Emerging trends observed in the last couple of years with regard to recruitment and selection

Over the years, the recruitment process has evolved and being modified by companies to get a competitive edge and attract the most suitable candidates for the job vacancy. More than ever before, the candidates have more power with the increasing number of options involved for them. This has forced companies to rethink their recruitment strategies (Ployhart, 2006). On the other hand, job seekers must also be updated and understand the current trends and the methods that recruiters use for hiring, so that they can position themselves in terms that are convincing to those hiring (Ployhart, 2006).

If the goal of recruitment is to fill an immediate vacancy, talent acquisition takes it one step further; it is a proactive recruitment strategy for hiring skilled employees (LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2016). With the use of recruitment marketing strategies and incorporating them with established recruitment processes, potential candidates are aware of the company before even they are even job hunting. One of the best success stories is Nestle. Nestle was facing a huge recruitment challenge due to their high growth per annum (LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2016). With the adaptation of proactive recruitment strategy, they have observed significant improvements within the last couple of years. Diversity has increased by 111%, compared with the previous year. Female hires have increased by 30%. More impressive is the fact that Nestlé has managed to fill 38% more roles than the previous year (LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2016).

 Figure 01- Recruitment vs recruitment marketing

(Source: Pope, 2019)

Social recruiting is one of the emerging trends in this new era when it comes to recruiting candidates (Koch, Gerber and de Klerk, 2018). The ease and free accessibility of candidate information through social media is one of the top reasons for the rise in social recruiting (Koch, Gerber and de Klerk, 2018). Moreover, with the exponential growth of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, companies are using strategic tools to identify, attract and recruit both active and passive potential candidates. Companies now use social media services to proactively search for potential candidates and influence them to apply for their job by building a relationship with them. The video below highlights this point perfectly. It is about how Atlassian, a Sydney-based software company, makes use of LinkedIn and its data to locate, brand, and recruit talent from all over the world. This gives Atlassian a competitive edge and helps them recruit the most suitable and qualified candidates to work for them.

Video 01 - How Atlassian Recruits Globally- A LinkedIn Customer Story

(source: LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2018)

Corporate talent networks, which are very popular among large firms and being quickly being adapted by smaller firms as well are used as an advertising and promotional hub for the company’s brand name (Chungyalpa and Karishma, 2016). Furthermore, it is used to communicate job openings and career information, while keeping the contents tailored and targeted for specific audience (Bersin, 2013). Job seekers often connect to talent networks through social media sites, especially LinkedIn. Many talent networks foster user engagement by providing a transparent application process with regular updates. These online networks provide companies with many benefits, one of it being that companies have qualified candidates at their fingertips, since most candidates that use these networks are thinking long term about their careers (Bersin, 2013). On the other hand, potential candidates who are not yet ready to apply to current job vacancies are able to join the company’s talent pool and stay up to date with the latest updates and job opportunities. It also creates a talent pipeline for future job vacancies and attracts passive candidates (Chungyalpa and Karishma, 2016). However, companies using talent networks must be cautious. Many members in these talent communities are more interested in personal development or gathering information about company culture, rather than applying for the job (Bersin, 2013).

Application tracking software (ATS) enable the electronic handling of recruitment and selection needs and acts as a central database for a company’s recruitment efforts (Chungyalpa and Karishma, 2016). The software can be used for internal as well external recruitment. They filter applicant information automatically based on the information they enter, such as the past experience, skills and former employers and help companies keep track of the vast number of CVs and resumes received for a vacancy (Ployhart, 2006). One of the main benefits for the companies by using this software is time saving. These systems help businesses filter through unsolicited resumes by proving simple, impartial solutions to the vast numbers received daily. Moreover, they are cost effective since there is less paperwork and administrative costs involved when using these systems. However, since the ATS looks for exact requirements for a vacancy, it tends to overlook a few potential candidates especially recent college graduates and those switching careers (Bersin, 2013). Also, these systems limit the information the applicant can provide due to character restrictions on the application fields. This leads to a higher chance that a perfectly suitable candidate not getting chosen for the job (Bersin, 2013).

Employer Branding is another term being tossed around as a new trend in recruiting (Ployhart, 2006). It goes beyond the general corporate brand reputation. Rather it refers to the company’s popularity as an employer, and the company’s employer value proposition. It is a strategic approach to showcasing the company’s unique attributes and what sets them apart from others (Menon, 2014). Companies with their official website front page outlining the company’s vision, mission, culture and employment benefits can create a compelling employment brand and in turn able to attract the right candidates for the job (Wilden, Lings and Gudergan, 2010). Sri Lankan Airlines, for example, has a very creative and efficient website, highlighting the company’s awards, codeshare partners and career opportunities with just a click of a button. Moreover, the company is celebrating its 40^th anniversary highlighting all the major milestones on the front page of the company website. It portrays a company that has faced adversity but has always put its employee’s values first. This creates a compelling story and greatly improves its brand image for future candidates.

List of references

·       Bersin, J. (2013). The 9 Hottest Trends in Corporate Recruiting. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/07/04/the-9-hottest-trends-in-corporate-recruiting/#6499994e492b 

·       Chungyalpa and Karishma (2016). Best Practices and Emerging Trends in Recruitment and Selection. Journal of Entrepreneurship & Organization Management. [online] Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a686/78f652b1a1b98c93329316deae99a01b626a.pdf?_ga=2.215041237.390730728.1569813372-656236222.1565544894 

·       Koch, T., Gerber1, C. and de Klerk, J. (2018). The impact of social media on recruitment: Are you LinkedIn? SA Journal of Human Resource Management. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325018956_The_impact_of_social_media_on_recruitment_Are_you_LinkedIn 

·       LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2016). Case study: Innovation through proactive recruitment at Nestlé. [online] Available at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/c/16/2/nestle-case-study/proactive-recruitment 

·       LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2018). How Atlassian Recruits Globally | LinkedIn Customer Story. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwjUwZKlgMQ 

·       Menon, B. (2014). Employer and Employee branding on productivity. International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, [online] 4(3). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308108974_EMPLOYER_AND_EMPLOYEE_BRANDING_ON_PRODUCTIVITY 

·       Ployhart, R. (2006). Staffing in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Strategic Opportunities. Journal of Management. [online] Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0149206306293625 

·       Pope, L. (2019). Recruit Proactively: How to Use Talent Acquisition. [image] Available at: https://learn.g2.com/talent-acquisition

·       Wilden, R., Lings, I. and Gudergan, S. (2010). Employer branding: Strategic implications for staff recruitment. Journal of Marketing Management, [online] pp.26(1-2), 56-73. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247494812_Employer_branding_Strategic_implications_for_staff_recruitment_Journal_of_Marketing_Management_261-2_56-73