We’ve made it through the first month of 2020! Now is a great time to reflect on the past year and consider what can be done to make this one even better. In the world of staffing and recruiting, it can be agreed that nothing stays the same for very long. Keeping up with changes in technology, candidate needs and industry trends can be challenging, but there are a few simple things you can do to make sure you tackle the remainder of 2020 ready to increase the quality and quantity of your placements!
This year, we predict that improving applicant experience, emphasizing diversity when hiring, and placing a focus on employer branding will be among the most important factors to consider when trying to attract new talent. As the first month of the year draws to a close, it is important to ask yourself: Is your recruitment strategy and candidate search 2020 proof?
Candidates Entering a New Industry
According to the American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor survey, over half of currently employed workers will be looking for a new opportunity this year, and 4 in 10 of those workers will be transitioning to a new industry.
This means you will potentially have candidates applying to your jobs that have had no experience doing so before. Keeping this in mind, it is a good idea to review your application process and job board to be as inclusive and easy to understand as possible, in order to not discourage new candidates from applying. For example, you can emphasize soft or interpersonal skills in the job description in the event that a candidate doesn’t necessarily have past technical experience in the field. Giving your job application and descriptions a 2020 facelift can potentially expand your talent pool to include more candidates than ever before.
Millennials Seeking Employment in 2020
For the first time ever, millennials are almost on par with baby boomers in terms of their segment size: in the US alone, they account for 71 million citizens where baby boomers come in at around 74 million. For this reason, businesses should be actively trying to appeal to this growing demographic. In general, millennials typically value different things and look for jobs in different ways than their older counterparts.
Millennials value authenticity, communication and transparency when it comes to choosing who to work for – they want to work somewhere that gives them a sense of purpose and views them as more than ‘just a number’. Millennial job seekers also spend a lot of time on social media, which should be another crucial element to your 2020 recruitment plan.
When it comes to the actual application process – efficiency is king! As many as 60% of job seekers have said they have abandoned a job application due to length or complexity. The number of millennials applying for all kinds of jobs is online going to increase, so it is in your company’s best interest to make efforts towards appealing to them as soon as possible.
Diversity Hiring
Making extra effort to ensure that diverse hires are welcomed and encouraged at your business is another one of the most important items on the 2020 hiring landscape. According to a survey conducted by Deloitte, around 67% of job seekers consider diversity and inclusion to be important factors when considering which company to work for. The same survey also concluded that increased employee engagement was one of the outcomes of placing an importance on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Clearly emphasizing that diversity and inclusion are top of mind in your company’s culture will be very important to keep in mind this year. You can make this known in your job postings, in your website copy and through your social media posts. If your potential candidates that identify as minorities don’t feel they will be comfortable at work, they will quite simply go to a competitor that makes them feel welcome.
Employer Branding
2019 showed us that it is not enough to simply post open jobs and expect people to apply – employer branding is valued more than ever and we can’t imagine this trend changing in 2020. This means that the public image or reputation of a company is taken into much higher consideration by job seekers than ever before, so much so that many candidates would not apply to a certain company if they had a bad rep – and would discourage those around them from applying as well!
There are several ways you can boost your employer brand – communicating with your potential candidates is arguably one of the easiest and most important. Over half of job seekers have said that the most frustrating thing about the job search process was the lack of communication from their potential employers. And it never hurts to show some personality in your online persona, as well – even if your candidates are not actively looking to work right now, you want to make sure they remember you when the time is right!
What else do you think is important to keep in mind when recruiting in the new year? Leave your ideas in the comment section below!
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