It’s been a year since the job market has gone on a roller coaster, better known as the COVID-19 pandemic. The IT industry seems to have the best safety mechanism.
IT stays strong
After all, it’s impossible that medical science, banking, or the insurance industry would stop needing IT support in their development. E-commerce is another sector that has gained a lot in recent times.
Restaurateurs were forced to change their priorities – for obvious reasons they have started to pay more attention to the catering issue. The IT mission was to help all these industries and more.
Recruitment process transformation
One of the main conclusions is the fact that the HR department still plays an important role in every software house. Their main task is no surprise – they aim to find the right candidates for projects that keep appearing in the new reality.
However, the recruitment process has been transformed a little bit. It’s worth analyzing how the pandemic has influenced the nature of this work.
HR is forced to hit the brakes
One of the most commonly mentioned issues is the lack of dynamism. Before the pandemic, recruitment processes were well-organized, carried out openly and efficiently. Ever since this activity has become remote, it has turned out to put a spoke in recruiters’ wheels.
The calendar is stuffed with meetings, and it doesn’t concern only recruiters. There are many other people engaged in the recruitment process, just to mention the ones who are bound to work together with a candidate.
Having job interviews, checking recruitment tasks, giving constructive feedback, and finally making a decision. There are plenty of things to do. Even though the remote character of all these activities seems favorable it’s extremely difficult to find a time that fits all parties involved.
I’ve heard that organization of such meetings was much easier when it was possible to catch a co-worker in the hallway to your office. Among others, this is why the improvement of remote recruitment processes is one of the biggest challenges faced by HR in today’s reality.
Home office – not so perfect?
A home office seems to be a dream form of work organization. Possibility to wake up later, wearing slippers, the comfort of working in your kingdom, a balance between family and work life. Even though now it’s a bit forced, we can still treat it as an act of kindness by an employer.
However, it’s not so perfect considering the IT recruitment. Contact made by a webcam may hinder reaching a desirable common ground with a candidate. I don’t mean assessment of competence – it can be done efficiently no matter the way of contact.
Things get more difficult when it comes to meeting a candidate from a psychological perspective. Talking face-to-face gives more opportunities to notice personality traits that might be crucial in the final evaluation. On the other hand, recruiters are more on their intuition while talking through a webcam. It is undoubtedly a huge proving ground and another challenge for them.
By the way, it won’t be a mind-blowing conclusion, but the coronavirus itself has a big influence on recruitment processes in IT. Meetings are frequently postponed due to positive COVID-19 test results among recruiters, candidates, and people from their surroundings. The recruitment could be resumed only after full recovery.
Let’s get back to normal
Considering all these obstacles, it’s safe to say that even though the IT industry doesn’t suffer so much during the pandemic, the HR departments must deal with many unprecedented challenges.
On the one hand, it seems comfortable as it’s fully remote. But the fact is that the recruitment processes are getting longer. Recruiters are also more likely to pick the wrong candidate.
We can hear clearly that many people from the IT industry are willing to work remotely even after beating the pandemic. It’s hard to assume that recruiters are in the first row of admirers of this idea.
