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After over a year of COVID-19's presence and its disastrous effects on global health and the economy worldwide, the job market has seen some steadying. Unemployment levels are much below the astonishing 14.8% we saw in April 2020, and the companies that survived are starting to see some relief. We hesitate to say "normal," but it feels like things are getting back on track.

Such a long time spent in this phase of uncertainty has surely affected the workforce. Remote working became much more commonplace, and this shift has lasting effects on job seekers. The market looks a little different these days, and hiring has changed along with it. 

Your local talent pool is pickier

If you aren't open to remote working, you may find your candidate pool smaller than it once was. With the receipt of stimulus checks, many unemployed job seekers can be particular about finding their next position. At the same time, anyone considering a move to a new company may be hesitant to jump ship in an uncertain economy. Besides preferences about their careers, many candidates are still under obligations for home child care or schooling. Taking a new position adds stress and uncertainty, and many workers just won't consider it right now. 

What you can do:

In the immediate future, you may need to allow for some working from home to satisfy the needs of the market, or be willing to choose from a smaller selection of candidates. The other solution, a much less appealing one, is to just wait it out. The stimulus checks will stop, unemployment will go back to normal levels, and job seekers will come out of the woodwork once again, willing to come back into an office full time. With the Delta variant, however, this may also be a challenging solution. 

Your remote talent pool is larger

Are you allowing employees to work remotely? Great! Your talent market just got a whole lot larger. Even a hybrid model, requiring some in-person presence in the office, allows candidates staring down a long commute to more readily consider the job. But, while expanding your geographic considerations might feel like a relief to a tight candidate pool, you'll need to adjust a few things if this is a new policy. 

What you can do: 

Ensure you have systems set up to support a remote team. Improve communication, setting up regular check-ins and utilizing programs and technology to keep communication channels open and your team engaged. New-to-remote-working employees report feeling less connected to their coworkers now, so try to incorporate some solutions for the loss of social interaction. Be sure to emphasize your plans to all job candidates. 

Understanding how hiring will change is critical to finding solutions to continue to attract the best talent. The pandemic has tested the flexibility and nimbleness of companies, and only the ones able to embrace change will come out on top. 

Aaaah, the virtual interview. In the past? An honor held for cross-country hires and early round interviews. Currently? The norm.

Job seekers are brushing up on their onscreen conversational skills and perfecting their Zoom smiles, but hiring managers should also prepare to utilize this potentially unfamiliar format. For employers, it can be difficult to recalibrate your in-person evaluation skills for a socially distant format, sans handshakes and body language.

Virtual Interview Tips for Attracting and Identifying Top Candidates

With increased efforts to keep workplaces safe and healthy, it doesn't look like in-person interviews will be returning anytime soon. Polish up your interrogat– erm, interview skills, and prepare to shift your thinking a bit to adjust to this increasingly common platform.

Your Appearance Matters Too

The focus is usually on candidates professional appearance and chosen background, but don't forget: you're trying to sell them on your company at the same time! Without the ability to walk around and see your workplace, there's an incentive to differentiate yourself from the handful of other white-walled interviews your favorite candidate may have lined up. Choose a location with decent lighting and don't be afraid to stray from a blank wall.

Test Your Tech

Make sure your platform is working properly and camera and video quality is decent. Even if you've used them recently, be sure all connections are solid as unexpected problems can arise without notice. Also, have the candidate's contact information handy in case of a delay or a break in your meeting.

Lighten the Mood

Many people find a video chat to be more awkward than an in-person meeting. Staring at a screen isn't always the easiest way to warm up to someone, so do you both a favor and try to get your interviewee to loosen up a bit. Whether it's asking about their weekend or talking about your own day a little bit, some small talk will get things on a more comfortable path.

Convey Your Company Culture

Without an in-office visit, a candidate has no way of knowing what it's like to work with you, or who they'll be working with. A great way to convey this via vide chat is to either have a member of your team jump on the call or arrange a separate one. You can also make a point to describe how a typical workday goes, what your team is like, or if you're in your office (socially-distanced, of course) and on a laptop, take them on a tour.

Pay Attention to Body Language

Limiting your view of a candidate to a screen can help highlight revealing mannerisms. If the candidate isn't maintaining eye contact or is shifting in their seat, they may be nervous. Good posture indicates self confidence and leaning into the camera means they are engaged in the conversation. Body language will inform your overall impression of a candidate, so be alert.

The virtual interview will likely be an important skill for your toolbox in the future. Make sure your company stays ahead of the game and masters the skills needed to identify and attract top candidates with these tips for a great virtual interview.

The last six months have been a roller coaster, full of changing rules, fluctuating attitudes, and a desire to “get back to work,” adjacent to a need for maintaining distance and safety.

In the U.S., the only entity as heavily affected by this pandemic as the American business is the American household. Changing work habits and an uncertain economy aside, thousands of employed parents are also adjusting to their children's new school platforms: virtual learning and "blended" school days. Their daily lives have changed drastically, and any acknowledgement and accommodation from management will go a long way.

Working with Parents of Children Who Are Learning Virtually

Be flexible

Offer parents the ability to accommodate changing family schedules, allowing them to shift work hours if needed. Doing so eases some stress and also cements your reputation as a supportive and understanding employer. What does lower stress translate to? Higher productivity! So, it's a win-win.

Set communication expectations

Be clear about how much contact and communication you need from employees who are managing workloads alongside their family's virtual learning. Determine if management needs to be notified when employees are attending to their children during work hours, and if a schedule needs to be set ahead of time or not.

Remove the excess

Skim the fat from their workload and remove any unnecessary meetings – paring down to just the essentials ensures their work hours are spent efficiently.

Be clear from the start

No employee should have to guess what is or is not acceptable within this "new normal" of balancing children's virtual learning schedules and their own work schedules. Be clear on your expectations as early as possible. Let your entire team know you are understanding of small interruptions in meetings, or that you are willing to be flexible on specific hours worked. If meetings become a challenge to attend, suggest a buddy system, so your team can check in with coworkers to report on the items discussed in a missed meeting.

It's also important for non-parents on your team to understand that a less-than-ideal situation can be made better with some compassion and understanding. No one will be expected to work more or less, but you're all in this together.

The working parents that are a part of your organization are facing extreme struggles, juggling working from home, keeping themselves and their families healthy, all while ensuring their children's education continues even when schools range from completely closed to merely partially open. Daily routines are all out of whack, continuing to provide constant sources of stress to an already hectic time. Doing your best as an employer to accommodate the challenges this year has brought to everyone, especially working parents, will result in a strong and satisfied team.