As we look at the year ahead of us in 2022, let’s analyze the current state of recruitment with the trends that we will face, and strategies that can help businesses thrive when building their teams:
Trends:
1) Hiring will not get any easier in a Candidate driven market
2022 is not going to get any easier than what we had seen last year. As the pandemic pushes on, we continue to see a greater number of available jobs than the number of available job candidates. As employers continue to recover from their lows and rebuild their teams, they are competing with one another to find the best available talent. This gives candidates more leverage and choices in opportunities, salaries, benefits, and more, leading them to be more selective than ever before when it comes to making career changes.
2) Remote, remote, remote will continue
While many companies had their employees working remotely for the past two years, some have implemented new hybrid schedules, while others have switched from remote to in-office depending on their local government and health official guidelines. Job candidates are now expecting remote and virtual interviews right from the get-go, remote on-boarding and training, and remote work as a norm.
3) Greater focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
There continues to be a greater need for more attention to be put on diversity, equity and inclusion as the world looks to have more positive changes in society with a spillover effect to the business world in the past few years and only growing stronger. Gender and ethnically diverse teams have proven to spur new ideas and increase performance levels. Job candidates are also looking for employers who pay attention to social inequalities and have proven to be a difference maker. Everyone wants to work in a safe environment where they feel included and appreciated.
4) The continuing growth in automation and data-driven recruitment
As employers tap into wider markets beyond their local candidate pools, the volume of applicants and potential candidates will rise, and the use of AI automation will increase to process the increase in numbers. And just like sales and marketing, there is a vast amount of data available for recruiters that have yet to be fully utilized. This information can be analyzed and used to better strategize recruitment approaches and measure success.
Strategies:
1) Place more attention on retaining your team
A recurring theme from the past two years will be on employee retention. One of the most important parts of growing your team is first keeping the good employees you already have. Employers must not forget about the talent already on their team when everyone is focused on the battle for new talent in the market. Develop career growth paths within the company and look at the skillset that each employee brings to the table for possible internal mobility. Lastly, it may be less costly to train and develop a good employee who wants to be with the company than to try and find someone and convince them to join.
2) More strategic recruiting and finding passive candidates
With less available job candidates on the market, employers must get creative in their approach to find talent before others do. Looking beyond your local talent pool will be key for positions that can be performed remotely. Try marketing and advertising on new platforms may prove to have different results.
Sometimes the best talent is not one that is readily available or knocking on your door. Finding strong passive candidates who may not be actively seeking new employment may be the key in building a successful team. Have a strong online presence and digital outreach strategies to attract individuals by connecting with them and showcasing your company values and culture, offerings, opportunities for learning and growth, and more.
3) Review Goals, Set Metrics, Optimize Process
To be successful in recruitment, the proper goals and measures must be put in place. At the start of each calendar year is the best time to assess hiring needs for the year and the timeline for each hire. Next, the proper metrics are needed to track the recruitment activities and the success of reach strategy. Lastly, assess the current recruitment tools and strategies to see what has worked and what has not. Look for areas for improvement and optimization and implement new strategies.
4) Employer Branding and Positive Candidate Experience
Employer branding a very important element in attracting, hiring, and retaining great talent. Job Candidates wants to work for employers who have a clear mission, identity, and tone of voice that makes them industry leaders. It is something that is done collectively, from top to bottom as a company, to build a brand that is desirable.
The candidate experience refers to the total perception of a candidate about an organization through its recruitment process. This is the first glimpse into a company for the candidate and is a major impact on their decision to continue with the process and ultimately joining the team. Candidates are treating the recruitment process more and more like a shopping / customer experience, looking at how they are treated and interaction with the team is what determines if they feel it would be a match and fit.
5) Investment in Digitization and Technology
With technological innovations rapidly transforming how employers recruit, constant changes are made to the recruitment process from sourcing candidates to assessment and selection, to offer generation, and onboarding. Gone are the days of paper resumes with new ways for professionals to connect and share their credentials, we’re see job candidates connect with the companies their desire to work for through online applications, mobile applications, as well as professional and social networking platforms.
To be successful is to be prepared for anything. By understanding what challenges, you will be facing this year, you can strategize the best plan for your team to continue to build with talent and continue strong despite the economical conditions and what is happening around us.
Contact Us today to speak with one of our Recruitment Specialists and let us help you make 2022 a year where build your team with stronger talent!
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