With unprecedented numbers of people working from home, the one thing that has been highlighted is that the UK’s digital infrastructure is pretty robust. Companies who decide to invest in their employees in terms of trust and support will come out on top. But for companies who can’t or won’t invest, we are going to see a huge upswing in the candidate market.

Candidate Market

Globally it has been called the war for talent as the candidate market decreased and became increasingly candidate led. For my money, the market will stay candidate led but with a twist. Employees who feel they have been let down or dismissed by companies they have dedicated their skills and ambitions to will move. There is no doubt, how companies deal with this uniques situation will change the candidate market even further. Travelling by car or train to first interviews may be seen as unnecessary and with the burden on the roads and public transport, as well as environmental anxiety video interviews provide a quick fix to all three.

Interviewing Methods

I’m going to throw my hat in the ring here, and say that this situation is going to move video interviewing into another part of the candidate journey. Some of the bigger organisations are already doing video interviews, but we are likely to see this become mainstream much sooner than anyone expected. It’s also likely psychometric testing is going to see an uptake as a way to commute unnecessary interviews. As recruiters, preparing candidates for video interviews thoroughly is a new skill we will need to add to our toolbox.

Recruitment Will Become More Personal

Candidate talent and businesses are going to look to use recruiters who understand their story, the journey they’ve been on over the last few months, and the very real impact it has had on their lives. We’re seeing consultants at all levels being made redundant and when the time comes to re-hire them, the battle for the top billers will be on. Many of those top billers may see this as a prime opportunity to get themselves ready to start their own niche, recruitment agencies ready for the hiring boom, which is likely to follow the period of disruption we’re entering.

Changes in Outlook Towards Work

For many people, this is a chance to explore the realities of working from home, both good and bad. As a society, we’re driven by the standard motivations of money, work and family life and currently the way we achieve these motivations is changing. We’re having to function outside of normal parameters to reach the same goals. Work-life balance, mental health and the technological 4^th Industrial Revolution aren’t just buzz words anymore. They’re being stress-tested to the max, which I believe, will see us make some significant strides in the best and most efficient ways to deliver an overall, more manageable balance between work and home life.