8 Trends that have changed the recruitment industry forever

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For decades, the staffing industry was relatively static, and recruiters had complete control over the hiring process. The steps were simple: find a job opening, post a job ad, screen applicants, interview, and negotiate an offer.

With the introduction of online job boards in the mid-1990s, there were early signs of change, but hiring processes were still idle. Words like "digitization" and "applicant tracking system" were bandied about in the background, but they meant little to the average recruiter. Some of the early recruitment software packages were not integrated and represented little more than a crude system of spreadsheets.

The first decade of the 2000s saw the introduction of more technological advances in the recruitment industry. Some alert recruiters became aware and took note of the impending changes.

Today, in 2022, the recruitment industry is a very different world!

Over the past decade, technology, in particular, has transformed the recruitment industry and triggered a shift in candidate attitudes. Instant access to information, increased connectivity, and workforce mobility have turned the tables and given candidates much more control.

In the dark ages before the Internet, applicants responded to printed job ads, often without knowing who the potential employer was. Today, applicants want to know more about the employer before they apply. And that's the kicker: top talent expects companies to have an employer brand so they can decide whether or not to apply.  Candidates are no longer willing to apply blindly.

The insatiable thirst for technological advancements across the board has created another inflection point in the recruitment industry: the skills shortage. A 2018 study found that 40% of corporate executives worldwide cite the skills shortage as a barrier to growth.

The recruitment industry, redefined
If your recruitment efforts are yielding poor results, it may be time to review what you're doing (or not doing) so you can make changes. With a growing skills shortage and evolving technology, recruiters need to adapt to changing realities.

The recruitment industry will never be the same, and if you're not at the forefront of industry trends, your competition will cut you down.

Recruiters who have failed to keep up with industry changes and candidate expectations have likely not added the various types of creative recruitment strategies and tools to their arsenal, and as a result, are being left behind. The reality today is that recruitment is no longer a one-size-fits-all proposition as it once was. Each vacancy must be viewed as a separate project if top talent is to be attracted (and retained).

  1. rapidly evolving technical skills requirements.
    Don't ignore the skills shortage, even if you're not experiencing it in your industry. As technology advances, every industry will utilize IoT technology, AI, Big Data, and data analytics. It's estimated that 65% of tomorrow's workforce will be in jobs that don't exist today.

The solution: become a specialist in your industry and stay abreast of industry developments, especially in the area of technology.

2. greater turnover in the workforce.
Long-service awards are increasingly being forgotten as workers change jobs and industries more frequently. Few workers stay with a company for more than a few years as people today take a more diverse approach to work and are willing to try different roles. Gone are the days of focusing only on education and job skills; recruiters also need to be more open to an applicant's potential. What used to be the career ladder is now the career lattice.

The solution: commit to finding candidates who are a cultural fit and develop cultural fit questions for your organization. Reassure hiring managers that candidates who fit the company culture will stay longer if allowed to grow.

3. a better connected and informed workforce.
The Internet has revolutionized the way employees and job applicants think. People are no longer willing to be on the payroll of a company that has no identity. Applicants want to know more than just the job description and salary package before they accept an offer. If you want to attract top talent, you need to motivate them why they should work for your company.

The solution: make marketing a recruitment tool. You need to know your employer brand and how to sell it not only to applicants but also to potential candidates. Regular contact with your talent is essential to attract and retain their interest when a suitable position becomes available.

4. applicant-centric approaches
Recruiters used to focus on what the company wanted, and candidates were viewed as numbers that made a successful placement. No more! Applicants know and are evaluating your every move. Poor recruiting processes, lack of employer branding, and a miserable applicant experience have a massive impact on your success. Even worse, applicants spread the news via social media and review portals. A few bad reviews can cause your talent pool to turn into a mudhole overnight.

The solution: put applicants first! Support the members of your hiring team who don't know how important applicant experience is. Think about the type of person you want to attract to an open position before you start hiring, and then put yourself in their shoes. How would they want to be treated, and what would make them accept an offer?

Relevant: 5 candidate-driven market trends in 2021.

5. fully digital recruitment
No recruiter can embrace the different types of recruiting we need today and still be stuck with the old ways of digging through countless applications to find the best candidates. Technology has come to the rescue. With the help of algorithms, you can shortlist the best candidates without having to read through every resume. With an ATS, you can track all of your hiring processes as well as candidate engagement. You also have access to real-time data and HR metrics.

The solution: if you still haven't made the switch, it's time to make the switch. Digital recruitment is not only the way of the future, it's already a game-changer in the recruitment industry.

6. recruitment is no longer a solo effort.
If you're handling the hiring process alone, with the support of one or two supervisors, you're probably not doing well. In the past, recruiters usually worked alone and were hired reactively. Most companies have realized that this way of working has many pitfalls that lead to bad hires and early failures. Collaborative hiring is becoming the norm, with hiring teams working together from the moment a position is identified until the day the successful candidate starts.

The solution: communicate the value of collaborative hiring to management and designate a hiring team for each vacancy. Invest in an ATS to ensure all team members are on board and to keep the group updated in real-time on the progress of each position.

7. The best candidate is not necessarily on your doorstep.
Companies used to hire employees from the local area, and most worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but that has changed. Depending on the job, employees no longer have to live in the same city or even the same country. Recruiters need to broaden their horizons and have a vision, especially for hard-to-fill positions. If you limit your candidate search to the region, you will miss out on the best talent.

The solution: become a harbinger of change. Educate recruiters about the potential of remote workers and the value they bring. Tap into other sources for recruiting new opportunities.

8. recruitment does not end with successful placement.
It used to be that a recruiter's job was done once a candidate accepted an offer, but that's no longer the case. Today's recruiters must have foresight and industry knowledge to find candidates who will not only stay with a company but also add value to the company. For an employee to add value, they need to feel valued, and that brings us back to cultural fit! Recruiters need to look at more than just skills and education.

The solution: accept that the role of the recruiter has changed dramatically. Recruiters need to be innovative and take a long-term approach to find talent. Improve your marketing, communication, and mentoring skills to ensure lasting retention and build a solid talent pool.

The modern recruiter is an innovator, a visionary, a communicator, and a mentor - in addition to everything they were before. This may sound like a difficult task, but it's not at all. All you need to do is embrace technology and keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening in the industry.

Here are some current trends to keep an eye on:

5 job skills that are in short supply

Industry-specific IT skills, as well as development skills.
Knowledge of the healthcare industry.
Finance and budgeting skills.
Research and development skills.
Ecological skills as the world become more environmentally conscious.

5 soft skills that are in short supply

Language - especially English in the business world.
People skills and communication skills.
Leadership skills.
Organizational skills.
Mentoring skills.

6 global industry trends

Mining is in decline.
Manufacturing is in decline.
Technology is on the rise.
Cybersecurity is on the rise.
Healthcare is on the rise.
Engineering is on the rise.

Recruiting is still recruiting. That means it's always about finding a job opening, finding candidates, interviewing, and negotiating an offer - just in a different environment. The modern recruiter is an industry specialist who knows what is going on in their industry and is not resistant to change.

Those who are successful in the recruitment industry also know that there are many different levels of success and different solutions to each situation. Technology has opened up a whole new world to recruitment, and the recruitment industry has become a completely different game. Stay up to date to stay on your path to success. Choose icehrm.com, the path of the modern technological HR management system to manage your recruitments in the organization.