Management School hosts Business Brunch: Recruitment After COVID-19
As part of the University of Liverpool Management School’s (ULMS) Business Breakfast series, an online Business Brunch was held on the theme of Recruitment after COVID-19; a very relevant topic, as the UK’s furlough scheme draws to a close and as organisations take an increasingly digital approach to their recruitment practices.
Our speakers shared their insights and experiences of how COVID-19 has shaped the new recruitment landscape. Professor Stephen Woods, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Professor of Organisational Behaviour and HRM at ULMS, gave his view on how the current pandemic has affected the recruitment environment in the UK. He discussed two significant contextual features that he believes will affect the future of recruitment assessment: the low selection ratio of applicants, and the need for social distancing, which in turn may lead to a lack of face to face interaction throughout the recruitment process. Stephen went on to share his thoughts on how assessment practices will change post-COVID-19, with high prediction, efficient methods being used more frequently by recruiters. He noted the emergence of digital selection procedures such as AI assessment, digital interviews, and digital footprint screening, will play a significant role in recruitment methods.
Victoria Brown, Managing Director of High Performance Consultancy, Founder of OneHR™ Software and ULMS alumna, then gave her insight on the future of recruitment, focusing on a more practical led perspective. Victoria outlined some of the challenges which recruiters are facing due to the pandemic, including dealing with new staff inductions and on-boarding, and the pressures employers will face as the furlough scheme ends. Victoria then highlighted opportunities for growth and improvement within recruitment, specifically the implementation of digital frameworks that strengthen and centralise processes allowing for detailed audit trails when undertaking recruitment cycles. Victoria concluded by expressing that there is still a desire to return to face to face interviews but that the new digital recruitment processes are very much here to stay.
The talks were followed by a short Q&A session, chaired by Anne Donnelly, ULMS Business Development Manager.
Speaking about the event, Anne Donnelly said, “Many of us have been adapting to the increased use of technology within our roles so it was timely that our speakers were able to share their observations and predictions for the changing nature of recruitment and selection processes. Thanks to our speakers and also to the attendees, who contributed to an interesting Q&A session at the end.