Global Recruiter Dave Fox Highlights Top Recruitment Trends Of 2020
Two of the biggest issues companies face today are employee recruitment and retention. This is because failure in one area will inevitably lead to failure in the other.
This is why the role of a recruiter is so important. Recruiters are tasked with finding the right candidates to fill roles. However, the work doesn’t stop there. It’s a collaborative effort between them and hiring managers to ensure that the right candidate not only walks through the doors but is also incentivized to stay. And in the IT industry, this can be especially difficult.
So, how can companies improve their recruitment processes? Check out the top recruitment trends of 2020 from recruitment expert Dave Fox.
The Use of Specialized Recruiters
When you hire a recruiter who knows a little bit about every position, this also means that they have zero expertise in any position. This makes it very difficult to find the most qualified candidates for roles that have very specific job requirements.
Fox’s company, Focus GTS, for instance, recruits for niche IT roles, such as Adobe Experience Manager developers, data scientists and business analytics professionals. He has experienced first hand how much money companies waste when they hire a generalist recruiter who lacks the inside knowledge to place the right candidates.
The data has shown that using specialized recruiters leads to better retention rates, and companies are finally listening. So it’s official: Generalist recruiters are headed out the door and specialized recruiters are now taking the front seat.
Shorter Interview Processes
Among recruiters, you’ll hear terms like “passive candidate.” This refers to someone who isn’t actively looking for new opportunities. They are harder to attract because they are generally happy where they are. But passive candidates also tend to be “gold candidates” — another recruiter term which means a candidate who is perfect for the job.
Why does any of this matter? Well, most passive candidates don’t have the time to go through several rounds of 2- to 3-hour interviews. Fox, who’s worked with 1,000s of candidates and over 200 hiring managers, has seen roles filled in less than 4 hours and others stay open for months. One factor that made a major difference? The interview process. Too often, hiring managers miss out on great candidates because they take way too long.
Companies are now realizing that if they want the right candidates, they’ll have to streamline their interview processes.
More Employer Branding
What’s the first thing any job seeker does when hearing about a company? Go straight to Google to do research. They look at the company website, customer and employee reviews and social media platforms. All of this information creates an image of the brand that may or may not accurately reflect the company.
With technology at our fingertips, companies are now able to build their brand awareness much more easily than before. As Fox says, employee retention starts way before extending an offer. A candidate’s first impression of a prospective employer can play a big role throughout the hiring process and also later on. So in 2020, it’s important for companies to start using their employees as brand ambassadors to help in recruitment.
Flexibility in Job Requirements
In today’s market, employers are having to be more flexible in their job requirements as well as the benefits they offer.
Years ago, a job seeker without a college degree couldn’t get a foot in the door. But in today’s world, you can learn any skill if you have access to a computer and an internet connection. This means that traditional requirements don’t hold as much weight and self-taught professionals can enjoy the same opportunities once reserved for certain candidates.
When it comes to benefits, companies have also gotten less rigid. Working in the tech space, Fox says this industry has been far ahead of the game compared to other fields where benefits like flexible work hours and remote work opportunities are standard. And as you’d expect, companies who offer these benefits tend to have higher employee satisfaction rates.
With great candidates becoming harder to find, employers are re-evaluating their benefits and focusing on the ones that matter most to their candidates.