At the start of 2020 the job market for contracting was as strong as we've ever seen it. We had a wealth of talent on our books and plenty of roles for them to showcase their skills and pay the bills with.
Fast forward 6 months and we're emerging from a nationwide lockdown after a global pandemic and trying to operate in a job market that looks very different to the one we used to know.
COVID-19 changed things quickly and this is what to expect when trying to hire contractors post lockdown.
Streamlined interview processes
Social distancing has all but put a stop to traditional interview methods. Post lockdown we're seeing more and more businesses making job offers after just one round of video interviews.
Of course there are pros and cons to the streamlining of interviews.
Pros
Quicker offers lead to fewer employers missing out on the candidates they really want.
Cons
It's difficult to get a good read on a candidate in just one interview, especially if it's done over a video call.
The remedy to this is to use an agency that hand picks candidates for you rather than bombarding you with CVs from every candidate under the sun. And there are a lot of candidates at the moment.
Contract rates are dropping
Like most things in this crazy world, contract rates are affected by supply and demand. Right now there are a lot of tech contractors looking for work, making it a buyers market.
But that doesn't mean you should try and low ball candidates. If they're good at what they do (which all our contractors are) their skills are well worth paying a fair rate for. And if you don't, another employer will.
With that said, hiring a contractor might cost you less than you think at the moment.
Huge spike in demand for technical support resource
We're afraid there are no bargains to be had here.
With so many people working remotely, help desk phones have been ringing off the hook. We've seen a huge demand in employers looking to hire extra tech support. If you think you may need extra help, we suggest you contact us quick!
The demand for help on help desks also means that companies are struggling to move team members on to project work, resulting in the need for additional resource to cover the backlog.
It's these knock on effects that make us pretty confident the current 'supply' of contractors will be snapped up quickly.
Proactively searching for candidates really pays off
Job boards are pretty popular places right now. But beware, if you post a job, get ready for a huge wave of substandard applications.
We've always believed in handpicking our contractors, and now more than ever that method is paying off.
Don't advertise straight away.
Go straight to the market and speak to the correct candidates. It'll dramatically reduce turnaround times on roles and your HR team will thank you for not obliterating their inboxes.
Want to see if going straight to the market can work for you? Fill in a job brief and let us get to work.
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