5 Tips: How to Build a Strong COVID-19 Recruitment Strategy

Mitratech Staff |

It’s no secret – the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic has made an unprecedented impact on many businesses and brands. Industry-leading conferences have been cancelled, all non-essential travel has been banned, restaurants have shuttered their doors aside from takeout and delivery options, and those who can work from home are being required to.

How a company chooses to respond to COVID-19 will have a sizable impact on brand and reputation. In order to keep employees and applicants healthy and safe, having a well-oiled virtual recruitment and rehire strategy is crucial – for now and post-crisis. Here are 5 tips to keep communications running smoothly and applications coming in during COVID-19:

  1. Keep your career pages up to date with hiring statuses, and make sure your applicants know the measures your company is taking to create a safe work (and interview) environment during COVID-19.
  2. 70% of the hourly workforce are mobile-first digital natives. Text-To-Apply capabilities provide a safe and simplified way to capture candidates who are grabbing takeout, making a quick visit to your place of business, or just driving by looking for job opportunities. From custom window displays and signage with QR codes and/or unique Text-To-Apply keywords and short-codes, these applicants can complete the entire application from their mobile device.
  3. Make applicants aware of any COVID-19 testing that may need to be completed prior to extending an offer or commencing employment.
  4. Have an existing talent community? Leverage it to send updates to existing members, keeping them appraised of hiring statuses as it relates to COVID-19. Communication to applicants is essential during times like these – candidates want to know what you’re doing to address the health and safety of employees and applicants, and know when to expect new positions to open up – a helpful strategy for post-COVID-19 hiring.
  5. Build your talent pipeline now; build interest in your soon-to-be open positions today by encouraging applicants to apply now, where they can opt-in to your talent community and be considered as soon as new positions open up. This will reduce time-to-hire and enable a proactive hiring approach when the post-COVID-19 hiring surge hits.

Regardless of what your “socially distant” recruitment strategy looks like, the team at TalentReef hopes that you remain healthy, and are taking all of the recommended steps to protect and update job seekers and current employees. We’re available to help if you’re looking for a social and mobile recruiting strategy that offers countless methods and tools to attract talent.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on TalentReef.com. In August 2022, Mitratech acquired Advanced Applicant Tracking System, TalentReef. The content has since been updated to include information aligned with our product offerings, regulation changes, and compliance.