Transformation in Recruitment practice has become more conspicuous over a decade or so. The major part of this transmogrification can be attributed to the development of technology & its usage by the masses. In past the prime platform to advertise an open Job mandate was through bulletin boards of Job Advertisements in Newspapers. Previously recruitment was more through word of mouth & personal contacts in the industry. But with advent of internet & other technology domains & change in candidates behavior , the recruitment process has undergone a sea change.
The present scenario of Job Market is very much characteristic of the behavioral metamorphosis of the candidates with the Industry realizing the importance of recruitment & technology. Earlier there was hardly any cohesion among Recruitment , technology & marketing, but today all these element function in unison to address the recruitment needs.
The ubiquitous presence of technology has touched upon every sphere of our life, changing the way we think, act and perceive things. It is no different when it comes to the recruitment industry and the hiring trends across various sectors.
Recruitment has seen a sea change in the past couple of years with these below Latest Trends in Hiring.
Predominance of Technology
The recruitment industry has been comfortably using job portals to reach out to suitable candidates for more than a decade now. But, of late, what is attracting recruiters, all over, are social and professional networking sites like Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook to name a few. With more than 106 million people glued to social media, finding the right candidate through networking sites is an advantage for recruiters.
Recruitment is no more about filling vacant positions in companies. Today, what is of utmost importance is the quality of the candidates, as the author Jim Collins says – “Great vision without great people is irrelevant”. This allows no room for geographical or time constraints to reach out to the right candidates. As such use of automated recruitment calling tools, online assessments, asynchronous interviewing , and video interviewing are gradually gaining ground. Online assessments are a great way to get the cream out of the crowd in case of mass recruitments like BPO, IT and insurance sectors.
Targeting the PASSIVE Candidates
Unlike earlier, when recruiters mostly concentrated on active candidates, today recruiters do not shy away from approaching passive candidates. Over the years they have learned the psychology of such candidates, and it is seen that most passive candidates accept new opportunities. After US and China, India stands at number three in this new trend of hiring which is termed as “provocative sourcing”.
Brand Building of Employers/Companies
“You can have the best strategy and the best building in the world, but if you don’t have the hearts and minds of the people who work with you, none of it comes to life.”
In the volatile recruitment industry where every company attempts to grab the best of talent, brand building has become an integral part of companies . Companies are concentrating on a brand building mission to lure suitable candidates to work with them with the intent of a long haul. They are focusing on the work environment and culture and the benefits of training and development programs, to create a feel good factor among candidates.
With so much of competition it becomes essential to provide candidates a good recruitment experience. Lengthy recruitment procedures and delayed responses from recruiters often annoy candidates. So starting from the selection procedure to the interviewing of the candidates, throughout the entire process, priority is given to the candidate’s experience. Even if the candidate is not selected, there is still scope for the candidate spreading a good word of mouth, which is likely to attract a quality talent pool.
The experience of existing employees is equally crucial since they are the best ambassadors of a company. Companies are, therefore, focusing on employee training programs and various other activities.
Many companies use real employees in their promotional videos and brochures, to give an actual feel of the people working in the company. They are in fact leveraging the benefits of social and professional media sites to build a strong brand.
Cross-Industry Hiring
Cross industry hiring is on the rise with companies trying to get the best candidates into their organizations. Candidates with a wide experience can easily fit into any work culture. As such, apart from the skill sets required for the job, what recruiters focus on is the motivation level and trainability of candidates. In the words of John W. Gardner,“When hiring key employees, there are only two qualities to look for: judgment and taste. Almost everything else can be bought by the yard.”
Employee Referrals and Training
Recruiters are focusing on using employee referral as one of the means of hiring talent. This not only gives an access to the passive candidates but recruiters also stand a chance of reaching out to those candidates before other employees do.
“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies.” – Lawrence Bossidy, GE
Well, grooming and training current employees for higher positions within the organization is gradually gaining ground. This not only motivates the employees but also reduces the cost of hiring.
Growing Role of Analytics
Finally, analytics is drastically paving its way into recruitment procedures. Keeping a track of the cost, time and source involved in hiring is not enough. Companies are looking out for various other parameters like tabbing competitor talent pools and what each candidate brings to the table. They are weighing the profits got by full-time and part-time employees, the attributes and motivational level of candidates. Human resource information system is being extensively used along with storage of data in the cloud.
With changing time & business scenarios , the recruitment industry has to evolve to keep pace with the talent requirement of organizations by being innovative in the use of innovative recruitment tools /means available at its disposal.
What was in trend yesterday may not be in vogue today, something relevant today may not of relevance in future. As time changes so does the recruitment trend changes...
Sarla Sharma
Pioneer Management Consultant Pvt Ltd
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