Recruiting in a COVID-dominated world

Given the nature of recruitment, meeting candidates is a really important part of the process. In the good old days, we would always invite all candidates into the office for a face-to-face interview. This year, of course, things are very different, and we are trying to do as many interviews, training sessions and meetings as possible online.

However, there are still times when we need to ask candidates to come into the office, which is why we have put a robust system in place to protect staff and candidates. We review our practices whenever the government guidelines change, incorporating new procedures where need be and communicating them to all staff. This will be an ongoing process for as long as necessary.

For candidates 

As we need to limit the amount of contact, most of our meetings take place over Zoom – certainly the initial interviews and chats. However, when it is necessary for you to visit us in the office, we will ask you to follow the procedures we have in place to ensure the office is COVID-secure.

First and foremost, if you are experiencing any symptoms of coronavirus, or if you are having to self-isolate, stay at home and contact us to rearrange your interview.

Also, if you have traveled abroad anywhere recently, please check whether the country you visited is exempt from the 14-day quarantine period. The government updates the list every Thursday, so always double-check in case the situation changed while you were away. If you have had to quarantine, make sure you do not leave home until after the recommended period.

We will require you to wear a mask when you’re in our office, so please let us know in advance if you are exempt. We do have spare masks in case you’ve forgotten to bring one.

When you enter the main reception area, please use the sanitizer gel available and observe social distancing – there are markers on the floor and all lifts have a maximum capacity to ensure safety.

Once you’re in the Artisan People office, you’ll see foot-operated sanitizer stations to use. You will be signed in by a manager who will ask you for your Track and Trace details – pen-sharing is forbidden, so they will complete the form; we will need to record your contact details together with the dates and times of attendance. You will also be asked questions to double-check you are not experiencing any symptoms.

Your interview will take place in one of our meeting rooms which are always cleaned after they’ve been used. The window must be open if possible (unless the weather is very bad) and the door will always be left open – we have a large office and, with most people working from home, it feels very empty, so privacy will not be a problem. Tables and chairs will be placed to ensure social distancing, and our managers will try and limit the amount of time you need to be with us.

We will not offer you a hot drink or biscuits (sorry!), but if you are thirsty, we will give you a bottle of water.

We have set a limit on the number of candidates and visitors who can be in the office at any one time. Meetings are therefore co-ordinated by our HR department to ensure that we don’t go overcapacity. HR will always double-check the reason why someone has been asked to come in to ensure it is necessary – if it is not necessary, they will suggest that the meeting is organized via Zoom instead.

If you are asked to come in for an interview and would like to ask any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your consultant.