Recruiting during a Pandemic – a Note from Asia

A snapshot of the current trends in recruitment by
Juan Dorfling, Managing Director, Asia

The skills gap is widening fast and COVID-19 pandemic will force innovation in the way we attract, hire and onboard world-class talent.

As global uncertainty around COVID-19 continues to accelerate, how the pandemic will impact businesses and employees becomes an ever-growing concern. It is forcing us to think differently and be more innovative in the way we attract, hire, and onboard world-class talent.

What’s our company doing during pandemic?

We are taking the opportunity to improve our database and update our technologies, so we can better service our clients. We are increasing our market intel – talking to industry experts and adapting winning strategies on how businesses can thrive in the current climate.

Most importantly, we are taking the opportunity to reconnect with our clients and top candidates – giving them guidance on how to tackle these tough times.

Companies

Empathize with people going through the already challenging process of finding a job, who have even more reasons to worry about the future right now. Be honest and gracious. Let candidates know as much as possible about expected timelines and changes in your interview process or be clear about the fact that a job may no longer be available.

If you can – continue with your hiring process. Technology is great! You can easily do a one-to-one or panel interview via video. And not only interviews, nearly everything can be done online – onboarding, training, meet-and-greets. If this is something new to your company or industry – we can help. We have helped multiple clients now by sharing our own experience and providing recommendations on remote hiring, onboarding, and training their staff.

Candidates

We all understand that COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way companies are hiring and interviewing, but it has not put a stop to all recruiting. Sure, some industries are cutting back, but others are actively hiring.

Be prepared for video interviews and if hired, virtual onboarding. Be patient with companies as they adapt to these new ways of working, and make sure you adapt yourself – be it learning about new technology, or educating yourself on best practices of online interviews.

In these unprecedented times, we need to band together and ride this wave. Reach out if you need a chat – we are here to help.

Gough’s vision is to be the leading and preferred industry specialist with a holistic approach to delivering quality talent in the Real Estate, Property, Development, and Construction markets. Providing a range of recruitment and consulting services since 1989, Gough has developed strong relationships and built a quality network of candidates for our clients. Our years of experience and passion for what we do provide clients and candidates with top-quality service that exceeds expectations. We have fully integrated offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Singapore and Hong Kong and are known for offering a localised service with an international reach of quality candidates.