Despite an incredibly unpredictable 2020 where COVID-19 sent shock waves through the US economy, job seekers plan to search for jobs in 2021. While only 10% of job seekers said that finding a job in the new year would be easier than the year before, there’s plenty of positivity on the horizon.

Just because 2020 is over doesn’t mean that the search for the essential worker is over. So long as people are waiting for their vaccine, and ordering groceries online, and driving through testing centers, we’re still going to need to focus on continuing our hiring of those that kept us going through 2020, the brave, the courageous, the essential worker.

For those tasked with hiring essential workers – we have to think about all aspects of the hire, from where we find them, who we target, how we message them, when we can onboard, and what we do to keep them engaged.

Recently, my blogging has been centered around a theme of New Year's resolutions. But what comes after the New Year? Valentine's Day. So, in the name of love, I pivot.

I’m going to call back from not too far back in my past to my dating life (ah, remember dates?). I, like many of your friends, met my partner the old-fashioned way, using an app I downloaded on my iPhone. Tale as old as time, I tell ya. Before I met Mr. Wonderful, I went out on a myriad of first dates. So, when I tell you about the “good on paper” date, I doubt any of you are scratching your heads wondering what on earth I could mean by that. He’s the guy that seems to have all the right qualities you’re looking for – but you meet him, and none of what you want is there.

That’s what happens when your employer brand doesn’t match up with your candidate experience. Your brand is the date who’s good on paper. The experience you offer your candidate will decide if you’re going to get dumped.

We enter the New Year with new goals, new perspectives, new year, new me. One thing that doesn’t need to be revamped is your top Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). You can apply new programs and you can revitalize a lot within your organization to attract new candidates in 2021, but ways in which you measure your success will just need a renewed focus so you can observe your progress.

We are excited to announce that Peter Witonsky has joined Nexxt as Senior Vice President of Business Development. With a career spanning 20 years as a leader and corporate executive with an emphasis on client relationships, new business development, and revenue generation, Peter will bring his expertise to Nexxt to lead the sales team in delivering an exceptional customer experience and advancing Nexxt’s enterprise sales objectives.

Even though it’s now January, it’s impossible to Men-In-Black zap ourselves into thinking that last year didn’t happen. Proof positive—I’m writing this in December of 2020, knowing that this will be published sometime in the future. “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it”—that’s an old adage my mom loves telling me, and I think we’re all in agreement we’d rather not repeat 2020. Auld Lang Syne translates to “for the sake of old times” – so, for Auld Lang Syne, what lessons did we learn in 2020 that will help us thrive in 2021?

Prior to the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 – much of what we deemed “recruitment marketing” could reflect much of the same tactics we use to promote our brands. We wanted both consumers and job seekers alike to want to be a part of our brand – either through their pocketbooks or their desire to work for us.

How we spend our time and money has drastically changed since March 2020, but how we market to those consumers and potential employees needs little changing to make a big impact. With a little compassion, a little finesse, and lot of marketing ingenuity, we can utilize these time-tested strategies that get the attention of consumers to recruit potential employees and not miss a step in the results we’re after.

An open-hiring strategy is the process of hiring anyone regardless of their background and this strategy benefits people from all walks of life. It is also incredibly beneficial to employers who need to hire a lot of people who can be trained to get the job done. The Body Shop announced their plan for open-hiring in an effort to reduce bias as they gave people retail jobs on a first come, first serve basis. Now, in the wake of COVID-19, the process may be helpful to quickly fill entry level roles that do not require a long on-boarding process. And the process seems to have benefits for both the company and their potential employees.

Let's all agree that recruiting the perfect candidate isn't always a walk in the park. The process of recruiting has its own complications that warrant examination and analysis but not all HR departments measure them or understand how they impact the efficiency of their company’s recruitment process. The following are four time-tested metrics for recruiters to make their recruiting process as smooth and efficient as possible.

This is guest blog post from Jason David.

Many of us have seen the predictions: office culture as we know it is never coming back. The effects of COVID-19, and the accompanying diaspora that have left so many workers performing their functions remotely, have many of us wondering if the strictures of 9-to-5 physical office presence makes as much sense as it seems to have made for so long. It even has employers wondering if offering prospective hires the option to work from home will be necessary to remain competitive in the labor market. My answer to that possibility is: it’s simply too early to say.