What did we learn about recruitment in 2019?
19th Dec 2019
In the ever-changing employment industry, hiring talent remains the number one concern for most CEOs and hiring managers, so innovative hiring practices are pivotal! In order to remain competitive, as an employer, having the right people on your team is key. Through best processes of attracting, approaching, evaluating and acquiring new talent, you will save a lot of time and ensure you are gaining the best employees.
At the beginning of 2019, our experts made some predictions about digital marketing trends (and got most of them right). This blog post however, will be a recap of 2019, based on our experience and expertise. We will share 4 of the top recruitment industry trends from 2019 that range from analytics and disruptive artificial intelligence (AI) to effective initiatives that will change your approach to recruiting.
Analytics, Data, AI
Analytics are not new, but big data is. AI already plays a major role in the recruitment process and inevitably will continue to impact the future of the recruitment industry. From automated talent sourcing and screening to customising employee value propositions, the uses of AI in recruitment are quite widespread. Companies such as Unilever are already taking advantage of algorithms and analytics to attract new recruits, relying on softwares to sort candidates and potential team members. We’ve seen a shift from the more traditional telephone recruitment practices to a more digitalised process in which algorithms are used to screen applicants and determine if they are the right fit for a given role.
Now, this doesn’t mean that technology is slowly taking over the recruitment industry, quite on the contrary. While machines are great at handling data, there will always be a need for an expert - a human, who will analyse the data and drive decision making. Speed is a pivotal component in recruitment, so recruitment specialists need to be quick on their feet as the best candidates won’t stay on the market for very long. Using AI enables recruiters to focus on acquiring the best candidates instead of doing manual admin tasks that could be easily automated by AI. This leads to major improvements in internal recruitment processes.
It's All About the Flexibility
We’ve also seen a significant increase in the number of applicants looking for flexible working opportunities in 2019, especially the Millennial and Generation Z cohort. Independent workers, contractors, freelancers have the ability to work anywhere they want. This highly increases their employee satisfaction levels, which have never been as high as they are right now.
This trend has resulted in a shift for employers having to generate more highly skilled temporary and contract job openings to find the ideal candidates and meet their needs. The opportunity in recruitment now lies in acquiring valuable talent as employers are very keen to hire but there are very high levels of competition in the increasingly available temporary/contractual roles. We’ve seen this shift first hand, as due to high demand in 2019 we established a contract division at Pivotal, placing over 65 contractors in the past 10 months.
Unfortunately, flexible working has become a challenge for many employers as existing employees are under a lot of pressure, wanting to leave their current jobs for a better work-life balance that they would otherwise achieve through flexible working. But our experts are always one step ahead and suggest to engage early with such passive candidates for potential job placements and openings in the future.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion is increasingly more recognised and talked about by employers for its importance, especially in 2019. This means that more and more companies are actively recruiting candidates from different age groups, genders, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and many more. Despite some companies making an effort, there is still a lot more work to be done. Based on a survey of 450 employers, less than 50% have a process in place to attract candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Diversity and inclusion not only contributes to employee happiness and higher productivity but also leads to higher employee retention and a positive employer brand image. Actively supporting diversity and inclusion at your company is not only the right thing to do ethically but also an excellent business strategy. The more diverse a team, the more diverse and unique points of view individuals bring to the table. This drives innovation and highly contributes to ROI in the long run through increased employee retention, giving your company a higher competitive advantage overall.
Speaking from experience, in 2019, we’ve proudly partnered with the IAB aiming to reach more young people, from a variety of different socio-economic backgrounds and working hard to promote the advertising industry as a career choice. If you’d like to find out more, you can access our blog post here.
Branding is Everything
Last but not least. The competition in the advertising space for the recruitment industry has grown tremendously in 2019. With Google’s independent job listing platform succeeding as well as Facebook adding a ‘job opening’ feature, not to mention LinkedIn - the advertising space is more crowded than ever. What makes the difference? What will make you stand out from the crowd? The answer is simple, you. Branding is who you are as a business and what you offer to your customers. It is your culture, your attributes, your values, your authenticity, and your brand vision. A strong company brand will give you a competitive advantage and set you apart from your competitors.
In 2019 we’ve seen job seekers, especially Millennials and Gen Z’s, increasingly looking for mission-driven companies that will provide them with more than just a pay-check - a sense of purpose for their career. Talent acquisition and company culture is a two-way street. Having the right people on your team will feed into your company culture. And if you showcase your success online, this will only attract more talented and engaged individuals, which will help retain valuable employees over time. With over 500 million members across the networking platform, employees want to join teams and companies that align with their values. Some companies like Nike have already taken action and continue building and sharing their mission and values with the rest of the world. Now it’s your turn.
Not sure how to get started? Give us a shout here and our team of experts will be happy to get in touch.