Pandemic marathon: which managers companies hire

Karolis Blaževičius, Director of recruitment UAB Indigroup, agrees that companies are setting business development goals for new hires, as many companies had put the handbrake on expansion during the first quarantine, and are now looking for ways to reinvigorate the process.

“Last spring, during the quarantine, business had to come to a halt. In the middle of winter, companies realised that there was no longer any need to wait and are now preparing to expand again. A faster expansion is planned for the summer, when the pandemic situation is expected to be better, and now is the time to, say, hire a divisional manager, who will still have time to get to know the company’s operations and product. On the other hand, it is preferable to hire a new manager when there is less competition on the labour market, because as business recovers, the competition for specialists will also increase,” emphasises Blaževičius.

The versatility card

He does not ignore the fact that during the pandemic, both top and middle managers had to adapt to remote working and virtual team leadership.

“Managers who were at the peak of their careers and whose competences were going downhill were knocked off their pedestals during the pandemic. And those who were successful before the pandemic have adapted to the changed environment during the pandemic. After all, many companies had e-commerce channels, they just didn’t use them. Now there is more investment in this area and that is that. Teleworking is just a feature, but it does not change the essence of a manager’s job. After all, in the past, managers travelled a lot and did not see their subordinates for weeks at a time. Now, managers don’t see their teams for longer periods of time, they communicate remotely, and I think everybody is adapting to the situation,” says K. Blaževičius.

The peak of the career is not the best time to hire

He elaborates on what the most desirable hired manager looks like at the moment. According to him, a company benefits most from hiring a professional when he or she is not at the peak of his or her career and is still seeking new knowledge and development.

“The business benefits when a new manager shares the experience they already have, but at the same time they value the knowledge they get from the company. I would say that there is now more flexibility in the market, because in the past, for example, you wanted a logistics company to be led by a specialist in this field. Now, recruitment is not limited to a specific area, but looks at the candidate’s ability to manage processes. The value of top-level managers who are specialised and can only work in a narrow field is diminishing,” Blaževičius sums up, adding that today’s modern manager is characterised by versatility.

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