2017 RECRUITING TRENDS

Transcription

1 Qualigence International 2017 RECRUITING TRENDS Whitepaper

2 INTRODUCTION As 2016 draws to a close, talent professionals will begin to shift their focus to the road ahead. While noting where some methods have failed to achieve company-wide talent goals, many will begin to search for more promising practices to help them get on track to meet and exceed expectations. In this whitepaper, we have compiled research from multiple sources to provide a view of what is to come in the new year, and how to implement key practices first thing first quarter. 2

3 CANDIDATE & EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE PRIORITIZED 3

4 The conversation around candidate and current employee experience within a company is not a new one, but it is one that has ramped up significantly in the last year. As we look to 2017, we re looking to realistic ways to improve the hiring process and make a true working example of company branding and held values. over 60% 72% of job seekers reporting a negative candidate experience of those job seekers are looking to share that experience on a job board With over 60% of job seekers reporting a negative candidate experience and 72%1 of them looking to share that experience on a job board like Glassdoor, we need to embrace the reality that the business is being evaluated as well during the interview. Often, employees spend hours preparing resumes and applications, only to have them shuffled into a large pile of unread (or skimmed) documents. Candidates catch onto this as they fail to hear back from a suddenly unresponsive recruiter, and they are all but ready to publicize this reality. 4

5 In 2017, organizations will be looking for immediate ways to change the way they hire. Consider fundamental changes first with your team performing the interviews. The best way to ensure a foundation for a positive experience is to prioritize communication between internal teams and your candidate. Being responsive to applicant status is the foundation for a positive experience, coming before free t-shirts and online surveys asking for feedback. A whopping 60% of candidates say better communication throughout and after the application process 2 would make the most positive impact. Many employers even suggest utilizing automated response systems as a quick, effortless way to update candidates on the status of their application3. While this certainly is not as effective as updating each candidate individually, it keeps the lines of communication open while assuring that he or she will be notified of any changes. 60% candidates say better communication throughout and after the application process would make the most positive impact. 5

6 In 2017, organizations will be looking for immediate ways to change the steps they take to get to a hire. 31%4 of recruiters feel that an overly lengthy hiring process can be the first deterrent to a positive experience, causing a large pool of talent to drop out. They ll see the lag of responsiveness as a signal of how the company operates as a whole, and if they re fast-moving millennials, it ll be sign of a potential culture clash. Relating to potential employees similar to how you relate to current employees is an attitude that s becoming more commonplace. You don t have to assign them to a cube for the afternoon or invite them to your holiday party, but thinking of their experience as you do your potential customer puts the team in a mindset that they need to be on and ready to represent the company. Companies need to start humanizing their candidate experience because job seekers can easily share their negative experiences online and decide never to apply to that company again. Treat your candidates like you would your employees or customers because they have the power to refer strong candidates even if they don t get hired. - Dan Schawbel, Research Director of Future Workplace and New York Times bestselling author of Promote Yourself 6

7 If those candidates do become employees, it s still HR s responsibility to build on their experience within the company. Going into the new year, 83% of HR professionals believe that employee experience is crucial to the organization s success5. When consulting their employees, they reported the following improvements that could boost the experience metric More training (56%) Studies show that employees don t just want more training; in fact, over 60% of trained employees wish that it was more relevant to their position6. Vague, unspecific direction does little for the motivated employee. Providing thorough skills training allows an employee to truly thrive. Improve work space (51%) Positive, healthy working environments have been shown to decrease employee turnover and increase productivity. Paired with strong relationships between co-workers are shown to increase workplace happiness by 50%7. Rather than investing in beanbag chairs or scheduling six bring-your-dog-to-work days in a row, employers must consider the location where their workplace culture takes place. More rewards (47%) While some employees place compensation above all else, others emphasize non-monetary incentives such as benefits and flexibility. This is especially true for Millennials, of which 63% are willing to telecommute. Employers must recognize what workers truly desire and meet them where they are at in order to maintain a competitive edge and attract top talent. 7

8 INVEST IN EMPLOYER BRANDING 8

9 By acknowledging the impact of reputation on the ability to attract top talent and tell the story of candidate and employee experience, many organizations will look to define their standing as a brand. According to the Global Recruiting Trends 2016 report, 62% of corporate talent acquisition managers considered the issue a top priority. Teams are coming together over this trend, with 47% already divided employer branding tasks with marketing departments8. The thinking behind this trend is actually quite simple: just as employers research their candidates, candidates research potential employers. Based on what they find or hear, perfectly qualified individuals might take their skill sets elsewhere. This leaves some employers scrambling to find the right talent while wondering why it can t be found. 9

