Creativity is certainly not reserved for your content strategist or your graphic designer. In fact, considering the number of competitors in each industry out there, it’s paramount to use creative solutions to practically any problem you might come across in your business. That also includes recruiting! Over the past several years, the way we communicate, work, and build relationships has changed to a great extent. As a result, the way we hire people and seek out the finest talent has also changed.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, 2019 is definitely showing tremendous improvement in how we source talent, how we collaborate, and what we are capable of offering to make sure our employees are inspired to stick around for longer. If you find yourself in need of some creative inspiration when you’re on your next talent hunt, here are a few current trends you can implement within your own strategies.
Artificial intelligence front and center
However, not in a way one would assume for AI to steal the spotlight. When it comes to recruiting, the human factor has restored its value and is considered truly irreplaceable. In that sense, the use of technology and AI serves a new purpose, one of assisting humans in an attempt to improve recruitment in this case. Most of all, AI is already used as a tool to prevent or minimize bias in the hiring process, simplify it, and take over the administrative segments that can be time-consuming and prone to human error.
A little further into the hiring process, AI can be used as a way to enhance the capabilities of existing software solutions to make collaboration within your business smoother. It also shows great potential in building tech-based workshops for future employees, customizing tests for each job position, as well as personalized value propositions to appeal to each different candidate.
Diversifying your company culture
We’ve already mentioned that AI and tech will serve a wider purpose in the realm of employing qualified people for different positions, and to cut bias out of the process. However, a major trend in the attitudes of the recruiters and employers in general is the one driving bias out of the workplace, with and without the help of tech. In fact, fostering inclusivity through employing people with disabilities allows businesses to reap numerous rewards and to build a stronger community in which they exist.
From getting highly skilled workers who are more than qualified, reducing absenteeism and sick leave, all the way to increasing employee retention rate, businesses are looking for a multitude of ways to hire with diversity in mind. That doesn’t stop with those who are struggling with disabilities, but also hiring no matter the candidate’s ethnicity, gender, or age. Employers are using AI, blind resumes and interviews, as well as other trusty methods to reduce bias and increase workplace diversity.
Empowered by greater flexibility
When the era of freelancing began and the gig economy started slowly taking over the entire world, employers weren’t so certain how to approach the issue. Some resisted and stayed true to old-fashioned hiring criteria (the nine-to-five, office-bound contracts), while others opened their doors to a global pool of talent ready to enrich their culture. Today, as 2019 slowly unfolds, more companies are restructuring their ranks in order to introduce more flexibility.
It may have started with freelancers, but it now includes a wide array of arrangements that benefit both the employer and the employee. More people are now working from home, remotely, while others are asking to move their work hours to fit their personal schedule or parenting responsibilities. Moreover, employees are now often contractors or freelancers, working with multiple employers from all over the globe. This has, in turn, helped employers cut costs, save time, and work with qualified people no matter where they are.
Recruitment marketing
We all know how powerful marketing can be in terms of attracting customers to your website or actual doorstep. That is precisely why the HR department of many businesses has decided to rely on this time-tested approach to find, target, and nurture potential employees through marketing. The journey no longer begins at the ad or notifying your social media following that you have a position available. It now starts by nurturing an image of your business that no longer just appeals to the consumer, but the potential employee, as well.
If you are able to create a spotless “Careers” page on your website, present your values by sharing your existing employees’ stories on a regular basis, posting team-building impressions, and the like, you have a greater chance of winning over a new employee once the ad is ready to be published. Or even better, if you decide to reach out directly to a candidate of interest, they will most likely already know about your brand, and not just from the perspective of a customer.
In order to simplify and streamline this generally intricate process, you need to rely on the latest tech solutions as well as creative ones that increase your chances of succeeding. Use these 2019 recruiting trends, and you’ll make your HR department’s strategy all the more effective and successful.