Recruitment – the ever changing market

Knowing the ‘recruitment essentials’ is vital for any business looking to bring new talent into their organisation, but anticipating and preparing for future recruitment trends can give companies that all-important competitive edge. Our Workforce Adviser, Zoe Williams, has been looking into the changing recruitment landscape so read on to learn more and find out how Better Jobs, Better Futures can help you stay ahead of the game when recruiting new talent into your business.

Interview Processes

49% of UK hiring managers believe that changes to interview methods are “very” or “extremely” important to the future of hiring[1], with more traditional methods proving increasingly ineffective when it comes to assessing a candidate’s soft skills, understanding weaknesses and eliminating interviewer bias.

Such changes could include the use of online pre-interview assessments aimed at measuring skills like teamwork and flexibility and providing a more realistic snapshot of a candidate’s personality. Job trials allow candidates to ‘test out’ a job whilst providing employers with the opportunity to observe the candidate’s skills in action, whilst other less traditional and more informal interview scenarios provide an opportunity to meet candidates in a less pressurised environment, putting applicants at ease and allowing the employer to see a more authentic and natural side of the candidate’s personality.

The use of video is also becoming increasingly important in both the recruitment process and the workplace as applicants become more mobile. Augmented and virtual realities are also set to become more popular, with innovative developments like VR workplace experiences, VR assessments and interactive job ads potentially set to become a more prominent feature of the recruitment process.[2]

Artificial Intelligence & Mobile Technology

Other technological developments are already having a strong impact on recruitment trends, with 28% of UK respondents considering AI to be the most important theme for 2018. For hiring managers who receive a large amount of CVs, AI is a hugely valuable tool that helps to screen and source top candidates.[3]

As well as creating much sought-after efficiencies within the hiring process, AI can also bring wider benefits, for example helping to eliminate unconscious bias. The use of ‘chatbots’ can provide candidates with the opportunity to ask questions at any time of the day or night, making opportunities more accessible and saving managers valuable time to focus on other aspects of the recruitment process.[4]  Social media can also allow recruiting managers to tap into the passive candidate market, get selective about which candidates they are targeting and screen any potential applicants.

The widespread use of smartphones has also transformed the job-seeking experience for candidates as well as employers, providing free and instant access to the widest possible range of vacancies. It’s no surprise then that 89% of jobseekers think mobiles play a huge part in the job-hunting process, while 45% search for jobs daily on their mobile phones.

Candidate experience and employer branding

Attracting and retaining talent is becoming increasingly difficult in such a competitive market. This means that candidate care is more important than ever, with expectations high and employer values such as integrity, honesty and empathy forming an important part of jobseeker considerations during the recruitment process.

Employers are also increasingly aware of the importance of attractive and consistent branding in attracting new talent, with online and social media presence proving to be a particularly important factor. According to Indeed, 70% of jobseekers say they would not apply for a role until they have researched the employer’s reputation online, more than half (56%) stated that they would not apply for a role at a company with no online presence[5], while 67% of jobseekers use Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter to gain insights into a company’s culture.

So employers need to be mindful not only of the benefits that social media can bring in reaching a broader field of candidates but also of the need to ensure that their online and social media presence are being used to best effect in promoting the company’s culture and values to this wider audience.

Benefits and Wellbeing

As our recent article on what employees really want from their employer highlighted, whilst pay is unsurprisingly still top of the list, other factors are becoming increasingly important in influencing an individual’s decision to join or leave a company. Company culture, the availability of progression opportunities and wider benefit packages are now featuring more highly, as is training and development. This trend has been particularly evident amongst millennials who value training and development prospects and flexible working opportunities over financial benefits. It’s no surprise then that growing numbers of employers are recognising the positive impact of offering training and development, not only as a means of attracting and retaining staff but also for the impact on growth and productivity.

How Better Jobs, Better Futures can help

At Better Jobs, Better Futures, our dedicated Workforce Advisers use their in-depth knowledge to help you stay ahead of the game when recruiting new staff. They provide specialist recruitment and job-matching support, drawing on our team of talent management experts, who work with businesses and our wide client base to match the right candidate to the right opportunity. They also deliver a wide range of support aimed at enhancing employee engagement and improving workplace planning, progression and productivity.

Call or email us for more information: 01792 284450 or info@betterjobsbetterfutures.wales.

[1] http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/recruiters-call-for-changes-to-hiring-process-run-2018

[2] https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/insight-2018-01-10-the-year-ahead-2018s-recruitment-trends

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/valleyvoices/2018/01/29/how-ai-is-changing-the-game-for-recruiting/

[4] https://ideal.com/recruitment-chatbot/

[5] https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/jobseekers/company-reputation-jobs/