10 The goal is to form a positive reputation for oneself in order to encourage a large applicant pool. Those who successfully build their brand do, in fact, see 2x the amount of applicants per job when compared to those who fail to brand themselves. LinkedIn found that 84% of people would leave their job for a more positively-branded company. Put simply, reputation does matter and your brand is a living thing. Because positive branding drives a larger pool of applicants, this also cuts costs for the employer - that is, by 43% per hire9. While investing in employer branding remains costly upfront, it actually saves expenses and results in better talent in the long run. As for the employee, on the other hand, compensation is not always the driving factor. Half of all employees claim that they would never work for a company with a bad reputation - even with a pay increase. Employers must be conscious of the fact that they might lose top talent even if their compensation packages are up to par. 10

11 76% 62% of candidates research companies on social media before applying of those who ended up applying even perused the company s employee profiles on LinkedIn When it comes to the actual practice of building an employer brand, social media still holds strong as the source of information. No other platform can spread candidate and employee experiences - both positive and negative - to the public so quickly and on such a wide scale. Of course, candidates are privy to this; 62% of these candidates research companies on social media before applying. 76% of those who ended up applying even perused the company s employee profiles on LinkedIn10. Employers must not forget that an online presence can still make or break a hire. 11

12 QUALITY OF HIRE METRIC: MOST VALUABLE DATA 12

13 While successfully hiring a new candidate is certainly a rewarding moment for a recruiter, his or her job must not end there. As employers and recruiters begin to realize that the recruiting process continues as the candidate adjusts to the new role, metrics such as quality of hire come into play. Indeed, the importance of this metric cannot be expressed enough. In fact, according to the same report, 39% of corporate talent acquisition managers agree that it is the most valuable metric for performance 8. The quality of hire metric is intended to measure how fit the candidate truly is for the job at hand. According to the 2016 Global Recruiting Trends report, it is often measured with the following11: 50% 49% New hire performance evaluation 43% Turnover or retention Hiring manager satisfaction 13

14 Furthermore, according to LinkedIn users, most quality hires can be found within social professional networks (43%), online job boards (42%), and referral programs (32%)8. But how should recruiters utilize these mediums in order to truly maximize their quality of hire metric? Intake Sessions - One of the most common areas of miscommunication within the recruiting process lies between the hiring manager and the recruiter. Recruiters often fail to understand what it is that the hiring manager is looking for in a candidate due to a lack of questions, lack of understanding about the role, or other communication barriers. Emphasize productive intake sessions to encourage better communication between both parties. Better Understanding of Candidate - What are the candidate s drivers? Where do his or her priorities lie? Where has he/she succeeded or failed in the past, and how will that translate to future work? Simply asking the right questions can eliminate future misunderstandings. Relationship Building - Just as internet relationships can feel fragmented and incomplete in the real world, they don t thrive in the business world. Talk to the candidate, ask questions, or even meet in person as much as possible. Forming a relationship allows you to determine whether or not the candidate is culturally fit for the role at hand, while it also provides you with the opportunity to ask about previous experiences. The more varying information you have on a candidate, the more likely you are to make the right hire and increase next year s most valuable metric. 14

15 CONCLUSION Our research has shown that the prioritization of candidate experience, investment in employer branding, and reliance on the quality of hire metric will greatly influence the year to come. In order to fully capitalize on such changes, recruiters must be become aware of their implications and work with internal teams to prepare for implementations. Staying ahead of 2017 s trends provides a window of opportunity for recruiters to stay ahead of competitors, reach out to sources more efficiently, and improve their own skill sets in the year to come. 15

16 Works Cited 1. Candidate Experience Study. Workplace Trends, 14 June 2016, workplacetrends.com/candidate-experience-study/. 23 Surprising Stats on Candidate Experience - Infographic. 23 Surprising Stats on Candidate Experience - Infographic, CareerArc, 22 Aug. 2016, 3. "Auto Responder Sample for Human Resources BCJobs.ca." Blog. N.p., 13 Apr Web. 29 Nov Slater, Ben. 17 Crucial Recruiting Statistics for Beamery Blog, 11 May 2016, blog.beamery.com/recruiting-statistics-2016/. 5. Schawbel, Dan. "10 Workplace Trends You'll See in 2017." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 1 Nov Web. 29 Nov Jtiell. "Employees Need Relevant On-The-Job Training - Root Inc." Root Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov Okyle, Carly. "Is Workplace Culture Overrated? (Infographic)." Entrepreneur. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov Mauer, Roy. "Quality of Hire Top Metric for 2016." Quality of Hire Top Metric for N.p., 4 Jan Web. 30 Nov Shriar, Jacob. "5 Shockingly Simple Ways To Build Your Employer Brand." Officevibe. N.p., 31 Aug Web. 30 Nov "Do You Think Your Employer Brand Can Be Ruined by Social Media? - HR in ASIA." HR in ASIA. N.p., 17 Sept Web. 30 Nov "How Early Is Too Early to Start Measuring Quality of Hire? EWS." EWS. N.p., 24 Nov Web. 30 Nov

17 About Qualigence Qualigence International is the largest Recruitment Research and professional search firm in the United States, and proudly serves as a unique alternative to traditional retained or contingent recruiting models. 17