From pop culture to news, we’re all interested in what’s currently trending, and the world of HR recruitment is no different. Emerging technologies, tools, and processes are changing the recruitment paradigm and forcing us to reevaluate our strategies. We all want to keep up, but changing strategies every two seconds can be in and of itself a bad strategy.
Jumping on the bandwagon just because something is trending is never the best way to go. When evaluating trends, think about whether the new approach meets your specific recruiting needs. Taking the time to really evaluate the latest developments so you can apply the ones that best fit will help you stay ahead of the recruitment game and secure the top talent your company needs to be successful.
Here are the seven main emerging trends in recruitment that are definitely worth evaluating:
Social Talent Networks. With the expansion of social media, companies are using platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to promote their brands and create a talent network where they can engage with potential candidates, as well as fans, employees, and even customers. These viral service communities connect many people to your brand and can effectively attract job-seekers.
Applicant Tracking Systems. Tedious though they once were, applicant tracking systems are quickly becoming easier to use and more valuable to both recruiters and candidates. Emerging ATSs that can manage the entire recruitment process are excellent data platforms for all of your recruiting and analysis needs. Through ATSs, recruiters can now do more, from conducting pre-employment testing to filtering candidates, as well as combining biometric data and proprietary algorithms to better match candidates to jobs.
Division of Labor. Companies are looking for more highly specialized skills in their candidates, and they’ve taken their search global. The competition for top talent among companies has led some to divide the talent acquisition responsibilities between recruiters, who are specialized exclusively in identifying, pursuing, and assessing potential candidates, and hiring managers, who are primarily responsible for the hiring process and work with recruiters on talent sourcing.
Video Resumes and Interviews. Video allows candidates to present themselves more thoroughly than any paper resume can. Through a video resume, candidates can showcase their personality much more clearly, plus they can prove that they’re able to work with technology and understand its potential. For recruiters, video can cut down on the time and cost associated with recruiting by allowing them to pre-screen candidates instead of spending time on the phone or in a face-to-face interview.
Improved Candidate Experience. Job seekers have to jump through a lot of hoops these days to land a job. If candidates find it nearly impossible to apply for a job on your career website, or if they never hear back from a hiring manager or are treated poorly during their interview process, it reflects badly on your company. Hands-on management that improves the candidate experience has become paramount to acquiring top talent.
Get Mobile. Smartphones are changing the recruiting game and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Failing to have a mobile-friendly website with a full-on career page, including job applications that are easy to read and fill out on a smartphone, is basically recruitment suicide. Mobile recruitment solutions can facilitate and speed up recruitment and are more visible to the increasing number of candidates who use their smartphones to search for jobs.
Assessment Science. Pre-employment assessment tests help recruiters determine which candidates have the necessary skills, knowledge, behavior, and the best cultural fit. Based on scientific studies, these tests are usually engineered using I-O psychology to assess the skills needed for each job. The increased use of pre-hiring assessment tests proves that they’re a useful tool and validates the trend’s skyrocketing popularity.
Analyze your recruitment process in detail, and determine whether any of these trends could help you do better. You may already be implementing some to an extent, but maybe the time has come to expand your efforts or combine them with other strategies. Remember, improving the recruitment process will help your company outperform its peers and excel in your market.
Have you incorporated any of these emerging trends into your recruitment strategy? Which ones do you think are game-changers, and which are more likely to fizzle out?
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I agree with what you said about changing strategies according to emerging technologies, tools, and processes – it is indeed a bad strategy in itself. Success is not about keeping up with trends, but about adopting and adapting these trends to the needs of your organization.
Of course, the latest developments and emerging trends are always appealing and tempting, but not all of them will meet your specific needs. However, the ones listed in your article are definitely worth attention.
I enjoyed your article very much, especially the part about candidate experience. Unfortunately, there are still many recruiters who don’t pay any attention to the fact that recruiting is really a two-way street. Sure, recruiters are paid by customers, not clients, but I strongly believe that the ones who don’t invest in building relationships with candidates are bound to fail at some point.
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I agree with what you said about changing strategies according to emerging technologies, tools, and processes – it is indeed a bad strategy in itself. Success is not about keeping up with trends, but about adopting and adapting these trends to the needs of your organization.
Of course, the latest developments and emerging trends are always appealing and tempting, but not all of them will meet your specific needs. However, the ones listed in your article are definitely worth attention.
I enjoyed your article very much, especially the part about candidate experience. Unfortunately, there are still many recruiters who don’t pay any attention to the fact that recruiting is really a two-way street. Sure, recruiters are paid by customers, not clients, but I strongly believe that the ones who don’t invest in building relationships with candidates are bound to fail at some point.