Being out of job in troubled COVID times is rampant and compunded to the struggles of millions of employees. Unfortunately, cut throat, competition and conventional mindset and procedures precludes the shortlisting of prospective suitable candidates as the so-called employment gaps in their resume automatically flags them as rejects and outright “failures”. Such candidates then either remain jobless suffering untold hardship or in despair land up with sub optimal opportunities.During this long-drawn pandemic, life has been unpredictable and changed our lives forever. In the new world, we realise the importance of our lives,livelihood and the interconnectedness and interdependence of mankind for survival. Putting people first at the centrestage of hiring programs then assumes importance. What do we then do?
- Remove the invisible “No Entry /Right of Admission Reserved Board” for candidate tagged with an employment gap for whatever reasons.
- Provide the candidate a fair and reasonable opportunity to confidently narrate his story to explain the employment gap rather than prejudge and eliminate his candidature through impersonal algorithms and ruthless pre-determined filtration processes.
- Evaluate and assess the merit of the candidate objectively for the job he has applied overriding the barrier of the employment gap.
- Provide a level playing field to hire the right quality talent for the position rather than use muscle power that reduces talent acquisition program to strike ruthless bargains at a discount sale of rejected goods.
- Encourage and motivate the candidate by offering him what he deserves for the value he brings to the organisation rather than exploit “out of work” tags to short-change the candidate.
- Motivate the candidate to give his best on a long-term basis, rather than leaving the door open for him to job hop to greener pastures to get what he deserves.
- Extend a helping hand to the candidate to prove his worth as today’s employment gap is not a metrics or predictor of his existing intrinsic worth or potential.
- Look beyond the rule book, the age-old practices to unravel and usher a change in our hiring program that instils empathy and compassion for our distressed colleagues who deserve better.
- Hire the best but also to be humane to humans who are integral for an organisation’s existence for a “WIN WIN Outcome”
