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Talent Market's mission is to promote liberty by providing talent for critical roles within the free-market nonprofit sector

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Talent Tip #125: Dating (and Interviewing and Hiring) During Lockdown

July 14, 2020

Katelynn Barbosa

Back in my 20s, I did my fair share of online dating. I remember those days of sending my favorite Hayek quotes to men that looked interesting and getting excited when they would send the perfect Adam Smith quote back. That response would deem a guy sarcastic enough to warrant further exploration, and if he really seemed worth the effort, I might set up a phone call to talk about how to resolve state budget pensions crises. And if we enjoyed the conversation enough, we might meet in person to talk about the benefits of free markets in medicine. You know…typical early dating stuff.

But I could never really tell if I clicked with someone until I met him in person. In-person is where the rubber met the road. In-person is where I really got a sense for our rapport, the energy the guy was giving off, and whether we might be a fit for the long-term. Unfortunately for all the single men out there just itching for a girl who is into Bastiat, I am no longer on the market. But I can’t help but think of what it must be like for single people trying to date and ? you knew this was coming?  organizations trying to hire when we’re on lockdown.

The good news is that it is possible to interview, find your perfect match, and hire in the middle of a pandemic! I know because several of our clients have recently done it. Here are some lessons we have learned through their experiences:

  • Organizations are conducting in-person interviews and have found a way to do it in a socially distanced fashion.One of our clients recently made a hire after posting the job at the beginning of April when lockdowns were in full effect, conducting preliminary interviews virtually, and then conducting the final interview in person. (This client is located in a state where their business was deemed exempt from stay at home orders so employees were legally permitted to work in the office.) The candidate volunteered to come in to the office for the final interview, everyone sat in the large conference room where people were able to maintain distance from each other, and each individual decided for themselves what their comfort level was with shaking hands versus bumping elbows versus dispensing with a physical greeting altogether.Our client summed it up perfectly by saying, “My advice to other organizations is the same advice that I have for the government : you have a nation full of grown-ups. Their individual judgment should be trusted more than government oversight.”

    Meanwhile, two other clients have arranged outdoor interviews in the organizations’ office courtyards. Talk about interviewing entrepreneurialism!

  • Some organizations have liked virtual interviews so much that they do not plan on returning to in-person interviews in the future.Another client posted a job in early March, just before the lockdowns were implemented, conducted fully virtual interviews, and recently hired two candidates based on that one job search without meeting either of them in person. They simply replaced their final in-person panel interview with a Zoom interview with everyone who would have been on the in-person panel. Our client commented, “I didn’t really see any significant change, and frankly I’d be surprised if we went back to flying candidates out here.”
  • Virtual interviews may be all some organizations need for virtual hires.One of our clients posted a job in early March, before lockdowns were implemented, conducted fully virtual interviews, and hired a candidate without ever meeting them in person. That hire has been working successfully for them for over a month and the team has still not met them in person yet. The organization said of the experience, “Since we interviewed the candidate understanding they would be a remote employee, it was an unexpected benefit that the interviews were remote rather than in person. This allowed us to sense how the candidate could connect with us via video and email – the primary tools they’d use as a remote staff member.”

We hope these stories help your organization as you decide how to interview in the COVID era. If you are looking to hire and need guidance on how to interview and conduct your hiring in these strange times, Talent Market is just an email away! And if you’re looking for dating advice, we are happy to provide that too!

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About Us

Claire Kittle Dixon
Executive Director

Claire runs the day-to-day operations of Talent Market, manages searches for clients, and oversees the organization’s fundraising communications, technology, administration, and cat-herding efforts…
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Katy Gambella
Director of Outreach

Katy oversees Talent Market’s outreach to young professionals and manages the outreach team. She also manages searches and executes outreach directly herself…
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Stephanie Keaveney
Senior Manager of Outreach
Stephanie splits her time between managing talent searches for free-market nonprofits, maintaing Talent Market’s social media presence, and engaging in outreach to young professionals interested in liberty-oriented careers…
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Bailey Drouant
Project Manager
Bailey assists free-market nonprofits with their hiring needs by helping them manage the search process from start to finish…
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Savannah Rupp
Project Manager
Savannah channels her expertise to manage searches for free-market nonprofits, ensuring they find the perfect match to drive their missions forward. She also supports Talent Market’s…
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Wait, You’re a Nonprofit?

Talent Market is a nonprofit. We’ll wait here while that sinks in. We know it’s a crazy concept, but it’s been working like a charm since 2009.

Talent Market’s mission is to promote liberty by providing talent for critical roles within the free-market nonprofit sector.

We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation. (We do not work with political organizations, organizations with mission statements that do not clearly advance free-market principles, organizations that focus on social issues, or organizations that have a focus outside of the United States. We are not a job board. ) 

Talent Market believes that the road to prosperity is paved with freedom and that the success of our movement hinges on the talent that will take us there.

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