What is one talent acquisition trend that HR should prepare for in the year ahead, and why?
To help organizations stay ahead of labor market trends, we asked HR professionals and business leaders this question for their best predictions. From a wave of new tech offerings for TA professionals to employers being challenged by racial equity laws, there are several trends that are impacting talent acquisition professionals who are looking to hire passive talent.
Here are eleven talent acquisition trends for the year ahead:
- Employer Branding
- Every employer to be challenged by racial equity laws
- Collaborative hiring process across teams
- Get social, for real
- One-on-One Exploratory Sessions
- New Wave of Tech Offerings For TA Professionals
- Have remote opportunities or see less applicants
- Applicants Will Be Pickier Than Ever
- Support of office, remote and hybrid work environments
- The Rise of Internet Optimization
- Increased External Support
Employer Branding
We’ve seen talent acquisition leaders place an even heavier emphasis on employer brand in 2021 using social media as a vehicle for storytelling, showcasing their culture, and reaching a diverse audience of passive talent who are spending time online but not on job boards. The best candidates have lots of options right now, so they’re being picky about their next step. Company culture, what an organization stands for and how it supports and grows its people during difficult times such as this, commitment to DEI—all these things are incredibly important to top talent now more than ever. Social media is keeping these companies and their stories (and jobs) front and center while helping recruiters connect and engage with passive candidates in a meaningful way.
Linda Souza, Chief Marketing Officer, CareerArc
Every employer to be challenged by racial equity laws
In the U.S., 2020’s racial equity movement has prompted an urgent and much-needed push by companies to be introspective and focus on equity in their hiring and employment practices. This practice is hastened by a host of new initiatives and laws aimed at reducing barriers to employment experienced by candidates in marginalized populations. We expect that every employer will be challenged by the rapidly evolving legislative landscape concerning cannabis reform, pay equity measures and ban the box or fair chance hiring policies.
Alonzo Martinez, Associate General Counsel, HireRight
Collaborative hiring process across teams
There is more urgency among TA teams to address and value what their ideal candidates need, as opposed to putting company needs front and center. Everybody is hiring right now, and hiring teams across the board are feeling the pressure of candidates speaking to multiple companies at the same time, staying away from lowball offers, and being swept up by the competition if an offer isn't made within two weeks. One trend that is really helping hiring teams overcome this is a more collaborative hiring process to build brand authenticity - more partnership between departments and more activeness and responsiveness from hiring managers, especially if hiring teams are limited on time and manpower. This helps recruiters stay on top of building candidate-driven relationships with passive talent, even in a high-volume environment. Now more than ever, hiring and recruiting really is a team sport, especially in regard to boosting employer branding and social presence with passive talent.
Steven Jiang, CEO & Co-Founder, Hiretual
Get social, for real
Leveraging social media platforms above and beyond LinkedIn is one strategy we are employing this year to create greater passive candidate pipelines. Creating Facebook groups related to special interest areas, working with employees to capture real-time images and stories leads to a more authentic voice for potential candidates. As we see technology migrate closer towards a true Marketing funnel, beginning to develop broader strategies to engage with content will be critical.
Stacie Mallen, VP, HR Centers of Excellence, Universal Technical Institute
One-on-One Exploratory Sessions
One-on-One is still the best connection for reaching passive candidates. Although one-on-one does not necessarily mean a F2F (face to face) meeting. Social media sites, LinkedIn, Facebook, Industry groups, and more are only the start of the relationship. It’s the one-on-one exploratory sessions that build rapport and trust. Video calls can be scheduled timely for both parties, which can make all the difference.
Lori Goldsmith, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, President, Heart of HR Shared Services
New Wave of Tech Offerings For TA Professionals
Traditional avenues to reach passive talent are becoming overwhelmed by the volume of open jobs in the marketplace. We hear from new companies on a weekly basis that are releasing new technologies to aid talent acquisition professionals in standing out to the best passive talent. Some Fortune 500 companies are offering their employees on-demand pay, a touch-less pay solution that enables employees to access their earned pay at any time and anywhere.
Brian O'Connor, Talent Acquisition Recruiting Manager, DailyPay
Have remote opportunities or see less applicants
As the pandemic rages on we have seen a shift in priorities for candidates. Job boards have become aware and have adjusted their platforms accordingly. Whereas remote opportunities used to be fewer and farther between, we are now seeing this as a lead filter front and center for those participating in the great resignation. This means that if you choose to not have remote opportunities regardless of how much you spend in sponsorship dollars, your organization has been removed from the equation as soon as they click search. On the flip side, those that are early to embrace this shift will begin to see a larger flow due to the other companies that have been filtered out.
Steven Brown, Recruiting and Talent Development Manager, DP Electric Inc
Applicants Will Be Pickier Than Ever
Applicants will be picker than ever when they're making decisions about accepting new roles. They've waited out the pandemic and are very aware that it's an employee market. They know that employers are scrambling to find great talent. Employers will have to put their best foot forward and the old approaches won't work. Now is the time to perfect your vision, culture or leadership style if you want the best talent to join your team!
Logan Mallory, VP of Marketing, Motivosity
Support of office, remote and hybrid work environments
One hiring trend HR should prepare for is that virtual and remote work is here to stay. Whether we have another pandemic or not, employees have proven they can work remotely and have actually enjoyed the change of working environment. To best support all employees, employers should offer and strive to support office, remote and hybrid work environments in the near future if not doing so already.
Jacqueline Tibbs, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, TechnologyAdvice
The Rise of Internet Optimization
Passive talent is highly self-driven. If employers are able to make their purpose-based journeys visible and easy to be found on the internet, they stand a better chance of being able to attract passive talent on any scale they require. The pandemic and ensuing advancements of the Internet in combination have given a boost to such possibilities since 2020.
Anish Aravind, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, SS Consulting
Increased External Support
There are currently more than 10 million job openings in the United States, the highest number on record. In contrast, there are roughly 8.7 million people who are currently unemployed. The reality is that there are more jobs available right now than people looking for jobs, which is why many talent acquisition teams are turning to recruiters and staffing agencies to help connect companies with passive candidates. The pandemic is keeping employees inside their homes, but the trend is looking outside for talent.
Ryan Nouis, President, TruPath Search
What talent acquisition trends are you prepared for? Learn more about TA trends impacting HR at SHRM21 and on the SHRM Blog.