Nearly 30 million people are currently unemployed in the U.S.. However, many companies are still hiring or will be looking to hire in the near future (as an example Kroger has hired more than 100,000 workers since mid-March and will be filling 7,000 more positions to keep up with consumer demand).
Under COVID-19 hiring looks very different than it did just a few months back. Prospective employees need to be prepared for the new processes of recruitment, and the best prepared will come out ahead, according to Greg Moran, CEO at OutMatch, an SaaS-based talent intelligence platform.
Moran’s advice to Digital Journal readers is as follows:
Looking to LinkedIn as more than just a networking tool
LinkedIn is much more than just a networking tool. When preparing for an interview, aside from a company’s web site, LinkedIn can provide additional company facts – and is a strong indicator of a company’s culture, key priorities and focus areas. And as employees continue to work remotely, LinkedIn will become even more essential to the hiring process, providing networking opportunities that don’t rely on in-person, face to face interaction.
Being open to new interviewing methods b/c they aren’t going away anytime soon
Companies aren’t looking to digital hiring as just a temporary solution to COVID-19, but rather a test for the long-term. Candidates must prepare for a virtual interview with the same amount of rigor and attention that they would use for an in-person interview. That means you should look sharp, speak clearly, be prepared, stay focused, and most importantly, be authentic and personable.
Ensuring your resume highlights both the hard and soft skills needed for success
In today’s pandemic world, where job roles and functions are changing at rapid speed – and many roles are moving remote – it’s vital that employees focus not only on the hard skills necessary for a role, but more so on the underlying enduring, soft skills they can bring to the table. These include harder to detect traits from adaptability to resilience to learning agility and relationship management.
