How recruitment professionals are adapting to a new normal

Last year wasn’t easy for recruiters. As the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, talent acquisition teams came to a standstill, uncertain of the implications it would have on their organization’s hiring needs.

Today, many businesses have resumed their recruiting activities, but the way hiring is done looks different than it did just a couple of years ago. 

To better understand how COVID-19 was still impacting recruiters today, Recruiting Daily’s executive editor, Mark Feffer, connected with three Oracle customers: 

• Cheryl Gochis, CHRO & Vice President of HR at Baylor University
• Nizet Flores, Human Capital Coordinator at MCM Telecom
• Ryan Brooks, Senior. Director of Talent Acquisition at Learning Care Group. 

Feffer led a discussion oriented around the ramifications of the pandemic, how hiring teams strategized through the challenges, the value of technology while remote, and so much more.

You can read the full article here for complete details. Here are the three biggest takeaways I gathered from the panel:

1. COVID-19 is still affecting hiring today

Based on the thoughts shared by interviewees and similar sentiments we’ve heard from other customers, it’s clear that the pandemic is still having a strong impact on talent acquisition. 

Early on in the interview, all three leaders shared how they’ve dealt with a range of challenges from hiring freezes to shifts in candidate expectations. 

“We're seeing decreased visits to our posts,” says Ryan Brooks, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at Learning Care Group. “We're getting decreased applicant flow in an industry where we already see low applicant flow…things are coming back as far as families wanting to enroll, but you're just not seeing that same bounce back with people wanting to work.”

Despite the availability of vaccinations and businesses reopening as a result, many organizations are still struggling to find talent. Managers are raising starting salaries and signing bonuses to counteract the shortage, but these solutions aren’t always realistic for everyone.

To learn how you can maintain business continuity despite COVID-19, take a look at Oracle’s Employee Care Package, which features a variety of tools for prioritizing retention, employee well-being, and development.

2. Recruiting isn’t impossible

Despite experiencing difficulties, we still see our customers brainstorming new ways to find, attract, and hire talent. 

During the middle of the interview, Feffer inquired about what’s been working for these companies as they try to maintain their talent acquisition activities. Answers greatly varied by leader, with one focused on recruitment marketing and awareness while another focused on upgrading their application environment for greater efficiency.

“The one that is really working for me right now is a seating program,” said Nizet Flores, Human Capital Coordinator at MCM Telecom, who is working with institutions of higher learning to attract graduate level talent. “I have an agreement with the main universities - both public and private universities - and I ask young people to do internships in MCM.”

Targeting recent graduates is common practice to recruiting teams, however, pair this strategy with partnerships and you’ve got a leg-up over the competition when it comes to finding and attracting young, eager talent. 

For information on how you can reassess the way you target talent, take a look at Grant Thornton’s blog, Rethinking the Sourcing Strategy in a Post COVID World.

3. Technology is crucial 

Applicant-tracking systems are nothing new. In fact, they’re leveraged by 99% of Fortune 500 companies.

During the interview, the role of recruiting technology came up several times, and it’s no surprise why. Such solutions have been instrumental in supporting candidate interaction and remote productivity for organizations during the pandemic. Near the end of the interview, the panelists had an opportunity to share examples of how ATS platforms have helped them keep the lights on.
 
All three leaders discussed how critical technology toolsets have been for their recruiting teams, like candidate relationship management (CRM), social media marketing, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI). Candidates weren’t forgotten either.
 
“With recruiting, [we want tools that] ease the process for the candidate and that yield the best information,” said Cheryl Gochis, CHRO & Vice President of HR at Baylor University. “I think great technology companies are paying attention to how do you yield the best experience and how do you get the best candidates.”
 
To see how you can utilize technology to enhance your candidate experience and improve hiring efficiency, visit oracle.com/recruiting.
 
If you’re having trouble hiring great talent, know that you’re not alone. All panelists struggled to fill vacancies but with a little creativity and some help from technology, they managed to keep essential positions staffed. Whether you’re finding it tough to attract more candidates, drive internal mobility, or keep recruiters productive, you can find help by referencing Recruiting Daily’s Post-Pandemic Recruiting: A Guide for Recruiters, Hiring Managers, and Candidates.

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