5 Recruitment Trends for 2020 Both Candidates and Recruiters Should Know About

It’s no doubt that, over the last decade, the recruitment landscape has changed significantly. While some changes have been glacial, others have happened at lightning speed.

Today, recruitment has come out of the dark ages and has now truly embraced our modern times and technology. Although writing a killer resume is the core principle of recruitment, new strategies such as an emphasis on skill assessments and video interviews are also gaining momentum. Thanks to all these new strategies, recruitment has moved away from reactive hiring and making random choices toward proactive recruitment and focused selection.

With so many exciting changes happening at such speed, what can we expect from recruitment this year? Let’s explore the newest recruiting trends that we expect to see more of this year.

1. Company Culture at the Top

Company culture is not a new concept in the business world. However, about a decade ago, companies started to realize its true importance and stopped overlooking it. Many recent studies have shown that a strong company culture often results in more satisfied customers and employees, better financial performance, and more efficient talent attraction.

Data from a survey from Glassdoor  says that 77 percent of workers take a company’s culture into consideration before applying for a position there. Moreover, 56 percent of them also think the company’s culture is more important than salary when it comes to job satisfaction.

Since job satisfaction and performance go hand in hand, it seems that company culture is essential when it comes to team productivity. Experts believe that when recruiting new employees, it is crucial to make sure they fit with the company’s culture. Why? Because an employee that doesn’t fit will not only perform poorly on an individual level, but they may also affect the overall productivity of the already existing team.

2. Increasing Importance of Candidate Experience

It seems like the recruiting and hiring sector has recently made a shift in favor of job seekers. Today, in a highly competitive employment market where all companies are struggling to attract top talent, employers are finally prioritizing the candidate experience. Why? Because candidates who are satisfied with the overall recruiting process are 38 percent more likely to say “yes” to a job offer. Moreover, 87 percent of candidates  say that an exceptional recruitment experience can make them change their minds about a company they were doubting in the beginning.

If you are an employer and you are not taking the candidate experience seriously, you should think again. You may be losing some real talented potential employees.

3. Social Media as a Reliable Recruitment Tool

Nearly a decade ago, finding candidates or finding a job was more of a word-of-mouth practice. Today, thanks to the internet and social media, both potential employees and potential employers are just a few clicks away from one another.

It’s no secret that the internet opened the gates to a whole new universe of connecting employers with job seekers. From recruiting platforms and apps to social media ads, the digital age has changed the way we do recruitment marketing.

And it seems that one of the most potent recruiting tools this year will be social media. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are useful because they allow recruiters to target candidates on very particular points, including interests, age, region, and job descriptions. Targeting candidates so specifically obviously increases your chances of connecting with people who find the job interesting and actually apply for it.

The social media recruiting trend won’t stop there. We’ll also see new developments, like enabling applicants to send their resumes via WhatsApp for the sake of convenience and efficiency. It’s no doubt that using social media in the recruitment process is a win-win situation for both job seekers and recruiters.

4. Soft Skills Matter More

No, they don’t matter more than hard skills. They do, however, matter more than they did just a couple of years ago.

But why did this shift happen? First of all, as mentioned above, a company’s culture matters a lot today. A candidate’s soft skills — such as communication, empathy, open-mindedness, and teamwork — are what help them fit in with a new culture.

And one more thing makes recruiters look for soft skills in candidates : the fact that soft skills help people adapt to changing roles in flexible organizational structures. Demand for social and emotional skills is expected to grow across all industries by 26 percent in the United States and 22 percent in Europe by 2030.

5. Employer Branding Attracts Top Talent

Attracting top talent is the priority of any company, that’s for sure. But what truly attracts top talent? Is a high salary enough to hook and retain highly skilled professionals? No, a high salary isn’t sufficient. Top candidates want more than that, including the opportunity to work for a reputable employer.

Data suggests that companies with excellent employer brands receive 50 percent more qualified applicants. A company’s reputation and popularity are really key to attracting the best professionals out there.

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