3 Employment Trends That Will Make You Want To Refresh Your Hiring Strategy

Hiring the top talent is very challenging these days as many companies are competing for the best associates in the same talent pool. For companies looking to fill positions, looking at employment trends can really help to revitalize your hiring strategy.
 
Trend #1 – Social media profiles
 
According to iCIMS, Inc., “62% of job seekers believe that LinkedIn is the best place to look for a job.”
 
Candidates are now looking to online profiles of companies and of hiring mangers on sites like LinkedIn to help with their job search. In addition, sites like LinkedIn are quickly taking the place of the resume. Many hiring managers first look to online profiles when scoping out candidates. Typically, this is quicker to access, provides the most up-to-date information, and provides detailed information like endorsements and referrals that you usually do not see in a resume unless requested.
 
In order to be successful, hiring managers will need to leverage LinkedIn to increase awareness of job opportunities, stack up candidates, and potentially referrals.
 
Trend #2 – Mobile platforms
 
According to Kelton Research, “86% of active candidates use their smartphone to begin a job search and 70% of job seekers are willing to apply for a job via smartphone.”
 
It is no surprise that we live in a digital world. In a place where everyone is constantly on the go, recruiters will need to find the most convenient and fast way to reach potential candidates. So how should recruiters go about doing this?...meet your candidates where they spend most of their time, on their phone.
 
But, according to Glassdoor, “90% of fortune 500 company career sites do not support a mobile apply solution.” Refreshing your recruiting strategy to include mobile platforms and ensuring your website is mobile-optimized is critical for your company to attract top talent. Not only does embracing mobile recruiting ease the hiring process for the candidate, but it also eases the time managers take to hire someone.  
To take it to the next level, consider video interviews.
 
Trend #3 – Candidate-driven job market  
 
 The MRINetwork Recruiter Sentiment Study, “90% of recruiters say the market was candidate-driven in 2015.”
 
In the past, the candidate-hiring manager relationship focused on candidate assessment. In 2016, it is becoming even more apparent that the candidate is in the driver’s seat. With a small availability of top notch talent and multiple offers on the table, candidates are becoming more aware of their worth in the job marketplace.
 
With that said, it will be up to hiring managers to attract and retain the top talent, but how do you do this? According to Glassdoor, the top five considerations that job seekers take into account before accepting a job offer include:

1. Salary and compensation
2. Career growth opportunities
3. Work-life balance
4. Location/commute
5. Company culture and values

With the landscape shifting, hiring managers will need to shift the recruiting process to focus more on selling your company and wowing candidates with great hiring packages. Think of it as marketing for talent acquisition.
 
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At the end of the day, you want to provide a good candidate hiring experience. Meet candidates where they are. In other words, ease the process of hiring by reducing the time it takes to apply and give candidates an idea of what it is like to work with your company. Only then will you really market your open position and ultimately fill it.