Joe Cafferty and other colleagues from WSA attended the IndeedWorks event this March. Joe shares his experience at the event…
I am a Digital Project Executive that specialises in the delivery of websites builds, however, having transitioned from an Account Executive role previously, I was keen to see how the recruitment landscape had changed because of Coronavirus.
Being in digital, things are constantly evolving not just in terms of the tools used but also the commercial scope of where the industry is heading. It is important to understand how people are adapting to the digital space and how they are overcoming the numerous challenges.
The New Norm
The shift towards remote working due to COVID is likely to endure post pandemic. The “new norm” is a phase that we have all heard over the last year, but what does this look like? This was a key question discussed during the initial stages of IndeedWorks. During the pandemic, many roles became remote with offices closing, and the terms ‘remote working’ and ‘work from home’ could be found in almost every job description you cared to mention.
Recruitment
Indeed’s recruitment presentations gave an interesting insight into how companies that have embraced the remote working culture having seen their productivity and profits increase over the last year.
Business owners, stakeholders and senior leadership teams have been forced to adapt. Developing a different perspective and mindset in their leadership and management styles that are necessary to conform to a different working culture that may not have existed previously.
Candidates are more likely to join a company that has a more diverse ethnic team and culture. Equality, diversity, and inclusion are now major driving factor for many savvy businesses in their attraction strategies. Candidates will factor this into their decisions before deciding to join a company or not.
Many businesses were (unfortunately) driven to take stock of their resources, allowing them to streamline their workforce. This in turn lead to far more targeted recruitment later in the pandemic, with stripped back businesses becoming more selective in recruiting for the roles they needed. Some businesses also decided to move into the remote working culture permanently and close or at least reduce their offices space in favour of having monthly/quarterly team meetings when safe to do so, hiring venues or renting short-term office space instead.
These are all points that can drastically reduce organisations carbon emissions, another plus point when attracting the very best talent. A greener and more sustainable brand, will only improve a company’s Employer Value Proposition and its external image, making them even more attractive to what has become a highly informed candidate market.
Stories that Stick: How to Sell a Story
During the recruitment presentation, Indeed gave 5 important tips on how to structure the perfect job advert to ensure that you attract the right candidates for the right roles:
- Start with an opening hook
Pose a question to the candidates that entice them- “What to be a part of an Inclusive, Dynamic and Drive business that pushes its employees to succeed”
- Make a personal connection
Why should they be interested in your brand? Do your values match those of your candidates?
- Introduce conflict
Address a problem that needs fixing in your business and ensure the relevant candidates can offer a solution
- Create a great setting
An example of this could be a short section on “Day in the life” within your workplace and what activities you would typically find yourself partaking in within the job role.
- Don’t forget the fundamentals
Be targeted, be precise, and be sure to proofread before uploading your job advert.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Lessons from Joe Wicks
“It is important to not compare current life to what it was or what you wish it would be”. This was one of the very first things that Joe spoke about in his Q&A. He is referring to experiences during the pandemic, and how the country and the world changed dramatically in this time. By focusing on this change and fanaticising about what could have been, he found he was missing out on being present.
Here are Joe’s Top Tips to sustain better health and wellbeing:
- Sleep Well
Making sure to have the right amount of sleep in your routine helps with reducing stress levels. It was interesting to find out how the lack of sleep also links to depression and negative thoughts.
- Nutrition and Hydration
Joe talked about the importance of looking at what you are putting into your body. Over the last year, it has become so much easier to order take-out than to do your fresh cooking that could have more nutritional value. Joe also recommends drinking on average 3L of water a day. Staying well-hydrated will prevent infections, improve your sleep and mood and much more.
- Exercise
Making time to exercise is a positive and energised way to kickstart your day, depending on your routine and schedule, try and fit it in and your body will thank you for it.
- Work and Home separation
People have begun to associate their living spaces with work, especially if you do not have the luxury of a home office, which makes separating work and home hard. Joe makes a point about switching off from work and free from distractions such as social media, phones etc to be present with the people who matter to you.
- Communication
By communicating with the people close to you about what is going on with your thoughts and feelings, issues and concerns can be dealt with head-on. It is also a great way to build and improve relationships with the people around you as well as for your well-being.
- Moderation
It is unrealistic to imagine that you will be able to eat healthy, train and be happy all the time. It is perfectly okay to indulge every now and then. Doing everything in moderation allows us the opportunity to enjoy everything and not miss out on achieving our goals
Our Thought’s
In summary, the IndeedWorks event 2021 was very informative as it addressed a lot of key factors influencing different industries because of the pandemic and the changes that businesses have faced. Many of these changes are here to stay and it will be interesting to see what the rest of 2021 brings. Will more businesses adopt a flexible working business model?
It was great to have Joe Wicks on as he shares with us his key tips and experience with the mental health and wellbeing challenges that we are currently facing working from home.
At WSA, we value being open and supportive, so it is key for us to have our team take part in events like this which support their growth and continuous professional development.
