Groundhogs day has been a popular tradition in the United States for centuries. Punxsutawney Phil has been looking for his shadow or lack thereof to determine the coming of spring since 1886. If he sees his shadow, it is an omen for six more weeks of bad weather and he returns to his hole. If he doesnt see his shadow, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.
We recruiting pros can stand to learn a lot from Punxsutawney Phil and his search for his shadow. Although its not yet clear how the labor market will change in the next few months and throughout the year, we can read further into the signs that have emerged based on employer expectations. Like Punxsutawney Phil, we need to be agile and ready to adapt to changing conditions.
Photo Credit:Gene J. Puskar, AP
Here are a couple of the trends to watch out for:
A Focused Recruiting Strategy
Recruiting professionals have been charged with determining the most cost-effective and efficient means to direct their efforts. Having a focused sourcing, interviewing and hiring strategy streamlines this process. Recruiting leaders are beginning to understand the benefits associated with having a streamlined and optimized recruiting strategy. These benefits include:
- Increasing the quality of applicants and candidates
- Being viewed as a strategic partner by candidates
- Improved sourcing techniques and methodologies
- Strong candidate pipelines and talent communities
Recruitment software is available that helps in the standardization of all recruiting tasks associated with searching and filtering through large volumes of data to produce the top talent efficiently in existing databases. With the right applicant tracking system that also works as a Candidate Relationship Management tool, it is simple to equip the team responsible for sourcing, searching, identifying and producing targeted candidate results that feed recruitment efforts.
While most labor market conditions are still difficult to predict, it is apparent that leaders charged with recruiting who understand how to streamline the recruiting lifecycle will have a leg up over their competition moving forward.
Relationship Building in Recruiting and Talent Acquisition
Savvy recruiting professionals know that a positive candidate experience is going to make all the difference in their efforts. The Us News & World Report stated that one of the most important trends to track this year will be a heavier use of social networking in recruiting. Why? Because industry reports suggest that over a quarter of all job seekers search for jobs using social media. This number is even larger for millennial job seekers, with seven out of ten, 18 34-year-olds reporting they found their current or a previous position using social media.
It is important moving forward to focus on nurturing existing relationships and not just building new ones. This requires building talent communities and sharing information that is important to each community. Keeping in contact even when there isnt an opportunity immediately available for the candidate. It also requires that we be open and transparent when communicating with candidates.
Just like Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow this morning. Those of us charged with the recruitment of top tier talent must be prepared for the ever-changing landscape of the labor market. We must be willing to adapt our strategy based on the conditions. Only then will we win the war for top talent.
Would you like to dive further? Read more about Recruiting Behaviors That Increase Profitability.
