This article is written for you, professionals in recruitment. What will this mean to online recruitment, and what do you have to do to survive and thrive during the coronavirus outbreak?

Due to the coronavirus, many companies are going through tough times. Governments are taking measures, and many people are forced to work remotely. The recruitment market gets affected the most. We have seen that the number of online posted vacancies has dropped from thousands to hundreds. In these times, it’s essential to stay focused and calm. Gerard will talk regarding what we have to do to help our companies survive and thrive during the coronavirus outbreak, what it means to online recruitment, and what recruiters & salespeople can do! Learn more in this one-on-one interview with the Group Managing Partner of Lugera and founder of STAA!

What do you think will happen? 

“Well, I think this will push companies faster into online recruitment if they want to survive and thrive during the coronavirus outbreak. There has been a trend going on for more than ten years. Recruitment is getting more and more online. It started with the arrival of job boards, and then hundreds of recruitment applications followed. I have always foreseen that we don’t need to have in-person interviews anymore. Sourcing, matching, selecting, hiring, everything can be done online with the help of social media, online databases, psychological assessment tools, and online interviews. I know a company that has the most amazing digital recruitment tools: VCV. They’re the best.” 

What would you suggest your team to do? 

“First of all: stay safe and healthy. I also want to reassure everyone to follow the rules, so stay at home, don’t shake hands, and keep distance from other people. I suggest everyone should take vitamins, eat and drink healthy, sleep well, and stay calm.”

What tips can you give recruiters to get the most out of their work right now? 

“What recruiters should do is, be in close contact with clients, see what they can do to help. Still, you see that companies lack staff, so there’s a significant demand for people. Recruiters should talk to clients and see where the needs are for recruitment. And recruiters can work their asses off to help those candidates who have been fired due to the coronavirus outbreak. Some companies need staff, and some don’t. Recruiters can fill in the gaps.” 

What tips would you give to salespeople, to make the most out of the coronavirus outbreak? 

“They should be focusing on those branches in which there are shortages in staff. Some companies are extremely busy; for example, in healthcare, we should help them out. I understand the budgets are zero, but we could work for free, perhaps we can recruit volunteers for hospitals and clinics when they’re short in staff. Salespeople should take care of their clients, see if they can help. Our salespeople could think of outsourcing activities for clients who have no capacity. For example, if a client’s payroll department isn’t working well enough due to sick leave, we can take that off their hands. If people can’t work, we can help with our call center, take over back-office work. This situation needs creativity and an open mind to see how we can help society best.”

Which (recruitment) companies and people would be the most successful in these times? 

“I like to quote the saying: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. You have to work harder than ever, totally focused, and what is essential is that you have to stay calm and positive. If you start to panic and be afraid also in normal conditions, you won’t be successful. In these times, you have to have the best attitude there is.”

What will you improve in your companies for the future, to make sure the work can continue?

“Now we’re doing what I always wanted. That everyone in the company can work remotely with the help of online recruitment applications. But I was astonished to see how flexible Lugera already is. Our offices managed to get everyone up and running in their home offices within a week, even the financial and payroll departments, who always need a lot of documents and stuff. In the future, I’d like to have a better system to allow our people to work remotely. And I want our company to become even leaner and more flexible than it was before. Because It’s easier to survive and thrive if you work remotely using online recruitment tools. We have many colleagues in Moscow and Bucharest, where they have to travel one or more hours to work, and it costs them around 15 hours a week. Imagine what they could do with that time! And to have an office next to that, for people to meet in person, that would be perfect.”

Do you have tips for people who get distracted while working remotely?

“I think people who work at home are less distracted. In the office, you can get distracted even more, with colleagues who are talking to you, asking questions, and telling stories. But especially at home, you have to be disciplined and structure your day very well. It’s best to keep the same routine as you did before the coronavirus outbreak and plan your day very well. It’s something you’ll learn and get used to. The beautiful thing is that you can be flexible and have more freedom. But if you have many children, a partner, a mother who visits too much, that is a thing. Still, you have to get disciplined and set clear boundaries for yourself and the people around you. But that’s the same thing as when you’re at work.”

How can STAA help during (corona) virus outbreaks or other setbacks in the future?

“With STAA, it’s effortless to work remotely. STAA is a web-based recruitment application, and it’s an extraordinary tool to use in online recruitment. With STAA, you can match vacancies to CVs in seconds, so you have lists of qualifying candidates at your fingertips in seconds. And you can contact clients and candidates extremely fast. So if there are any open positions online, let’s say one minute, STAA has already found a list of qualifying candidates. And you can contact the company and the candidates at the same time. It’s the best tool to work with when you work from home. For agencies, it is a powerful tool. Because usually recruiters spend hours and weeks to make longlists and now it’s done in a second. It’s legendary. STAA is unparalleled. So basically, one salesperson and one recruiter can manage longlists for all vacancies in a country in one day.”

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