5 Strategies for Staffing and Recruiting in the New Normal

In addition to impacting nearly every area of our lives, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a generation-defining global employment crisis. This was certainly the case for the world of staffing and recruiting, which saw never-before-seen shakeups of its own throughout the past year and change.

Virtual interviews, hiring, and onboarding processes presented new challenges, in addition to candidates adopting different expectations of prospective employers and of what the typical workday might look like. This all has to do with one key change: the normalization of volatility.

The impact of certain uncertainty

After everything we’ve gone through personally and professionally throughout the past year, it is now normal for organizations and for employees to have to adjust strategies on the fly and to be prepared for rapidly changing circumstances. Perhaps the only foreseeable certainty in workplaces is the presence of uncertainty, as making our way out of the pandemic is still entirely new for everyone. Because of this, it’s more important than ever for employers to be ready to roll with the punches.

Here are five staffing and recruiting strategies to keep in mind as you ramp up hiring efforts for the remainder of 2021 and beyond.

1. Be more proactive than the competition

With this year’s uncertainty comes more new challenges for hiring and recruiting – but it also presents a wealth of opportunity. After a year in which many people exited the workforce, there is now an even larger share looking to make a career change in 2021.

Managers and highly skilled workers are especially interested in change, with 48% of six-figure salaried workers planning a switch with as many as 66% of them feeling more confident in doing so than they did six months ago.

In the world of finance and accounting in particular, candidates are on the move and in greater demand than ever before, resulting in increased competition to land high-quality people for high-demand roles. This means employers need to be more proactive than ever in their recruiting and hiring practices, especially given the increased difficulty of filling positions due to new expectations.

2. Emphasize remote work skills

While many employees have begun returning to the office in at least some capacity, it’s evident remote work isn’t entirely going away anytime soon. This means you’re not only going to need to have remote work processes in place, but you’re also going to need to consider candidates’ capacity to comply effectively.

An increased focus should be placed on candidates who are comfortable with remote and virtual technology and who are also proficient and independent about their work. Thankfully, these strengths can be readily gauged by a hiring process that has also come to combine virtual and in-person communication.

Just as remote and hybrid work is expected to remain through 2021, so is the hybrid hiring process, which can serve to accelerate timelines while driving cost and time savings.

3. Consider contract consultants

For many businesses, there is an understandable shakiness about ramping up the workforce, as many find themselves asking, “Will we be steady enough in six months to support all these permanent hires?”

In the interim, hiring contract consultants can help bridge this gap and fill in where needed until you’re confidently ready to more permanently grow your team. Consultants hired for specific projects or for a 3-6 month period can provide invaluable assistance as you navigate the early post-pandemic landscape.

For many businesses, bringing on high-quality finance and accounting consultants may even result in longer-term hires once operations are able to ramp up. In a candidate’s market, this places even greater importance on ensuring you’re making the right hires for the right positions today – whether short-term, long-term, or permanent.

4. Increased focus on diversity

The country and the globe underwent a long overdue racial reckoning in 2020, and the impact has been widespread in the months that have followed. As far as workplace inclusion goes, the impact has and will continue to be seen from the top down, as diversity and inclusion stats will now appear on the Fortune 500 list for every organization.

In addition to increased transparency, 77% of talent professionals say diversity will be very important to the future of recruiting – and it should thus be a key factor of your own recruiting strategy.

Remote hiring processes provide increased opportunity to connect with a more diverse talent pool, as your scope of applicants and early-stage interviewees can be expanded far beyond the traditional in-person purview. Making a plan for inclusion and holding hiring decision-makers accountable is now a business-critical imperative.

5. Looking beyond salary

Salary is and always has been a top concern for candidates, and that is not expected to change, as 74% of employers expect salary to remain top-of-mind post-pandemic. But while it may still be a top concern, many other concerns are now entering the picture that employers need to consider.

Extensive benefits, a focus on employee wellbeing, flexibility, development opportunities, and a culture based on recognition and celebrating achievement are all now increasingly sought after by candidates. And in the midst of such a candidate-driven market in the world of finance and accounting, prospects are more than capable of demanding these rewards from potential employers.

Applicants have come to expect more from job listings and from positions themselves, and if your organization can’t offer a favorable range of benefits, they’re likely to look elsewhere for an employer that will.

Find the right people for the right positions with help from Oggi

In finance and accounting, staffing and recruiting is about much more than just filling a seat. It’s about finding the right people for the right positions that will help your business succeed.

At Oggi, we understand what it takes – and who it takes – to get the job done, taking time to understand your organization and its goals before providing a winning solution. Our team of professionals uses decades of industry expertise and a passion for people to drive recruiting results today and tomorrow. Whether in need of a short-term, long-term, or permanent solution, we are here to help facilitate lasting career connections.

Contact us today to start finding skilled and experienced finance and accounting professionals for 2021 and beyond.