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The harsh reality is that more than 1 million Australians<\/b> are currently out of work as unemployment edges up to 7.5%, the highest it\u2019s been in two decades. Federal Treasurer – Josh Frydenberg, revealed that without the government\u2019s JobKeeper scheme, the true rate of unemployment is closer to 13.3%. Ouch!<\/p>\n
The Events and Hospitality industries were some of the hardest hit, results from THE MONDAY GROUP survey<\/b><\/a> of over 200 hospitality and events industry executives revealed 9 in 10 businesses reduced headcount <\/b>and\/or salaries due to the coronavirus. Thousands of qualified, experienced and successful event and hospitality professionals – at all levels, are out there looking for jobs, with more to join them when JobKeeper eases back next month and again in January 2021. Unfortunately, the number of job openings (including contract roles) in the events, hospitality and hotel space, are as scarce as taxis at Christmas time – demand far outweighing supply.<\/p>\n You\u2019d think a crowded job market would provide some much-needed positive news for Events and Hospitality business owners and managers. A silver lining, that when they\u2019re ready and able to start rebuilding their businesses, they will have a glut of talent to choose from. In fact, a flooded and desperate job market brings its own set of problems and it\u2019s best to be prepared before recruiting your new role.<\/p>\n Now more than ever you\u2019ll need to be strategic in your recruitment process<\/b>, otherwise, it will be a highly stressful, expensive, and time-consuming exercise. Here are some key issues you need to be aware of:<\/p>\n Volume of Applications<\/b><\/p>\n You can guarantee that you will be inundated with applicants. We’re\u00a0talking about hundreds, in some cases thousands, of emails and resumes to sort through. Where do you even start tackling a task like that? Do you have the staff, the time, the technology and the systems in place to go through every application and screen them into an effective shortlist? In amongst such a large volume, it is easy to accidentally skim or pass by that perfect candidate for your team when everything becomes a blur.<\/p>\n Correct Skill Set<\/b><\/p>\n Traditionally a detailed job description along with minimum education\/experience requirements or generic job board filters would ensure you attract the right type of candidate for your job. However, with job openings so scarce, people are looking outside their industries and applying for any and every role they hear about. We’re\u00a0not talking about people who have genuine transferrable skills, that will thrive in other industries, We’re\u00a0talking about applicants who know they don\u2019t have the right experience or credentials but cross their fingers and apply anyway. You\u2019ll use valuable time and resources sorting out these unsuitable candidates.<\/p>\n Desperate Candidates <\/b><\/p>\n Unfortunately, these are desperate times. People have financial responsibilities, families that they need to support, are genuinely struggling with the enforced down-time, and all are desperate to get back to work. You\u2019ll be spending more time with unsuccessful applicants explaining the reasons why they didn\u2019t get the role and standing firm in your decision. We recommend treating every applicant with genuine care and kindness – because we\u2019re all human but also because this will reflect on your company\u2019s brand and reputation.<\/p>\n Resume Fudging<\/b><\/p>\n While \u201cstretching the truth\u201d in CVs is nothing new, Covid-19 will cause many candidates to blur the details of their employment history and skills to appear more experienced or suitable. These white lies include extending their dates of employment, using only their most senior work title at an organisation instead of showing their role progression, or claiming skills that other teammates demonstrated. None of this is illegal, but it doesn\u2019t give the employer an accurate view of the applicant. It takes time, experience, and a trained eye to be able to spot these inconsistencies quickly.<\/p>\n Career Alignment<\/b><\/p>\n One thing to be careful of when recruiting in a flooded job market is to make sure that the candidate\u2019s long-term career aspirations align with the advertised role and your company\u2019s mission. With jobs few and far between, candidates will settle for job security and a steady wage, but you want to make sure that when things start to pick up you won\u2019t lose your new employee to greener pastures. The time and money you invest in a new hire are significant and you certainly don\u2019t want to end up back at square one in 6-12 months.<\/p>\n Best Path Forward\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n While many business owners and managers believe it\u2019s more cost-effective to recruit for staff in-house and that it will be an easy process in the current crowded job market, you need to be aware of the extensive time and resources necessary to do the job properly and also understand the cost of not getting it right the first time around. Covid-19 has thrown up more issues you\u2019ll need to contend with and taking shortcuts can have dire circumstances for your business<\/b>.<\/p>\n THE MONDAY GROUP<\/b> is a boutique recruitment agency specialising in the Events, Experiential, Hospitality, and Hotel sectors. We offer temporary contract<\/b><\/a>,<\/b>\u00a0permanent placement<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0executive search<\/b><\/a>\u00a0recruitment services.<\/p>\n