Recruiting 2021-22: new trends

After such a complicated year as 2020, it is no wonder that companies have re-evaluated their talent acquisition and recruitment strategies.

The pandemic has not been the only cause of major transformations, although it has contributed a vigorous push forward.
With all these changes, what is happening in recruitment and what is expected in 2022?

Since the beginning of the 2020s, companies have rapidly switched to remote working and many have decided to stick with it, thus changing the talent acquisition focus.

Today, people are looking for individuals who are able to work well remotely and who collaborate effectively with colleagues even if they are not present, which is not easy to identify and assess. According to a survey conducted by FlexJobs, remote working opportunities in 2020 increased by 12% from June to August, and 65% of the professionals surveyed said they would continue to work remotely when restrictions end.

Employer Branding is a virtuous conjunction between the employer’s reputation and the candidate’s experience during the selection process. It is therefore essential that companies consider and manage a quality relationship with all the people they come into contact with, regardless of whether they are placed in the company or not.

A significant percentage (+80%) of candidates believe that a tangible sign of how the company will treat its employees is the way they are approached in the recruitment process.

Seminars, conferences, workshops, job fairs, open houses, are great opportunities for recruitment. At these events, almost all of which are now held online, HR professionals can easily get in touch with candidates from different disciplines and provide a realistic and engaging picture of their company to prospective employees through virtual reality.

Today, the driving force of interpersonal communication developed on Social Media is a reality and no longer a trend. 70% of recruiters say they successfully use social networks o recruit new employees. In addition to the big four – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – innovative recruitment methods are being introduced by apps such as Spotify, Snapchat, Tinder and Bumble in order to attract new talents.

It is important for HR managers to choose the most suitable ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software for their needs: good value for money, the opportunity to test it before purchase and the possibility of customization are differentiating elements to be considered in the evaluation.

The benefits are undeniable: process automation allows recruiters to focus on the key, most value-added aspects; candidate tracking systems generate accurate data that measures processes ranging from from sourcing profiles to onboarding new hires. Analytics – HR Analytics – enable changes in recruitment methods and maximize conversion rates.

Human contact plays a fundamental role in any business and the job interview remains an indispensable cornerstone of recruiting.
Video interviewing makes it possible to continue this indispensable practice. The advantage of easily connecting remotely with candidates is invaluable. Furthermore, the use of candidates’ video pesentation as a pre-screening tool greatly accelerates the selection process.

For companies, hiring a diverse workforce is not only a question of image – although this aspect should not be neglected – but it allows them to create a professional environment where different individualities contribute to success.

In this case, the wording of job advertisements also matters a lot: if one is not careful when drafting a text, it is easy to run the risk of hurting the feelings of certain groups in the candidate population. With the use of an artificial intelligence-driven writing tool you can avoid these situations and make sure that your candidate pool is as large as possible. This tool can scan tons of documents and, based on the analysis of the data, can predict which type of job advertisement will be most effective.

It is very useful to create and maintain a pipeline of potentially interesting candidates for the company. When a placement opportunity opens up, this undoubtedly helps to save time. Of course, it is not easy to maintain the relationship over time and keep candidates interested, but again A.I. can support recruiters in managing automated CRM actions.

The issue of an ageing workforce is inevitable. There are often no young people available to fill a vacant role; in these situations, it can be useful to ask older and experienced workers to delay their retirement, involving them in a tutoring activity that allows them to gradually transfer skills and activities to younger ones.

Much has been said about the Gig Economy in recent years. Some aspects – such as ride sharing – have received more attention than others in the press, but the gig economy existed long before Uber and Lyft became household names.

For many people, project work as an interim manager or freelancer is still seen as preferred and there are many companies that view this type of collaboration favourably.

Freelance roles were already expected to increase before 2020 and the pandemic has accelerated the need for them: over 70% of managers now believe they will hire more interim managers, with clear savings on onboarding time and costs.

With so many companies working remotely, outsourced HR functions are becoming increasingly popular. Trying to reduce staffing costs by maintaining an in-house HR department may not be the most efficient choice for the company. Instead, it is necessary to focus on flexibility and decide to outsource the function using organizations that provide just that service.

For a company to be successful it is essential to be creative in the way it recruits and adopting technology can certainly represent an added value.

“The problem is not in the technology but in the way, we use it” – Piero Angela

Author
Giovanna Benedettelli – FuturingYOU, HR Business Advisory.