How much will Recruitment change Post-COVID? (Clue: F-All).

Every day, there are dozens of articles on how COVID will change Recruitment.

Well, here is the news.

It will not.

And I have the scientific, irrefutable, undebatable proof!

Let me explain;

Most days, I walk around my leafy Sydney suburb in a pathetic attempt to ‘keep fit’. On those walks, I pass dozens of other middle-aged local residents doing the same thing. Even if it’s early and not many others around, they ignore me, and each other. No hello. No smile. No nod. Too busy, you see. Being ‘active’. Looking good. On their phones. Doing deals. Listening to Cold Play.

But that was pre – COVID!

Then the lock-down came to Sydney, and we were only allowed out to shop and go out for one hours’ exercise. Well, over those few lock-down months, I walked every day. But what a difference! Now, people were noticeably making eye-contact. “How are you” came the cry. “Great day for it” was the call. “Hope you are doing well”, was the greeting. Big smiles of encouragement. You could almost hear the unuttered chorus, “We are all in this together. Keep your pecker up.”

My wife was delighted and philosophical. “This is how COVID will change our world for the better!” she said. “People will be kinder and more connected”, she beamed. “Something so good out of something so bad”, she opined.

“Yes,” I agreed, thinking quite the opposite. I am weak that way.

And so, COVID mostly blew over our lucky part of the world. Restrictions were lifted. We got back to 80% normal.

My walks continued.

But the greetings stopped.

As soon as the ‘lock-down crisis’ was over, everyone reverted to type. I continued with my “hellos” and “how are you’s”, but the perambulating masses were back on their phones and back in their own worlds, and I was no longer noticed. We were all so ‘busy’ again.

Of course, I don’t seriously mean that story as proof of anything.

But I do say this in all seriousness.

A backward-looking recruitment manager, reluctantly allowing people to work a few days a week from home (because s/he virtually has to), is not ‘change’.

Moving poorly done face-to-face interviews to even worse Zoom interviews, is not ‘change ‘either.

Mark my words. Most agency recruiters and owners, so relieved that this crisis is finally over and jobs are coming in, will go back and do everything pretty much exactly the same they ever did before ( with maybe a few cosmetic changes, forced on them)

So here it is.

Recruitment won’t miraculously change because of COVID.

But you will never have a better chance to make changes – if you so desire.

And that’s the point.

You, we, have to configure our own futures.

You, and your company, have never had a better opportunity to re-invent, to pivot, to grow, and take market share.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.

We have to self-disrupt, not wait for some magical post-COVID wave to deliver us a new world of Recruitment. Any change of that nature will wash right over us and leave us beached anyway!

• You will not ‘rise on the tide’ of recovery.
• Proactively shape the new reality
• Slaughter sacred cows
• Why do we do it this way?
• What should we dump?
• In particular, invest in tech that drives efficiency, frees recruiters up to engage with customers more, and improves customer experience
• Be nimble

And so you cry! What do we re-evaluate? Exactly?

Just this.

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Now is a good time to read ‘The Savage Truth’. Full of lessons about surviving recessions, but also on how to take advantage of the recovery. Get it here

(All proceeds of my book sales in 2020 go to the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund)

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