Author: Avenica

Everyone is struggling with the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus. Clearly the most important priority is the health and wellness of our families, friends, and communities—particularly those most at risk.

But the economic impact is important, too.

So far, most of the indicators are pointing down. Industries like travel, hospitality, conventions and events, food service, entertainment, sports, and performing arts have essentially shut down. The airlines, for example, have slashed the number of flights available and instituted hiring freezes. The hotel industry has already lost more than $1.5 billion in cancelled bookings. While mass layoffs haven’t happened yet, it feels like it’s only a matter of time until they do. According to some sources, up to 80 million jobs—more than half the jobs in the U.S. economy—could be at risk, depending on how long the crisis lasts.

Some Employers Thriving—And Hiring

But the news isn’t all bad. Some businesses are busier than ever—and are in full-on hiring mode. Amazon.com is planning to hire an additional 100,000 employees as consumers turn to online rather than in-person retailers. Grocery chains like Kroger, Safeway, and HEB are also adding employees. The health care sector is suddenly scrambling to hire more workers. Video conferencing and online collaboration tools like Slack and Zoom have also seen big growth in recent weeks and have been used increasingly to aid with hiring and recruiting during Covid-19.

The coronavirus is uncharted territory for the U.S. economy. But there are still companies that need to hire new workers, even during recessions and down times. If you’re in that fortunate position, here are some helpful hiring tips while coronavirus continues to disrupt our daily lives:

Hiring Tips During Coronavirus Pandemic

• Get Social. As we all hunker down at home, social media use is skyrocketing. Your social media channels are more powerful than ever. Use them to promote open positions and link them directly to your application process. Ensure that your channels are active, up to date, and optimized for search engines. Encourage your employees to spread the word through their networks. Use these platforms to find passive candidates. Think about hosting online events to promote your open jobs. And use the data these platforms generate to see how you’re performing.
• Place More Emphasis on Assessments. Many companies use online assessment tools to gauge candidate skill levels and fit. While in-person interviews aren’t an option, consider placing more of the screening burden onto assessments while recruiting during quarantine.
• Be Transparent. Transparency is always important, but with the uncertainty around recruiting during coronavirus, it’s crucial—especially because the face-to-face element is missing. Be clear with candidates about timelines, steps in the process, and more. Show them that you value their interest in the role.
• Get the Process Online. Many companies already have a lot of their hiring process online (not surprisingly, Google, Amazon, and Facebook are leaders here). If your company isn’t there yet, now is the time to accelerate this transition at your company—explore an applicant tracking system, online assessment tools, online videoconferencing applications, and more.

Bonus Tips: Online Interviewing

• Make Sure Your Technology Works. When you host a virtual meeting, do you spend the first 10 minutes getting everybody logged in? Now is the time to work out the bugs in your video conferencing tools—and make sure recruiting and hiring managers know how to use these technologies.
• Practice. Being on video conference doesn’t feel natural to most people, and recruiting during quarantine demands a little extra patience. Take time to practice looking into the camera, speaking clearly, and getting comfortable with video interviews.
• Be Professional. You may be talking via Skype or Zoom, but you’re still conducting a job interview. Dress and behave with the same professionalism that you would for an in-person interview.
• Be Prepared. Familiarize yourself with the candidate—and the role—just as you would in an in-person interview.
• Get Rid of Distractions. Go someplace where your phone, pets, or children won’t compete for your attention.
• Make Your “Office” Presentable. Make sure the background of your video looks as professional as you can make it (no piles of unopened mail on your dining room table!).

Thinking Long Term

These are challenging times. And we’re all reacting hour-by-hour to this unfolding crisis. But if you look ahead, you’ll see that the steps you take today can improve your recruiting and hiring process in the long run. Improving your technology, optimizing your social channels, getting better at online interviewing—those are all things that will pay big dividends long after the coronavirus has subsided.

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About Avenica

Through conversation, high-impact coaching, and best-in-class support, we translate and meet the needs of our client partners by identifying and transforming potential into high-performing professionals. At Avenica, we are working from the inside out to embrace diverse thought and perspectives while actively working to dismantle systems of oppression and implicit bias. With a deeply-held belief in human potential, we transform lives and enable organizations to achieve new heights.

If you’re interested in partnering with us to develop or hire your workforce, let’s talk. If you’re a job seeker, please apply now to connect with an Avenica Account Manager.

Regardless of your position, experience, or industry, working remotely can be challenging and stressful. It’s critical to strike the right balance of working at home and living at home, so we’re able to work together productively and effectively, while minimizing as much stress and confusion as possible.

To be the most productive at home, it’s all in the set up. Here are a few key ways to get your work from home arrangement set up to help you in being productive, balancing work and home priorities, and alleviating feelings of isolation.

Set up communication processes

This set up might be the most critical to get right for effectively working with others remotely. With phone calls, text messaging, emails, instant messaging, etc. there are a lot of ways to get your lines crossed. Create communication flows, norms, and expectations with your direct supervisor, peers, and direct reports that work for a variety of situations. Because people can’t just swing by your desk or catch you in passing, you’ll have to adjust the way you interact with each other, balance and rebalance communication flows, and find times in your day where you’re connecting with others and replying to emails. It might take a few rounds of adjustments to get right, but more communication and built-in processes can reduce confusion, minimize duplication of work, and ensure you’re connecting in meaningful and effective ways.

Set up a space

Designate a specific room or area to work from to create a mental and physical boundary between working and living. Being in the right space can help you be in the right frame of mind for being productive. Set it up ergonomically as best as you can to support your physical health and wellbeing.

Set up your tech

Ensure you have all the tech and equipment you need—work with your people managers, IT departments, or HR managers to ensure you have all your environmental needs met. Do you have (or need) a computer or laptop? External keyboard and mouse? A second display screen? Make it as close as possible to the in-office working environment you would create for yourself.

Set up a schedule (and stick to it!)

Get ready as if you were physically commuting to work—shower, get dressed, do your hair, eat breakfast, and then get to work.

Set timers and plan out your day—not just your meetings—on your calendar to ensure you’re managing your work time and taking enough breaks; take a bio-break, take a lunch break, make time to get up and take a lap around the house as if you were in the office.

Set up video capability

Embrace and prioritize virtual face to face calls. Not only will it help to break up some of the isolation and help to clarify any work-from-home communication confusion, it will help establish and foster strong relationships. We all know we don’t like the video feature, but if we do it together, who cares?!? Plus, just think of all the pets you’ll get to meet!

Set up boundaries

Create an end-of-day routine and stick to your “normal” work hours as much as possible. When you never actually “leave for the day,” it can be easy to just keep going.

Turn off the computer. Step away. Burnout is real.

It’s hard to draw a sharp distinction between work and home when you work at home—but committing to do work things during work times and home things during home times will help you maintain boundaries.

Whether by choice or by circumstance, remote work is on the rise and here to stay. The skills and work ethic required to effectively work remotely, like time management, discipline, organization, and self-direction, will always be valuable given the ever-changing landscape of the work and professional worlds. More and more companies are helping to better support remote employees, but it’s incumbent on individual employees to do what they can, as well, to be their most productive and best work selves.

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About Avenica

Through conversation, high-impact coaching, and best-in-class support, we translate and meet the needs of our client partners by identifying and transforming potential into high-performing professionals. At Avenica, we are working from the inside out to embrace diverse thought and perspectives while actively working to dismantle systems of oppression and implicit bias. With a deeply-held belief in human potential, we transform lives and enable organizations to achieve new heights.

If you’re interested in partnering with us to develop or hire your workforce, let’s talk. If you’re a job seeker, please apply now to connect with an Avenica Account Manager.