The recruitment scenario has undergone a lot of changes in the last decade — such as the style of the recruiting process, performance measurement, recruitment teams, the recruiter’s approach towards a candidate’s résumé, and candidate engagement. Let’s take a look at how recruitment has changed over the years. The changing vista of IT recruitment has been reflected in the following areas:
Preference for the Term ‘Talent Acquisition’
Currently, recruiters prefer the term ‘talent acquisition’ rather than ‘recruiting’. In fact, more recruiters are now changing their titles to ‘Talent Acquisition Experts’. This change may be due to the points-of-view of IT professionals and developers of conventional agency recruiters.
Prioritizing Metrics for Performance Measurement
Today, the performance management of the recruitment team is primarily measured by the quality of hires. The satisfaction of hiring managers, which is determined by HR and C-level professionals, is the second most important metric. The third significant metric is the quality of the pool of available applicants. By prioritizing these metrics, the recruitment team moves towards identifying the major objectives of an organization.
Team Development out of Necessity
Many companies focus on developing their team and enhancing its size. With the US unemployment rate below 5% and a lack of talent reported by employers, recruiters predict that filling vacancies will be more difficult in the coming year. Therefore, they emphasize team growth with organizational expansion.
More Pressure to Find the Best Talent
The role of the recruiter has become more challenging. Recruiters are expected to find the best talent and excel over their competitors. They are under more pressure to compete in the job market for top candidates and look for inventive ways to engage passive tech talent.
Focus on Social Media instead of a Résumé
Recruiters are focusing more on social media than on a résumé. They pay more attention to social media sites, such as LinkedIn and online job applications, rather than relying upon traditional résumés and personal interviews. In the article “Hiring in the Digital Age: What’s Next for Recruiting?”, it’s projected that innovative tools using social media and big data will provide a remarkable insight into job seekers and will become the primary method of screening.
The Rise of the Digital Hiring Model
Modern recruiting has more of an emphasis on a digital hiring model. Bob Myhal, the former CEO of NextHire, said in Business News Daily that from “the résumé to the search to the interview, we’re moving towards a digital hiring model. Résumés will be displaced by constantly evolving representations of individual experiences, skills and aptitudes that exist purely in the digital realm” like online communities and meet-ups. According to Entelo’s CEO, Jon Bischke, digital profiles offer more valuable insight into a candidate. For screening candidates working remotely, a phone call is now replaced by high-tech video interviews and live two-way webcams.
Moving towards Engaging Passive Talent
Recruiters are now engaging the passive tech talent of Generation Y in new ways, as this generation of employees has different expectations regarding the hiring process than past generations. It’s important for recruiters to be proactive while seeking new talent, reaching out to potential candidates in addition to reviewing applications.
These are a few of the areas where the IT recruitment process reflects changes in technology and the job market. Today’s recruiters must be familiar with technological trends to move beyond the résumé, as this helps with finding the right hire while saving valuable time.
