5 Reasons to be Grateful it’s not Business as Usual in Recruitment by Fiona Kesby

 Our recruitment team lives by this promise: “Do whatever it takes so someone can have a job and feed their families.”

This pandemic is changing the way the world works.

Here’s another way of looking at it: This pandemic has created massive opportunities for making the world of work much better.

For recruiters, this is literally a life-changing time. 

I had a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how different this year has been for recruitment when our friends at Mynimo jobs site invited me to speak at the first of their virtual events series, Mynimo Insights.  

First: We’ve learned to problem-solve faster.

One of the first things we did in the www.go-va.com.au tribe was to change our weekly department meetings into quick daily huddles. This was great for transparency as well as for staying connected. 

As much as we enjoy using tools like Zoom, a video conference that takes place only once a week doesn’t make up for the interactions (and flashes of inspiration or encouragement) we can get from meeting face to face. 

Switching from weekly meetings to daily huddles gave us more opportunities to find out how team members were doingーand to clear a path for them faster, which led to quicker and more effective problem-solving.

Second: We’ve given job candidates (and current team members as well) the flexibility they needed.

Long before this pandemic, we’ve asked job candidates to create their profiles online and to visit the office only once their initial interviews were arranged. 

Once this year’s quarantine rules took effect, in-person interviews were out of the question. 

We’ve found that with empathetic listening and focused attention, our recruiters can make phone and online interviews work just as well as in-person ones. 

Even after the rules are eased and it gets easier to move around, we may keep offering the option of doing interviews online. That’ll spare both our candidates and recruiters from having to endure traffic jams, and they won’t have to worry about the risks of taking public transportation. 

We’ve also given qualified candidates more time to complete their pre-employment requirements. It’s not the easiest thing to get a physical exam and lab tests when clinic hours are so limited. 

Third: It’s a great time for reflecting on how we communicate and for understanding ourselves and our teams better.

There will be days productivity won’t be at the level your business needs. And that’s OK. It’s an extremely challenging time for everyone, which means that there will be days even your stars will wobble a little bit.

Find out why. Ask: What can I do to help you? Have you received the training you needed?

Likewise, you may be pleasantly surprised when some members of the team step up and exceed your (and their own) expectations. Celebrate each win, yes. And then again, find out why. What was in place for them to deliver even better results than usual?

Fourth: Make time for self-careーnot “even in a pandemic” but especially in a pandemic.

You cannot lead at your best if you feel depleted. 

So before you find yourself struggling with the situation, practice self-care. Self-care, as I’ve told our www.go-va.com.au team before, is not self-indulgence. Self-care is part of self-discipline.

This requires tough-mindedness, a deep personal understanding of your priorities, and respect for both yourself and the people you choose to spend your life with. Get enough rest, book in time for exercise, eat well, talk things out (we need to keep our physical distance, not our social or emotional distance), and keep on learning.

Fifth: One day, we’ll look back at all this with gratitude and a deep sense of accomplishment.

It’s important that we all work together at this time. 

Our challenges are massive. 

So are the emerging opportunities.

One thing that has helped is by remembering those times that we used to think would be a situation of scarcity yet instead turned out to be periods of opportunity and growth instead. 

A few years ago, when GO-VA served as an incubator for WorldRemit, we accepted a challenge to fill a large number of roles quickly. Then we realised All Saints’ Day weekend in November was coming up! Everyone (recruiters, team members, all those wonderful job candidates we wanted to attract) would be going home to their hometowns or to different provinces for a break. 

And then two of our recruiters ended up in hospital, being treated for food poisoning. 

Despite all that, we got the job done. Now we simply think of it as our version of an early Christmas miracle.

This pandemic is tough. That’s why it always helps us to remember our purpose of helping businesses to scale and helping people to exceed. This starts with providing jobs. 

More than ever, people need the jobs we have because every family has relatives out of work. With every challenge we overcome, our reserves of patience and enlightening experience get deeper. We become a bit more confident and a lot more grateful about what we can do together.

 And in the future, we will remember the COVID-19 miracle stories that got us through this pandemic. 

Thanks to the Mynimo team for this opportunity! To see a video and what our www.go-va.com.au team wrote about the event, visit here, please.

Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions on how we can make our stories better!

Interview Selection Criteria - Virtual Assistant by Fiona Kesby

For over 18 years I have been interviewing applicants, since 2007 I started interviewing virtual assistants.  This is what has helped me be successful in finding top talent.

The Top 6 Questions To Always Ask in an Interview

Ask the reason why they have left their last 3 - 5 employers.  If each employment has been under 12 month and the VA responds with "to move to green pastures or improve my career ".  History predicts that you will only have your new VA for up to 12 months and then you will need to re-hire and re train.

Tell me how you improved your skills in the last 12 months?  Tell me the name of the last book you read and when? Here you are looking for applicants who are self learners.

Tell me about your greatest achievement, a time you stepped outside your comfort zone.  You are looking for answers that show your VA is resilient, can work under pressure and go the extra mile for you. I personally select team members who have traveled or worked outside of the Philippines. Travelling is an experience of stepping outside your comfort zone.

Why should I give this role to you over the other applicants I have interviewed.  This is an opportunity for the VA to share with you their strengths, see if they have researched you or your business and have a good understanding.

What was your take home salary per month, what did you receive in your bank account or  pocket.  Was this salary for a day or evening shift?  Taxes and benefits can be very different to what we are used to paying in Australia. Be clear that your VA is answering gross or net. Know what exactly went into their pocket manages salary expectations.  Also understanding if rates are referred to a day or night shift.  Night shifts are paid a higher rate for the inconveniences on their social life and stress to their health.   

Can you supply me the contact details of your last 3 Managers?  With the popularity of social media including Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Google+, not to mention the affordability of mobile phones worldwide and free email, If an applicant can not supply contact details of a previous manager this is a red flag there was an issue.

Your selection List to Hire Against:

• High quality English written and spoken
• Past similar experience working for international clients.  This includes virtual assistant roles from websites like Uwork, BPO experience , working for 5 Star Hotels in a customer service role interacting with international guests.  Working in countries outside of their home country (this shows the ability to step outside their comfort zone and exposure to International clients)

• Completed online testing to a high standard. The best test is example task they would be performing on a daily basis.

• Longevity in each role, at least 2 years (there are exceptions when businesses close down.  This is why it is important to ask the reason for leaving question. Anyone can last 12 months in a company before management makes a decision they are unproductive or not the right cultural fit )

• Well formatted resume (this show good documentation skills for correspondence with clients and for administration skills)

• Like for like experience and industry skills.  Similar to recruiting locally, you wouldn't hire an administration assistant and expect they can create written content for your website or hire a network administrator and expect them to design a website

• Look for extra curricular activities and achievements.  VAs that are fit and healthy are going to be more productive.  In countries where life expectancy is lower, it is even more important that your VA is taking care of themselves.  If their activities are similar to your own then you have shared values and interests, making conversations more enjoyable and you build a stronger relationship and a highly engaged and productive VA.  Our own personal favourite at GO-VA are applicants that have read or completed the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” workshop or Robin Sharma’s “A Leader without a Title”

Fiona Kesby is the CEO of www.GO-VA.com.au an Australian owned and operated Managed Operations in Cebu, Philippines.  Fiona currently lives in Cebu and has experience offshoring tasks since 2008 and a background in Recruitment. She is passionate about sourcing the best talent in the market, developing leaders and providing a culture built on the love of learning, execution, care, finding a way and drive.