skills, Knowledge and
Psychometric Testing
Did you know that 28% of job seekers lie on their CV? From
IT, literacy and numeracy skills, to accounting, health & safety, and
customer service – online testing is a sure-fire way to reduce the risk of a
poor hire, and save you time from having to interview applicants who don’t meet
the required standards.
Psychometric Testing Service is a useful tool to help you
to understand how aspects of an individual's behavioural style will affect
their performance at work. It can be used for all roles but is particularly
useful for sales, managerial and leadership positions. 81% of people using
psychometrics believe it helps reduce risky decisions!
Click
here for more information on online skills and knowledge testing
Click
here for more information on online psychometric testing
Video interviewing
Conducting video interviews with candidates is an obvious
way to reduce the risks of face-to-face interviews, but how on earth do you
start implementing the process?
Well, when it comes to video software – from established providers
such as Zoom and Skype to the apps on our mobile phones such as Google Hangouts
(Android) and FaceTime (Apple/iOS) - you won’t be short of options!
If we had to pick one, it would be the online meeting room/video
conferencing tool Whereby. It’s
simple to use and set up, just think of it as an online meeting room – set up
your unique URL and send the link to anyone you’d like to join, and they can
enter the room once you’ve let them in. There’s no need for the interviewee to
set up an account, and it is browser-based so there’s no need to download any
specific software - which makes it perfect for video interviews!
Here are our top tips for conducting video
interviews:
As the situation continues to unfold, there’s no telling
how serious things could get and the impact it could have on all aspects of how
businesses operate – but the only thing we can do is use the tools we have at
our disposal to mitigate the impact.
The CIPD has compiled plenty of useful resources and
guidance to help employers respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak,
click here to read more: https://www.cipd.co.uk/news-views/coronavirus
If you’d like to discuss anything mentioned in
this article or how JVP can ensure your business is not impacted by delays in
the recruitment process call us on 01745 774 955, email Services@JVPGroup.co.uk, or schedule
a consultation call at a time convenient for you here: https://www.jvpgroup.co.uk/consultation