Top 15 Recruiting Trends
Recruitment is among the key functions of a human resource (HR) department. Every business, no matter how technologically advanced it is, requires manpower. Every business manager should know that recruitment is a vital element in HR planning. If the workforce isn’t sufficient, the productivity of a company will decline, which could lead to significant financial losses. So if you’re assuming an HR role in an organization, we can help you gather competent workers. We will share some current trends that we know in recruiting prospective employees.
Top 15 Recruiting Trends
Focus on Cross-Functional Skills of Employees
A person who is well-rounded and flexible will always have a place in a group. Someone with a diverse skillset is valuable because he/she can accomplish more things than the average person. Having that kind of worker in the work environment can help a business to progress furthermore. An employee who possesses cross-functional skills is also capable of helping his/her colleagues improve. So if you focus on recruiting employees with cross-functional skills, the future of your organization will be in good hands.
Social Media for Recruiting
Social media has become a staple for modern society. Every one of us has a social media account, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Because of that, many companies are advertising their job posting on social media. According to Lauren Dufy’s article in Postbeyond.com, 84% of companies are taking advantage of social media for recruitment campaigns, and 9% who aren’t are still considering it. Because most people are on social media, conducting recruitment campaigns through them will allow a business to gather as many recruits as possible.
Using ATS for Fast Hiring
It seems like every process nowadays is undergoing digital transformation. Employee management is among those following that technological advancement. For the case of staff recruitment, there are companies already using the applicant tracking system (ATS), a program that has a candidate database. It can basically perform every step of the recruitment process, such as sending automated emails and scheduling interviews for potential job candidates. However, its ultimate benefit is speeding up the employment process, which can certainly help companies who are urgently mass hiring.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been theorized as a replacement for human workers. It may be a thing of science fiction, but it actually has already begun slowly in some industries. And some companies are already using AI for their recruitment process, such as the ATS, which we talked about previously. Using AI for recruitment is said to eradicate bias in hiring candidates and can help in improving employee relations, employee engagement, and performance management.
Inbound Recruitment
Inbound recruitment is derived from inbound marketing. In this method of recruitment, employers are promoting their job vacancies through informative and engaging content that relates to their target candidates. Due to the internet’s advantages, these contents are mostly found in social media posts and official websites. Inbound recruitment is a subtle approach in inviting candidates under your company’s employment.
Creating Employer Branding
Recruitment is just like marketing. And when it comes to marketing, branding is important. Job candidates not only consider a company’s salary rate and compensation. They also look into its reputation in handling employees. Most of them want assurance that they’ll have excellent working experience in a company and that their well-being will be taken care of. With those in mind, if a company has established a positive employer branding, recruiting potential candidates will be easier.
Employee Referrals
Employee referral is a method of recruiting job candidates by encouraging existing employees to invite people they know to apply in the company, in exchange for monetary incentives and other bonuses. Most companies implement that the existing employee will receive his/her referral bonus only when the job candidate has reached a month of employment. Compared to recruiting employees through job posting sites and social media, employee referrals cost less and even make the hiring process faster. Job posting sites charge expensive fees for every job ad posted. In addition, according to a survey, referral hires tend to stay longer because of their heads-up knowledge of a company’s methods and structure.
Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
Talent and potential can be found in any demographic. People from different ethnicities, places, and backgrounds have their own set of knowledge and unique skill sets. Place all of them in one place and you’ll have a cross-functional team that can help a company’s progress. For those very reasons, employers must emphasize diversity and inclusion efforts during recruitment processes. By doing so, a company is also promoting its employer branding. An organization that embraces diversity and inclusion implies that it treats its members well and wholeheartedly.
Automation Tools
Nowadays, many businesses are adopting a fast-paced operation to keep up with the demands of the industry and the market. In that kind of operation, adequate manpower is essential. Countless companies use automation tools to recruit employees as quickly as possible. Automation tools do everything, such as formulating job ads and directing them to the best candidates via their profiles. ATS and AI, which we’ve discussed earlier, are excellent examples of automation tools for employee recruitment.
Employee Benefits Will Increase
When applicants assess whether they will apply for a particular job, among the factors they look into is the company’s employee benefits program. If they don’t find it satisfactory, they may get discouraged. To avoid that, many employers improve their employee benefits to make their urgent recruitment campaigns successful. In their job ads, most emphasize how an employee’s salary rate and compensation increases gradually during the course of employment. Due to the effectiveness of this method, it’s safe to say that this recruiting trend will stand the test of time.
Prioritize Candidate Experience
“Experience is the best teacher.” It’s a quote we’ve heard a million times before because it truly speaks volumes. Most companies want to ensure that they have a competent workforce. They do that by prioritizing experienced candidates during their recruitment process. Employees with experience have a better understanding of their jobs, and they are equipped with the demeanor and composure to deal with challenges.
Strategic Recruiter
Many employers have strategic recruiters who help them with their recruitment processes. Strategic recruiters dissect the operational needs of a business to have a better perspective in recruiting the right candidates. They recruit candidates by carefully assessing their credentials, skills, and personality traits, and how they can benefit the company in the long run. Strategic recruiters are also adept at using software and automation tools for hiring. Having them as primary recruiters can be costly, but consider it as an investment. They help in ensuring the success of a company.
Talent Pool
Employers want to spot talented candidates as quickly as possible because it saves a lot of time and effort. For that reason, they take advantage of a talent pool. A talent pool consists of a candidate database of highly prospective employees. They could be previous applicants with the right credentials, recommended candidates, and recent applicants with potential. Talent pools are a cost-friendly approach compared to posting expensive job ads.
HR Real-Time Analytics
Using HR real-time analytics allows for a more detailed assessment in recruiting the best candidates for a job. They could involve lots of numerical data that measures various factors of an employee’s attributes. For most employers, referring to HR real-time analytics is part of their standards, and it should be as well for your company. HR real-time analytics also aids in performance management and employee management.
Collaborative Hiring
Collaborative hiring is a recruitment method wherein both the HR manager and department leaders are involved in the process. In this method, the HR manager, which is the primary recruiter, will be less burdened in hiring the right candidates. The department leaders, who have a more in-depth perspective of the business operations, will have a say whether a recruit is qualified for the job. On the recruit’s perspective, he/she will be more acquainted with the company. In the long run, collaborative hiring can help the business in ensuring the strength of its manpower.
Whatever method of employee recruitment you’ll use, each of them has an advantage and disadvantage. As the years go by, new trends in recruiting could emerge and change the game in the industry. But whichever recruitment trends you’ll adapt in your company, keep in mind that proper talent assessment and optimal employee management are always key in reinforcing the workforce.