Covid-19 lockdown impacted the employment industry early on in the piece, whenever the words ‘downturn’ or ‘financial crisis’ were used the proceeding terms were ‘recruitment freeze’ and ‘cost cutting’. The industry needed to act swiftly and find ways to negotiate and navigate on behalf of clients with changing working environments and candidates with uncertain employment circumstances.
Candidates were supported through a multitude of challenging situations including those that were in the middle of interview processes put on hold – “would that role be available again and would I be at the top of the consideration list” was the question from them. Some candidates needed help as they had resigned and were about to commence new roles that were cancelled – “will this role be reinstated in the company afterwards? Will I be considered? What will I do now?” were their questions. And then there were candidates in temporary roles that were asked to relocate to remote working – “how long is my position going to be secure do you think?” was what they asked. These are just a few examples.
Clients too had their own woes relative to recruitment in lockdown. “We really want to hire that incredible person but we have had a company wide recruitment freeze, how do we keep them interested in us?”. Then there was “We now need to commence that person with a remote induction process, will we maintain engagement?” and “the candidate has advised us they are concerned about job security and have withdrawn their interest, staying with their current employer, can you help?”
It was clear early on that recruitment, employment & covid-19 were not going to be best friends.
But as the business, client & candidate communities adapted to the rapidly changing ‘normal’ there was a swift shift in attitudes by many who quickly turned their attention to ‘after the disaster’. The new statements and questions from businesses and candidates, employees and employers were ‘ok this isn’t great, but what can I do to maximise the current situation and what can I do to plan for a better future?’
Recruitment service then moved into full consultation mode, providing counselling in relation to recruitment matters that didn’t necessarily result in fee for service, rather giving back to the community at a time of real need. This is a shift for an industry that is generally focussed on meeting targets, working toward budgets and making challenging deadlines. But from all accounts, the general consensus has been that it has resulted in a rewarding and fulfilling experience to be giving back and operating with a community focus.
We are a trusted Recruitment Agency in Melbourne & Sydney with over 40 years of experience. We are currently offering eligible businesses free recruitment assistance during this time. Get in touch.
