By Barend Raaff
In the last year we’ve seen new advancements and applications in technology that have made the recruitment process easier. We’ve also seen work forces becoming more diverse, and remote work growing in popularity, changing the way recruiters fill open positions.
But the recruitment process isn’t done advancing yet. In the future we can expect to see continued changes to the way we hire new talent. To help you gear up for these changes, let’s take a look five recruitment trends we believe will be major game-changers this year.
1. Further expansion of AI in hiring
It seems that artificial intelligence is making its way into just about every area of the business world, making it one of our top recruitment trends. While the use of AI in hiring was prevalent throughout 2017, it was still a fresh concept. This year we expect more and more companies to implement AI into their hiring process.
AI in recruiting can solve major problems for companies in all industries. From cutting down the amount of time HR professionals spend sifting through stacks of applications to removing biases during the hiring process, AI can help companies find the right talent and diversify their workforce. For these reasons and more, we expect to see sizable growth in the number of companies using AI in recruiting.
We also can expect to see the way HR managers use AI to expand. In addition to making the hiring process easier, automation tools can be used to improve communication with candidates, increase the quality of candidates, and reduce the time it takes to hire new talent.
2. Increased focus on candidate experience
Last year we started seeing a shortage of qualified talent in a number of industries. With about 40% of global employers reporting they weren’t getting the desired skills in their applicants, it means we’re operating in a candidate-driven job market.
For those in recruitment, there needs to be an increase focus on a candidate’s experience—maintaining a strong customer experience can encourage a stronger bond between a company and job candidates. If the pool of qualified candidates continues to shrink, companies will be fighting for the same talent. When your company is not considering your candidate’s experience during each stage of the application process, you may lose them to another opening.
Candidate experience is especially crucial if you’re using an automated application process; HR technology can actually improve your candidate experience. Using automation software can make it easier to stay in contact with your candidates, ensuring they get the information they need to stay satisfied.
3. More and more applicants turning to mobile devices
The marketing world has been preparing for a shift to mobile users for a few years now. As more and more individuals choose to let go of their desktop and laptop computers for tablets and smartphones, the way they’re browsing the web is changing. This means the way they’re searching for and applying for jobs is changing, as well.
Unsurprisingly, millennials make up the most active group of mobile applicants. However, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are still incredibly active participants. With 73% of Gen Xers and almost 60% of Baby Boomers using mobile devices to search for jobs, a mobile application process needs to be easily accessible, regardless of industry or job level. Additionally, Google and other search engines give preference to mobile-friendly websites, meaning your page will rank higher if you’re using responsive design.