Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, our country has been completely flipped on its head. Prior to the spread of COVID-19, the United States was riding high on record-breaking economic growth and historically low unemployment numbers. But since the virus made its way to America, our country has endured tremendous loss – in more ways than one.

As thousands of citizens have died as a result of the virus, millions more have lost their jobs and find themselves unemployed. The demand for talent in many industries has drastically slowed and, in some of them, has come to a screeching halt. In the pandemic’s early going, companies were focused on juggling their many logistical challenges and could not devote a significant amount of time to their recruiting process.

Despite swirling uncertainty, rest assured that the economy will continue to heal in the months ahead. Upon its recovery, companies need to be ready to act – and act quickly – in order to leverage their talent pipelines and put their recruitment plans in place.

Here are some crucial steps that organizations can take to prepare for the talent acquisition hurdles that lie ahead:

1. Maintain your presence on social media

Sharing news articles and relevant industry news, writing blogs, or publishing earnings reports can help to keep your company at the forefront of people’s minds. The more content you can publish on social media, the better your organization will fare when trying to hire new employees. By continuing to build your brand awareness, your company will be setting itself up for long-term hiring success and prosperity.

2. Build a talent portal on your website/ATS 

Depending on the complexity of your website’s current career page, planning for the construction of a talent portal may seem like a tremendously large undertaking. Even if this section of your webpage isn’t incredibly robust, its existence is still a huge value-add for your company. The opportunity to engage with potential job seekers is crucial in times like these. By providing an appropriate place for job candidates to submit their basic personal information or resume, you’ll be able to store this data and leverage it in times of need. But remember – regardless of how you gather these profiles, you must engage with them periodically!

3. Participate in virtual job fairs

While in-person job fairs have gone out of style in recent months, the prevalence of virtual engagements is more popular than ever. Hundreds of companies have adjusted their hiring strategies to account for virtual job fairs in an effort to attract and engage with new candidates. Similar to webinars, these engagements take place at designated times and allow recruiters and job seekers to virtually connect. Virtual job fairs present a way to not only safeguard the health and well-being of all parties involved in the recruiting process, but they allow hiring managers to make an offer to candidates on the spot.

4. Host a virtual open house

No, we’re not just talking about real estate! Virtual open houses present another way for recruitment professionals to connect with job seekers. Interested candidates can get a feel for your organization by chatting with recruiters, watching video content on your company’s vision and values, taking a virtual look around your office, and uploading their resumes online. This newer, innovative idea is sure to generate steam in the months ahead.

5. Engage with your third-party recruitment/talent acquisition partners

The time is now to converse with your talent acquisition partners about preparing for your short- and long-term recruiting approaches. Think about the jobs you might need to fill or departments you may have to support with an influx of talent. By being proactive, you’ll keep your organization ahead of the eight-ball and prepare yourself for hiring success when the time is right to bring in additional resources.