Going viral: Learn to trust your webcam again
What companies are doing regarding recruitment during COVID-19, broadly…
As the landscape of COVID-19 changes each day, even by the hour, there is a definite need to find the via media between Emmanuel Macron’s virulent ‘We are at war’ stance and Donald Trump’s laissez-faire, science-denying approach to managing the virus.
The media noise is crescendoing on COVID-19 and it is obvious that things cannot broadly continue as before for now. Therefore, it is recommended that some small adjustments are made to your job search which can hopefully provide some solace during this uncertain, unprecedented period of time.
Ensure you are ahead of the curve during your COVID-19 job search
One recommendation is to keep applying for jobs as companies are still interviewing and still hiring people. Prioritise your applications over reaching out to people to organically cultivate opportunities.
Maintaining a proactive approach will be favourable to you. As with more people engaging in working from home policies, regardless of whether you’re working with a consultant or direct, those people you are desperate to get in contact with are more likely to be close to their phones and less likely to be out of office or in meetings.
How does an employer minimise recruitment impact
As the proliferation of ‘social distancing’ continues, video calls (VCs) have become the most effective way of communicating with people and technology like Google Hangouts is brilliantly simple for this.
You should move the process along as normal - if not, quicker. VCs enable you to arrange conversations between two or more people in different locations instantly so meeting people should not pose you any issues. You may find the process becomes even quicker as meetings via VC can be arranged swiftly and with less logistical issues like transport, location and cost.
You can still get a solid feel for a person over a video interview or meeting. How they present themselves remains very clear, as you would from an in-person interview.
Acting now will prepare you for later. Eventually, the virus will pass and making arrangements now, rather than doing nothing, will be beneficial in the long term for your company. The volatility of the markets presents an interesting opportunity for potential growth. Recruiting now and continuing as normal will place you ahead of competitors for Q2.
How should candidates respond and prepare for VCs
Ensure your technology is fully functioning, including internet, camera and audio equipment. Treat it like a normal interview or meeting, dress the way you normally would, elevate your laptop - would you slouch at an in-person interview?
Don’t make it seem like you’re buried away in a light-absent bunker (even if you are), make sure there is decent lighting. Be careful if you wear glasses with a glare. Try not to be dazzled by your own beauty in the screen and focus on the interviewer, as you would in person; eye contact. Mute your phone, turning vibrate mode off to limit any distractions or other noises, but keep the interviewer or other person in the meeting’s phone number close in case the connection drops. Typing can also be noisy or distracting for both parties. Sound is important so try to avoid the room sounding like an echo chamber as it may come across metaphorically about you.
Go retro and use a pen and paper to take notes as well as having a printed copy of your CV, covering letter and perhaps the job description or some notes within an arm’s length. Be aware of still looking underprepared if you rely too much on these.
The news will be full of articles about the direction in which companies are now heading or their reactions to these events, so use this as source material for gaining a better understanding of a business’ goals or culture ahead of your VC.
Keep children, pets and distracting significant others or family members away for the duration of the interview or meeting. Everyone remembers Professor Robert Kelly’s BBC interview.
Conclusion
Going ‘viral’ is often seen as something beneficial in the realm of today’s hyper-technological world, but the word feels slightly uncomfortable right now. As the ‘social distancing’ recommendation is doubled to two metres, technology still offers us great alternatives to ensure the recruitment process remains productive and prosperous against the backdrop of COVID-19.