Now is the perfect time to find that new employee/job

With the national coronavirus lockdown still in its early days, now is the perfect time for companies to recruit that perfect team member and for job-seekers to land that dream job.

Michele Katz of In Place Recruitment – specialist recruiters to the insurance industry – sent us the following info for employers and job-hunters alike to help you make the most of these strange times. CN&CO Recruitment has worked closely with In Place Recruitment over the years in the placement of specialised candidates across a variety of industries, mainly in insurance and financial services.

Here at In Place Recruitment, we hope that you, your teams and your family are strong and well. In response to the global pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak, we wanted to share our message on ways for us to ease your recruitment needs, the measures we are taking and the new supportive services we can now offer to both our clients and our candidates.

REMOTE WORKING

We have always supported remote and flexi working and all of our recruiters are fully operational in much the same way as they would be in the office. So, despite the change in location, we are still able to do what we do best: provide the best people, fastest.

REASONS TO KEEP RECRUITING

With the understanding and compassion that this won’t be applicable to all industries and companies and that there are impossible decisions being made in business across the country, here are some key points to consider:

1. Don’t push pause
   
   Not all companies have stopped recruiting. In our skills-short market, hard-to-fill vacancies will still be there when these crazy times are over. Now is the ideal time to engage with potential candidates. You don’t want to be left behind because you paused your recruitment.
   
2. The talent pool is full!
   
   There are more candidates in the talent pool currently looking for work or open to conversations than we have seen in a long time. The time is ripe to speak to potential candidates, especially regarding roles you are struggling to fill.
   
3. Online is the order of the day
   
   Your entire recruitment process can be digitised, keeping everyone safe while still actively recruiting. We’re handling all the admin online, and face-to-face interviews are made possible using video conferencing tools such as Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WeChat Work and Slack.
   
4. Time is of the essence
   
   Recruitment processes can take up to three months, especially when looking for hard-to-find skills. With potential candidates all locked down at home, this is a great time to jump in and find that perfect new hire quickly and effectively.
   
5. There’s nowhere to hide…
   
   Remember all those hard-to-reach candidates you’ve been trying to track down for months? Well, for the next couple of weeks you know exactly where they are. Time to move in and set up an appointment.

FOR OUR CLIENTS

1. Flexible payment terms
   
   With the current economic pressure on business – especially small business­ – and to do our part, we are open to discussing flexible payment arrangements. Talk to us and we can find a solution for you.
   
2. Extended guarantee periods
   
   As new employees may have to work remotely for an extended period of time and to accommodate the on-boarding of new employees in this remote working climate, we can extend our guarantee periods to minimise your risk.
   
3. Strengthening talent pools
   
   Why not use this time to create a talent pipeline? Let us help you identify your “later in the year” needs and gaps, and engage with us on a project basis.
   
   It is also the perfect time to research specific skills-short markets and see what your competitors are doing. We can help!
   
4. A helping hand to our HR clients
   
   We can only imagine the stress you are under as you face this crisis. You probably have so many of your own employees to take care of that you may not get to all of your day-to-day tasks, never mind communicating with your colleagues. We can help – with anything from writing job specs, to assisting your line managers to spreading your message to your employees. We would love to partner with you to help you and your teams get through this unusual time.
   
5. Digital recruiting process
   
   Our focus is recruitment and as such we are experts in the recruitment lifecycle. We have already set up and streamlined our own operational recruitment process and are happy to help you do the same, alleviating at least one pressure!

FOR OUR CANDIDATES

1. Free career review
   
   This is the ideal time to talk to an expert about your career and your career path. Get advice and speak to one of our top recruiters, who are not only experts in recruitment but also in the industry in which you work.
   
2. A compassionate ear
   
   We are here to answer your career- and recruitment-oriented questions, to listen and be in this together with you – sometimes it really helps to speak to someone objective.
   
3. Professional CV
   
   Do you need help with your CV? With our collective 20 years’ experience, we can help you put together a professional and well written CV or resume that will help you apply online for all vacancies, giving you the best possible chance at a good hit rate.

We are open for business and on hand to lend support during this challenging time. You can reach us through your contacts in the CN&CO team.

Be safe and healthy.

The In Place Recruitment team