The employment landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, and the best recruiters know that knowledge and adaptability are the keys to success, as they assist their clients to adapt to new trends, technology, and hiring challenges.
From learning about new hiring technology trends such as AI screening of candidates, to helping your clients nail their Employee Value Proposition to attract high performers, it’s never been so important for a recruiter to be ahead of the game.
1. Artificial Intelligence has arrived!
It’s a brave new world we live in, and recruiters are facing dramatic changes on the employment horizon driven by technology. One such change is the role Artificial Intelligence has to play in first- round screening of candidates.
Some US companies have already adopted AI programs to determine suitable candidates from the applicant pool to put forward for personal interviews, thereby dispensing with the need for time consuming steps like manual reading of CVs and phone screening.
This development automates some of the traditional work of a recruiter, which may well prove a double edged sword. On the one hand, it will free up a recruiter’s time for other work (always appreciated!), but may also tempt some clients to dispense or decrease their use of recruitment services over time.
The ideal use of AI for recruiters is Augmented Intelligence, which means taking advantage of the time-saving tools of AI to make the human recruitment offering better.
A savvy recruiter will therefore be preparing for the rise of AI and should be keen to utilise it, while also being ready to defend the traditional recruiter approach to clients, such as screening for potential and attitude, which is something that AI cannot replicate.
2. Predictive analytics and big data are changing the way we hire.
Predictive analytics is a rapidly growing trend in recruitment, and only set to get bigger in 2018. Big data can help recruiters identify and successfully target top talent, assist in building talent pipelines, reduce search time, and (most importantly), improve conversion ratios and predict the success of the candidate early on in the recruitment process.
At this stage, HR analytics is still in its relative infancy, but the potential is endless. A talented recruiter will be tuned into developments in predictive analytics and be early adopters of this revolutionary use of data.
3. Diversity hiring and non-discrimination are vital.
The workforce is increasingly globalised and the skills shortage is intensifying, so top recruiters understand that their clients’ companies will benefit richly from diversity in the workplace.
Diversity encompasses differences of race, religion, ethnicity and sexuality, and a recruiter can help increase their client’s diversity mix, while remaining extremely alert to any potentially discriminatory terms in hiring practices.
On that note, companies and recruiters are beginning to utilise software that will red flag potentially discriminatory language or requirements in job specs and replace them with neutral words.
4. The Employee Value Proposition has never been more critical.
Top candidates are in a commanding position in the current skills shortage, meaning that companies must strive to attract them by creating an unbeatable Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
An attractive combination of company values, culture, training programs and employee perks is often what drives candidates to choose one company over another, and as a recruiter, you’ve seen this play out countless times!
This trend is getting ever stronger as more Millennials rise up the ranks of the workforce and become star performers, as Millennials rate culture and continuous learning as some of the most critical factors in their career decisions.
Recruiters can assist their clients attract the top candidates by drilling down into what makes the company a great place to work at, and presenting this information in a way that excites candidates about the opportunity.
Recruiters should also be extremely well informed about workplace culture trends driving candidate decision-making, and be ready to advise their clients on ways to improve their EVP if requested.
With 2018 looming, there’s no better time to get ahead of the game and learn about the recruitment trends that might make or break your success as a recruiter in the coming 12 months.
Until next time,
Cheryl
