Mainstream media will tell you about the number of individuals who have found themselves unemployed as a result of Covid-19, and the lack of jobs available on the market. On Demand HR have found that not only are the majority of staff being retained by businesses given the current situation is anticipated to be temporary, and the current support measures offered by the Government.

At present, we are finding it more difficult than ever before to find suitable staff from a recruitment perspective. There are a number of factors pertaining to the current shortage of talent:

1. Government payments enabling businesses to avoid extensive restructures.
2. A pause on migration has resulted in significant shortages in some industries.
3. There is a hesitation from candidates to move from their current employer during uncertain times.

Consequences of a difficult recruitment market include:

• A lack of the ideal candidate on the market.
• Even candidates that aren’t as strong as previously seen, are able to ask for more money.
• It is unlikely you will receive more than one strong candidate (if you receive any at all).

The recruitment industry are now seeing a rise in discussion around candidates who are a “wildcard” meaning a candidate who definitely does not meet the basic selection criteria, but the candidate who meets the right attitude as opposed to the technical skill set.

The first issue this presents – how do you assess the wildcard? Well the reality is that you may need to be prepared to interview a few more candidates than you ordinarily would.

The second issue is that there may be a bigger time commitment required to get this candidate up to speed, looking to a longer term investment as opposed to the candidate who is going to “hit the ground running”. This means being prepared to put significant investment into potentially a few “bad eggs” to find the right fit for the company.

You may need to ensure that there is processes in place to ensure proper training, mentoring and onboarding, as well as providing regular check-ins. You may need to be prepared to have a longer period of poor performance, and more lengthy feedback discussions before the individual is up to speed. You may need to adopt a short term pain, long term gain scenario.

At present, we are being challenged in many ways, and accepting the changes to the recruitment landscape appears to be among the most difficult for our clients to accept. The reality is that it is a candidates market, and they are going to be spoilt for choice in the opportunities presented to them.