The Top 6 Recruiting Trends 

September 26, 2022 – How do we want to work in the future? Working just to make money and make ends meet is out – the workforce of the future will want more. More flexibility, more meaning, more possibilities. What can you do now to position yourself as a top employer in the future? In a new report, Talentor’s Sabine Steiner looks at current trends in recruiting and offers tips for moving forward.

It’s practically old news, but the last two years have fundamentally changed the world of work. “The many challenges have turned the usual team and work life upside down,” said Ms. Steiner. “For employers, this means taking concrete measures and conveying a set of values that promises added value and, above all, keeps it. Empty ‘blah blah’ in the job advertisement is quickly seen through and evaluation platforms give realistic insights into everyday company life.”

Trend No. 1

Happy place to work – Recruitment is highly candidate driven.

Creating an environment in which employees feel holistically comfortable has become an important part of the employer branding strategy, according to Ms. Steiner. The increased awareness of physical and mental health now needs to be implemented in the company.

In a recent study, 35,000 employees from 34 countries were asked what requirements they place on their employers. The result is more than clear: 56 percent of employees between the ages of 18 and 24 would quit their job if it made them unhappy. In addition, 40 percent of them would prefer unemployment to a job that doesn’t make them happy and 38 percent of Millennials, the 25 to 34 year olds, have a similar view – 38 percent of them would rather be unemployed than unhappy at work.

What can companies do to sustainably promote the satisfaction of their employees? Inquire. “Depending on the workplace, the requirements for health measures can vary greatly,” said Ms. Steiner. “Employee surveys offer a great opportunity to create individual measures. In manufacturing companies, individual occupational safety, such as adapted hearing protection for noise-affected people or special insoles in work shoes can have a health-promoting effect. Anyone who mainly does their work from their desk places more value on an ergonomic table and office chair.”

Recruiting Statistics for 2022

• 88 percent of HR leaders have added new perks to their benefits packages since the start of the pandemic.
• 61 percent of job applicants say they’re more likely to apply to companies that list salary info in job descriptions.
• 28 percent of employees could be working remotely over the next five years.
• 49 percent of recruiters say candidates ask them about their DEI initiatives.

Trend No. 2

The near solution in the distance – recruiting internationals.

Processes are digitized and almost all processes in companies are accompanied by software, according to Ms. Steiner. IT is omnipresent in all business areas and the lack of experts is making itself felt – Europe lacks 160,000 IT specialists. The consequences of this are often dramatic, so high-value orders have to be rejected because they cannot be processed due to the shortage.

Sabine Steiner has broad experience in the recruiting industry, marketing, and project management. For more than 16 years she worked for the biggest recruiting company in Austria. At Talentor International she is responsible for the partner management and partner acquisition tasks.

“A look beyond the borders is worthwhile,” she said. “Austria offers qualified workers from Third World countries with the Red-White-Red Card the opportunity for a work and residence permit – and your company the chance of a (large) number of applicants for your vacancies. A total of more than 480,000 people in Austria already have a valid residence permit. The effort involved in recruiting foreign employees may be higher initially, but you will benefit in many ways.”

Trend No. 3

Promote Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

An inclusive culture values differences, understands diversity in the company as an enrichment for the overall performance, and offers all employees – regardless of their background – the same opportunities, according to Ms. Steiner. It is not for nothing that diversity and inclusion are among the top recruiting trends: Studies show that diverse, inclusive teams are not only more efficient, but also make the company more attractive to potential candidates.

In 2022, DEI continues to be a crucial element of HR discussions in order to make employees feel safe, welcome, and listened to. A positive side effect of increased DEI efforts is that companies will become more attractive to candidates: While in 2020 only 33 percent of recruiters said job seekers asked them about their DEI initiatives, today that number has jumped to 49 percent, 16 points higher.

“Companies that invested more in DEI had lower turnover,” said Ms. Steiner. “This year has seen more of the same progress with 81 percent of companies saying they’re going to increase or maintain their DEI budgets. If the pandemic has taught leaders anything, it’s that there’s no way to be sure what the future may hold. While no one can predict when the Great Resignation will end or when in-person work will fully return, there’s one thing that’s certain: Recruiters will need to remain flexible, adapt quickly, and embrace the many changes. If HR leaders are able to do so, they’ll not only succeed in building strong teams this year, but for many years to come.”

Trend No. 4

Recruiting in the Metaverse

The World Wide Web is constantly evolving. When talking about Web 1.0, roughly speaking, the period from 1991 to 2004 is meant. Websites were mainly static, users mainly consumers. Web 2.0 is all about blogs, wikis, and of course social media. Users create content on company platforms, consume, and participate. In the middle of the Web 2.0 age, many clever minds are now talking about further groundbreaking developments with Web 3.0. Technologists and journalists have described Web 3.0 as a possible solution to concerns about over-centralization of the web in a few “big tech” companies. The Metaverse is one of these decentralized approaches – a digital space that is created through the interaction of virtual, augmented, and physical reality. Anyone with the necessary knowledge can create worlds in whose rooms avatars can stay and interact.

