Change is afoot for recruitment and HR professionals. Hays’ Nick Deligiannis looks ahead to see what recruitment trends we can expect in 2018.
It is hard to deny the fact that for the past few years, technology has been rewriting traditional recruitment practices, and 2018 looks to be no exception.
Whether it’s the jobseeker utilising virtual reality (VR) to enhance their profile, the hiring manager improving the upskilling opportunities within their organisation, or the recruiter using artificial intelligence (AI) to screen their candidates, it’s safe to say that everybody’s world of work looks set to change.
So, which recruitment trends are set to dominate in 2018?
Recruitment remodelled to ‘find and engage’
In 2018, a new model of recruitment will emerge, fuelled by technology, the dynamics of the digital world, data science and AI.
The historic and conventional ‘advertise and apply’ model (where active jobseekers at that point in time apply to advertised vacancies) will be superseded by a ‘find and engage’ approach.
The ‘find’ element of the equation involves using digital technology and data science analytics to reach deep into candidate pools and examine large amounts of data, to prepare shortlists of the most suitable active and passive jobseekers, extrapolate meaningful patterns and gauge how open to new job opportunities a potential candidate is.
The ‘engage’ element puts the relationship back at the heart of recruitment to understand a candidate’s personal priorities and aspirations for a successful outcome. It’s a game-changing transformation for employers and external agencies alike.
AI candidate screening
Automated and machine-learning algorithms will be used to screen CVs and communicate with candidates.
While this is a complex AI challenge, in 2018, organisations will work on ‘training’ ontology to convert the semi-structured data of CVs and job descriptions into a consistent format for processing, which, once implemented, will significantly accelerate the shortlisting process.
VR to enhance a jobseeker’s profile
While some organisations (PwC for example) provide VR tours that give jobseekers an indication of the workplace and culture, jobseekers too could start to embrace the technology, showcasing the skills and competencies that enhance their online profiles.
For example, hiring managers could virtually explore an architect’s completed projects, an IT project manager’s applications development projects or a marketing manager’s campaigns.
AR experiences
As augmented reality (AR) becomes more mainstream, organisations will experiment with interactive candidate experiences.
For example, AR could allow a candidate to walk through the workplace, participate in a mock client meeting or another relevant activity, and sit with an employee who talks about their typical day.
Jobseekers enhance their personal brand using video
Expect jobseekers to embed video content in their LinkedIn profiles as part of building an engaging personal brand. This will offer hiring managers and recruiters a deeper insight into their expertise and potential cultural fit.
Automation to fuel temp jobs
Automation and technological advances will eliminate some jobs but also create new ones.
In 2018, this will be most obvious in the creation of highly-skilled temporary and contract roles, which will require people with particular knowledge and expertise surrounding non-repetitive tasks, particularly when applied to planning, interacting with others or making decisions.
Upskilling will be a key benefit
Given the current rate of technological change, knowledge and skills have a shorter use-by date.
The top talent therefore looks for roles offering upskilling and development, whether that’s through extra responsibilities, working on projects outside their original scope, mentoring, or allowing time to attend conferences or webinars.
For employers, this can be a key benefit that will differentiate you from other organisations in 2018.
Low-skilled jobs in less demand
As digitalisation technologies (AI, big data, online platforms and computers that communicate with each other) grow in prevalence in the workplace, low-skilled jobs will become less common.
Meanwhile, the number of highly-skilled jobs that involve non-routine duties will grow.
Finance technology professionals needed
The finance sector has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Customers are demanding more secure, seamless and innovative services – a bar that has been set extremely high by other industries, such as life sciences and recruitment.
According to PwC’s 19th Annual Global CEO Survey, 70pc of leaders said that the speed of change in technology was a concern.
As such, over the next few years, we can expect the deployment of technology products and services to feature highly on the agenda for finance CEOs and, with that, the skilled professionals required to deploy these products and services.
Diversity an ongoing priority
As varying skills shortages remain around the world, skilled overseas workers will continue to serve as a viable solution. This trend has been facilitated by advances in technology, whether it’s through the use of remote working, VR video conferencing or Skype interviews.
As workforces diversify (be it gender, cultural background, age or disability diversity, or even diversity of thought), organisations will place diversity and cultural intelligence high on their HR agenda, in a bid to integrate diverse workers and maintain productivity.
The world of work is moving at an unprecedented pace, with technology the main catalyst. What’s more, these changes are showing no signs of slowing down, for the employer, the candidate and the recruiter alike.
These trends present opportunities for innovative employers to source the best talent, and adaptable candidates to secure the best roles, provided both keep an eye out for these top trends and use them to their advantage.
Nick Deligiannis is the managing director of Hays in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining Hays in 1993, Deligiannis worked in human resource management and marketing, and has formal qualifications in psychology.
A version of this article originally appeared on Hays’ Viewpoint blog.
