Now Isn’t the Time to Hire New Candidates — Unless You See These 5 Qualities in Them

Hiring during a pandemic is a dangerous game. People are desperate, and the economy’s future is uncertain.

What if there’s a mission-critical role you need to fill? Then hire for it — but realize that certain skills matter more now than ever. 

If you’re recruiting while Covid-19 rages, keep these five qualities in mind. They’ll be of great value to your organization now and well into the future:

You can’t compromise on communication skills at a time like this. At the virus’s peak, record numbers of workers performed their jobs from home. This made video and digital platforms the primary methods of communication for companies.

Can your candidate correspond clearly through project management software? If this is an important form of communication for your organization, then be sure to hire someone who can use them well. 

Because so much work is happening remotely right now, new hires need to be well-versed in technology. Those who struggle to learn new programs simply won’t be able to perform at their peak.

While some companies don’t currently rely too heavily on technology, they’re likely to in the future. Having someone on your team who can learn and implement new technology gives your company an edge on the competition.

Here’s a great interview question: “How did you spend time during quarantine?” While many of us spent hours binge-watching our favorite shows, the best candidates will be able to highlight projects they tackled with the extra time at home. 

Learning new skills or taking on home improvement projects are signs of ambition, a quality your company can’t have too much of. Team members who have a go-getter attitude keep morale high and bring creative ideas to the table. 

After experimenting with remote work during the pandemic, your company may decide to allow it permanently. If so, you’ll need to hire someone with good time management skills.

Without direct supervision in an office setting, you’ll need to trust your employees to keep productivity high at home. If they use specific calendars like Google calendar you can implement speedy meetings which shorten up meetings automatically on your schedule so you can increase your productivity.

The pandemic caused businesses everywhere to implement new procedures and modify workflows overnight. To keep the business running while promoting health and safety, employees had to adapt. 

As time goes on, other changes will occur in your company that workers will need to embrace. Make sure your new hire can be flexible so they don’t fall behind. Being able to grow with the company ensures their longevity in the organization, reducing turnover and saving company resources.