Consider This Before Joining the Great Resignation

If you’re thinking about joining the Great Resignation and quitting your job, you’re in good company. Resignations are at a 20-year high, and depending on what study you’re reading, one-third to one-half of all U.S. workers are considering leaving their jobs right now. This record number of resignations is fueled by a range of factors, from the understanding that better pay and opportunities may be readily available, to a desire to work for an organization that is more values-aligned, to the desire to have more flexibility about when and where work is done.

“The fact is, we are at the beginning of something big,” said Ms. Steiner. “Whether before a big change or a big bubble, that remains to be seen.”

What can recruiting look like in the described future? “Trade fairs, conferences, Christmas parties – pretty much every event format has taken place online in recent years,” Ms. Steiner said. “Video chats and online events cannot keep up with real meetings when it comes to the party feeling. But what they are very good at is providing information, across borders.”

Will the Metaverse have the best of both worlds? For example, can trade fairs based on old models appear in new splendor? A wish expressed by almost three quarters of the 35,000 respondents to a recent study could be implemented more easily with these formats – namely being able to work from anywhere.

The auditing company PwC started this attempt in September 2021. Jeremy Dalton, head of Metaverse Technologies (XR) at PwC UK, said in an interview that the firm has already welcomed 17,000 interested people to their virtual park. “For recruitment, we already use a Metaverse platform, virtual park, to interview applicants and give them the opportunity to meet our people and learn more about our culture, values, and opportunities at PwC,” he said.

Trend No. 5

Active Sourcing

Active sourcing is the active search for and contact with candidates in the recruiting process, according to Ms. Steiner. “Instead of publishing job advertisements and waiting for the right candidate to return, the sourcer addresses suitable candidates directly and in a targeted manner.” What are the advantages of this method and how do you successfully establish active sourcing in your own company? Talentor experts provide the guidelines for the strategic sourcing approach – including practical tips.

How does active sourcing work?

Irrespective of whether an exciting candidate is employed, still studying, or not currently looking for a job, sourcers/recruiters actively approach him. This contact can take place via social networks, but trade fairs, university events, lectures, or workshops can also be used to get to know talented people.

Related: Retaining Your Employees During the Great Resignation

The most important factor is a sure instinct for the wishes and needs of the candidates. Many receive messages from sourcers and recruiters on a daily basis. Many even find it an affront to receive job offers that are below their qualifications or current salary. The top rule is therefore: quality before quantity. Talentor offers four steps to success with sourcing:

Identify: Find exciting candidates on a wide variety of platforms or via selected sourcing channels.

Research: Find background information on professional or personal interests and potential reasons for a change. Is the position interesting for the candidate at all? The candidate is the focus – pick him up with his personal wishes, dreams, and motivators, and address him authentically. Platforms such as Xing, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Github, or Instagram are well suited for this.

Address individually: Call the potential candidate or write a personalized email. Mass emails are taboo!

Present yourself (as a recruiter or company): Through a representative appearance in the important channels and a quick response rate, candidates gain confidence in your competence. They perceive your company as professional. Employer branding via various channels (Xing, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) shows its benefits here.

Trend No. 6

Implementing Referral Programs.

The hot job market means employers are struggling to find and hire great talent. As a result, businesses have started to create referral programs in which current employees are incentivized to refer someone they know for a role., according to Ms. Steiner. “Employee referral programs save time and money: If your own employees make a pre-selection of suitable candidates, the company saves a lot of time and can deal directly with them instead of weaker applicants,” she said. Candidate screening and job interviews are less time-consuming, and the recommended people are often better prepared because their colleagues prepare them for the interview. The general recruitment costs are also lower, as there is no need to post expensive job advertisements.”

The acquisition of new employees is more precisely tailored: If the hiring takes place through an employee referral program, the likelihood is higher that the candidate can identify with the company and its values. “Experience in many companies shows that employees recruited in this way familiarize themselves more quickly and are therefore productive earlier,” said Ms. Steiner. “This is also due to the fact that the recommending employees feel responsible for their referral and therefore support their acquaintances more strongly from the start.”

Using this strategy means candidates come pre-screened and are more likely to align with your goals and values, according to Ms. Steiner. “Stay-in-touch-program with potential candidates or rehire former employees,” she said. “There’s always a question mark surrounding the hire of an unknown employee and whether he or she will be a good fit for the team. Significant benefits can come from hiring former employees or trainees/ students that once worked for your company.”

Ms. Steiner also notes that rehiring former employees can be an advantage because they already know the products, culture, and service delivery model of your company. “This can drastically reduce integration and training costs,” she said. “Rehired employees can start adding value to your bottom line in much less time than brand new employees. General wisdom says these types of rehires tend to increase their level of commitment to the company because they appreciate aspects of your business and their job that they previously underestimated.”

Related: Hiring Top Talent in Unprecedented Times

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media