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The Top Recruiting Trends That Will Define 2018
While every new year promises drastic shifts in the recruitment landscape commensurate with new technologies, social policies, and best practices, we at Urgenci believe that 2018 will feature growth in several key areas:
- Increased hiring across industries and candidate demographics
- A push towards emerging technologies and analytics that enable faster, smarter hiring practices
- Use of applications and in-house platforms that prioritize the candidate experience
Let’s review each of these trends in detail.
Hiring Will Increase
First and foremost, recruiters can expect to see increased hiring across the businesses they represent. A survey by Indeed shows that 61 percent of organizations expect to hire more in 2018 than they did in 2017. These increases will be most prevalent in architecture, engineering, IT, and professional services.
“Recruiter” Roles Will Be Redefined
With competition for top talent increasing and candidates gaining more control over the hiring experience, recruiters have their work cut out for them. In 2018, recruiters will need to go the extra mile to connect with prospects. In short, they need to view themselves as marketers and apply the same strategies to the hunt.
- Going beyond the basic job descriptions and learning the intricacies of each company’s values, culture, and organization fit. Just as marketers do, recruiters will need to sell their candidates on these unique value propositions.
- Using multi-channel outreach, such as phone, email, social media, and text applications to address candidate issues on the platforms they use.
- Leveraging company materials, videos, and promotional content to connect with candidates on different levels and help them visualize the benefits of choosing this company over a competitor.
Use of Predictive Analytics
Of the numerous emerging technologies that will characterize 2018’s hiring landscape, we expect predictive analytics to lead the charge. Research by Outbrain found 95 percent of HR professionals agree that predictive analytics would aid their hiring and candidate assessment efforts, yet only 33 percent admitted to having the means to do so.
These analytics turn subjective candidate information into concrete data that can be used to make proactive assessments about candidates. Imagine being able to take the data from hundreds of candidates—work history, experiences, credentials, skillsets—and use them to predict which candidate on a hiring shortlist will best fit with an organization. As more organizations begin to see the benefits of these systems, predictive analytics will become the norm for hiring efficiency.
Diversity Hiring
You’d think diversity wouldn’t be a hot-button issue in 2018, but most organizations still have a long way to go. Diversity hiring is about more than keeping up with guidelines or compliance issues; it’s about broadening the perspective of an organization and gaining valuable insights into different market segments that support business growth. And with hiring on the rise, a focus on diversity is a must.
The Candidate Experience
The growing trend of “candidates as consumers” will reach full steam in 2018. The idea is that, just like modern consumers who expect immediate service, access to information, and multi-channel connectivity, recruitment candidates need to be treated with the same care. This mindset supports the growth of emerging technologies in recruitment, such as recruitment chatbots and automated processes that provide information akin to customer service.
A recent survey by Allegis found that many candidates are accepting of automation during the early stages of recruiting: 58 percent were comfortable interacting with these applications to get their initial application questions answered, and 66 percent were fine with these apps helping with interview scheduling and preparation.
While these trends make characterize the broadest shifts in recruitment practices from 2017 to 2018, the times are always changing. If you want to set your organization on the right track for success this year, contact Urgenci for an assessment of your hiring practices.
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