The furlough scheme is coming to an end on October 31st, to be replaced by the new Job Support Scheme. In this, our 4th Talent Matters webinar, Dave Jenkins is joined by industry expert Kevin Green to discuss what this means for recruitment, what recruitment businesses can action now to help them move forwards and what the world of recruitment might look like post-pandemic.
Key takeaways
- The Job Support Scheme will work for viable businesses. The furlough scheme provided essential support to businesses during lockdown but the reality is that the government could not continue to pay the wages for people whose jobs have simply fallen away because of the pandemic. However, there are sectors which have partially reopened that have some activity but not enough to bring every worker back full time. The Job Support Scheme will exist to support these businesses to keep employees in work and ensure their skills are fresh and active in preparation for when the work is there for them to fully return.
- There will be a huge spike in unemployment. This is inevitable post-furlough as the new scheme will not be applicable to every job or every business. The Bank of England have forecast an unemployment rate of 7.5% but it might reach 10%. Although there will then be more candidates in the pool, there will likely initially be a skills and talent mismatch. More candidates does not mean more talent for your particular sector. However, this could be where transferrable skills should be looked at more closely.
- Focus on what you are great at. Rather than chasing all business paths, narrow your scope to what you are really good at. What is your niche that gives you a credible position from which to stand your ground on price and defend your margins? Be focused on who you are and how you compete.
- Invest time in both clients and candidates. Take the time to build relationships with your clients and candidates and it will pay dividends in time. Clients may not be hiring right now but they will be and you want to be the recruiter that they turn to first. Understand their needs as a business, the state in which their market is, the type of candidate they will be looking for when they start to hire again and you will be well prepared to meet their requirements and deliver top talent. Likewise, be proactive with quality candidates. Develop relationships, bring them to clients, match them well.
- Maintain your value as a recruiter by being more than a CV supplier. Your ability to sell a candidate to a client is based on more than the details on their CV so prove this by demonstrating your understanding of both the candidate and the client. You are the facilitator of a matching process. Your candidate should do more than have the relevant experience and qualifications, they should fit with company culture and complement the team that is already in place. You need to be your client’s brand ambassador to draw talent but also know when a candidate isn’t the right fit. That is your value as a recruiter.
- A hybrid way of working could be the future for recruitment. Home working can be highly productive and is a tremendous time-saver, however recruiters are social creatures and thrive on human interaction. The answer could lie in a hybrid way of working that involves splitting the week between home and office. Encourage your people to work in a way that is best for them and both you and your employees with benefit.
- Remote working could spur a shift towards better management behaviour. When your team is working remotely you can’t be a ‘task manager’. Rather than managing time and input, you should focus on objectives and quality output. Discuss the deliverables and a deadline and trust your employees to manage their own time to get the work done. Treat your team like human beings and you will get more from them.
- Kevin’s 3 immediately actionable strategies for recruiters… Focus on the golden triangle of recruitment – invest time in quality candidates, get closer to clients, develop your consultants.
To watch the webinar or to view any of our previous webinars, head over to the blog or listen to the podcast. We have more webinars planned with other industry guests so look out for further details on the Wave LinkedIn page.
