Once upon a time, recruiters posted job openings on the bulletin board of the local drugstore or in a city newspaper. Since then, online job boards have evolved with the internet and social media. Again and again, recruiters are forced to develop new strategies to find employees.
Just examining the past few years provides clear evidence of the substantial changes that recruiters go through from year to year. The Covid-19 pandemic has largely forced recruiters to switch to Zoom interviews and quickly bolster their online sourcing techniques.
In the candidate market, recruiters need to be at their best to ensure that vacancies are filled. … [+]
Later, when companies tried to get employees back to the office, recruiters were surprised to discover a strong preference for remote working. In 2021, 47.8 million Americans will leave their jobs. The big layoff was officially underway and recruiters had to fill countless jobs as retention rates plummeted.
Time and time again, recruiters have risen to the challenge of these changing times and revitalized their recruiting techniques. The question is: how do they do it?
Embrace change
As the recruiting landscape continues to change, recruiters must master adaptability. According to Blackmere Consulting CEO Domini Clark, “old dogs that can’t learn new tricks won’t thrive in this environment. The better you understand and adapt to the changing dynamics in the talent market, the more likely you are to attract, engage and hire top candidates.”
With sweeping changes in society, candidates are looking for new qualities in the positions they are considering. Recruiters need to be able to match people with the best positions for their needs, which requires flexibility on their part.
“Some recruiters continue to run their businesses with a pre-2020 mindset. But there’s just no point in pretending the pandemic of recent years hasn’t led to a lot of soul-searching,” said Jayce Grayye, CEO of Jayce Grayye Consulting and Recruitment. “Qualified, highly-desired job seekers have become much less willing to accept positions that don’t match the desired work-life balance.”
Stay up to date with technology
Just as comfortable as recruiters need to be with change, they also need to be willing to learn. In particular, new technologies require recruiters to keep their platforms and workflows constantly updated.
2021, Jobvite did research on more than 800 US recruiting professionals. It concluded that employers must improve process efficiency in order to compete for talent in the candidate market. In fact, recruiters are using automation and artificial intelligence software more than last year to find, screen, schedule and chat with candidates.
“It is no longer enough to post a job and hope for the best,” writes HiringThing CEO Josh Siler. “It is essential to reassess your recruiting technology needs against your current tools to identify areas where you can innovate or upgrade. Ensuring you have the right technology can streamline the hiring process and potentially give you a professional advantage.”
Understand your talent pool
As great as technology is, purchasing the latest recruiting tools won’t do much for recruiters if they don’t first understand what job seekers want. As obvious as this sounds, it can be difficult for recruiters not to act out of self-interest. However, focusing on the candidate will ultimately protect a recruiter’s reputation whether or not an applicant accepts an offer.
One way recruiters can stay focused on applicant needs is by collecting and analyzing data about job seekers.
“Using talent market analytics has been instrumental in informing and influencing go-to-market and location strategies, as well as managing hiring cycle expectations,” said Britton Bloch, vice president of Talent Acquisition Strategy and Navy Federal Chief of Recruiting. “From a brand perspective, analytics inform managers about the geographically targeted talent acquisition campaigns.”
Eric Friedman is the founder and CEO of eSkill, a global skill testing and behavioral assessment company. Friedman has helped launch five different startups and also understands the importance of data in recruiting.
“As the digital revolution continues, recruiting and hiring will become more data-driven,” Friedman wrote. “Companies will continue to prioritize data analytics and deep insights about potential candidates. Companies need to leverage data, automate redundant processes, reduce HR workloads, and demonstrate how the organization can streamline its evaluation protocols.”
The one thing recruiters can count on, data or no data, is that job seekers’ needs are constantly changing. Finding ways to adapt, continuously learning, and analyzing relevant data are all methods that will keep recruiters confident and effective in their efforts to find the best applicants in their current talent market.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.