Here’s how you can prepare for the recruiting bounceback

We share three top tips to keep recruiters ahead of the game post-pandemic 

If you’re a recruiter, there’s no question 2020 has been a tough year.

When COVID-19 hit back in March, the majority of workplaces moved to working from home arrangements, they hit pause on recruiting, and in some cases, were forced to cut large numbers of staff. 

This left some recruiters without a whole lot of work, and forced a rethink of how to continue helping their clients in such an unstable environment.   

But as Australia slowly emerges out the other side of the pandemic and organisations return to a kind of normal, recruiters need to start preparing for the recruitment rush that lies ahead.  

We sat down with Nina Mapson Bone from Beaumont People for some advice on how you can manage the bounce back. 

Get back in touch 

Reaching out to clients and organisations to see what their needs are before the recruiting rush really kicks off is a great first step to firming up a relationship now, and well into the future. 

“If you’ve been talking to your clients throughout the year when times were tough then your clients will remember you in a positive way now,” Mapson Bone says. 

“If you didn’t do that from the outset, then you’ve probably only got a small window to be able to pick that up and form those relationships.”

Pick a talent pool and stick to it

Trying to be good at absolutely everything will probably mean you are more stressed, and less helpful. Instead, Mapson Bone suggests finding a specific talent pool to focus on so that you have your expertise and contacts ready to go.  

“Those that specialise in a specific area well will do better because they’ll be able to work much more closely with candidates, [and] some of the hiring managers, to ensure that they can provide the help their clients need,” she says. 

“One of the things that Beaumont People specialises in, for example, is fundraising. And it really makes a difference because we know the people in that space and we know what’s happening.” 

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver 

If business has been a little quiet this year, it might be tempting as the industry picks up again to promise candidates things you can’t deliver, or push for them to move into a role that isn’t right for them. But as Mapson Bone explains, doing so will only hurt you now and into the future. 

“It’s challenging because a lot of people will be feeling disgruntled about their organisation or feel like they haven’t been able to change jobs until now… but there might be an element of thinking the grass is greener on the other side,” she says.

“And if a recruiter oversells a job that’s not right, clients could be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.”