The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a drastic change in the way the vast majority of businesses work. The days of the standardized 9-5 desk job are temporarily behind us thanks to social distancing and quarantining policies. Today, more than ever before, more people are working from home full time. With such a momentous shift in the ways in which businesses build and hire on staff, it's only fair to assume that the future of recruiting will shift, too.
During times of great uncertainty, staying in the know is one of the many keys to prolonged success. One of the easiest ways to formulate a good recruiting plan is to familiarize yourself with new hiring trends. In this post, we’ll walk you through what to expect with new hiring changes in 2021.
Data-Driven Recruitment:
Data-driven recruiting is another development that hiring professionals need to stay on top of in 2021. With more incentive to recruit the best candidates, both cost-effectively and time-efficiently, many companies have turned to data to assist them in making better recruiting decisions; and prevent implicit bias.
The kind of data that you would be able to gather encompasses: how long it takes for respondents to complete your application, how many visits your employment advertisements translate into applicants, how long it takes for your offers to be accepted, how much ROI you receive using your hiring tools, and so forth.
If you have compiled this data, you will be able to use it to think critically and creatively about the candidates in your pool and the quality of your application.Competition:
It has become exceedingly apparent that the competitive labor market that exists has done little to alter any of the fundamental rules that make up the game of talent management. In reality, strong talent and competitive jobs are still in high demand.
In the context of overwhelming replies to job postings, the sheer number of people looking for jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic has placed immense pressure on employers. It was not uncommon to see an average of 100 resumes per posting before the pandemic; today many companies see 300 or even 400 applicants for the same post.
Amidst the modern job market, it's incredibly likely that even the top prospects hunting for a job will have to sort through several job opportunities before landing on the offer that's perfect for them. This inevitably places pressure on employers to find desired applicants and to supply them with attractive offers quickly. Ultimately, employers who are too slow to execute and adjust will lose out on truly promising prospects.Skill-Based Assessments:
To find applicants who are the wisest option for both the position and the organization, recruiting teams should focus more on skill-based evaluations. Doing your homework is an essential part of the recruitment process, but it's also important to put measures in place to ensure that your potential candidates have done their fair share too. There's always far more to a resume than meets the eye, for better or for worse, and it’s critical to find out before extending an offer.
Skill-based evaluations can also improve workplace programs for diversity and inclusion. In early screening phases, adopting blind assessment strategies to eradicate unconscious prejudices around gender, ethnicity, or appearance can foster more welcoming workplaces and revamp the ways in which your recruitment process measures what a well-rounded candidate looks like.Diversity and Inclusion:
In the wake of the current pandemic, organizations are not only facing the need for immediate, radical reform to their telecommunication set up, they're also revisiting their diversity and inclusion initiatives (or lack thereof). There are growing expectations in recruiting and business practices for employees to become more inclusive and representative of the local and national population.
In some ways, this is only an amplification of a structure developed before the pandemic, but in light of the recent racial injustice protests and ongoing conversations, the rate at which businesses are implementing diversity and inclusion has ramped up.Job Security and Growth Potential:
As your recruitment efforts rebuild and you dive back into recruiting, it'll be important to place a significant focus on how you'll promote and guarantee long-term job stability and growth opportunities, even amidst such uncertain times. In moments of economic recession, that's the number one thing job applicants will be hunting for.
Candidates have already experienced the worst of the unrelenting marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic and will require solace knowing that their next employer will be stable enough to keep them aboard even in dire straits.
If you are seeking to hire new workers in 2021, it is important to incorporate job security into the model of your recruitment and business strategy (EVP). In order to alleviate candidates’ inevitable fears about the future, you will need to openly express that stability and progress at your company is of the utmost importance.Remote Possibilities:
In recent years, remote and contract employment has been on the rise, with more and more businesses adopting less conventional work setups in favor of employing people from all around the world. An estimated 5 million workers or 3.6 percent of the U.S. population served from home part or all of the time before the coronavirus outbreak.
With so many businesses forced to accept remote working, many are beginning to see that the new standard in a post-pandemic environment could well be remote employment and recruiting.
2021 is also a good opportunity to start employing temporary staff if you are struggling to make room or budget for full-time opportunities. This is a far safer choice than a recruiting freeze because with 35% of the U.S. freelance workers, there are plenty of applicants to pick from.
Without all the expenses that arise with new employment, establishing a long-term relationship with a freelance employee provides much of the same advantages as full-time hires.
Wrapping up
With employment now rising and the job market starting to change drastically, being flexible and adjusting your approach to the unpredictable nature of the COVID era economic conditions is a must. Stay ahead of the proverbial hiring curve by keeping these forthcoming changes in mind. Which of these changes are you excited about? Which seem most challenging to face? Let us know in the comments below.
