How Your Company Handled COVID Matters to Future Candidates

Your organization survived the last year. Whew. You’re glad that’s in the past. Only guess what? How your company handled COVID matters to future candidates. Here’s why the pandemic will continue to impact recruiting and how you can address potential employee’s concerns. 

Why Your Handling of COVID Matters to Future Candidates 

• • They’re Hoping for Reassurance About Your Company’s Stability 
    Some businesses struggled but survived the pandemic. Others folded. And still, others thrived. Certainty COVID-19 was an unusual event. However, the way your organization responded says volumes about your ability to pull through a crisis. 
  • They Want to Know How Your Treat Your Employees 
    Did you put the wellbeing of your employees or your businesses first? Certainly, many organizations had to make tough decisions. Ultimately, your candidates will want to know if those choices were made with care and compassion or cold-hearted calculation. 
  • They Are Curious as to How Your Business Will Evolve 
    The effects of COVID will be long lasting. Between increased automation, online ordering, and remote hiring, the world won’t return to 2019. Is your company ready to spring forward? Or is it gazing longingly at the past? 

Questions Candidates May Ask About Your COVID Response 

• • How did COVID impact your business? 
  • Were your emergency plans effective, or did you need to rework them?  
  • What steps did you take to ensure the safety of your staff? 
  • What did you expect from your employees during the pandemic? 
  • What cuts did you make? Staffing? Benefits? Pay? 
  • How did you support employees who lost their jobs? 
  • Will you continue to support work-from-home options post coronavirus? 

Tips for Answering COVID-Related Candidate Inquiries 

• • Highlight What Went Well 
    If your company made it through 2020, you did something right. Share your accomplishments with your candidates. Maybe you were able to protect and/or bring back all your employees? Maybe you expanded your business model? Or maybe you increased efficiency by embracing technology? Sharing your successes will help to build candidates’ confidence in your organization.   
  • Be Honest 
    You may not be proud of everything you’ve had to do in the past few months. Nevertheless, try to be as transparent and forthcoming as possible when someone asks a coronavirus question. Between the internet and their personal networks, candidates will easily find out if you are sugarcoating the truth.   

• • Outline Your Plans for the Future
    Above all, prospective employees “want to be sure their potential employer is one that responds well and grows stronger through hardships.” (SHRM, 2020) Therefore, focus not only on what you’ve done but also on what you plan to do. This may include learning from your mistakes, improving outdated processes, and continuing to implement innovative ideas.  

Do You Need Help with Hiring in the Post-COVID Era? 

Whether your organization is looking for permanent employees or contract-to-hire workers in 2021, Halpin Staffing Services is here for you. We place industrial and professional staff with top companies in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois. Learn more about the advantages of recruiting through Halpin today!