5 Ways Recruitment Will Transform in the Next Five Years
Every industry is transforming at an alarming rate, and recruitment is no different.
With increased digitization and the uncertainty brought about by a global pandemic, the next few years will bring a lot for recruiters to adapt to as they work across fast-moving sectors.
Let’s take a look at what might change.
Strategic partnerships
Recruitment will be seen as an even more strategic role in the coming years.
Technology transformation means mundane tasks like filtering applications are automated, and recruiters will be expected to add value through their unique skills and experience.
On top of this, companies are changing how they engage external parties—from buying products and services to partnerships. So if you’re a consultant, the business will seek to build a strategic, long-term relationship.
Recruiters should think about how they will go beyond a hiring process and really consult with the business on things like appropriate salaries, offers and titles, and whether it’s even the right time to hire.
Flexibility
Recruiters have always had to deal with changing plans and working with clients that move at pace.
Right now, hiring goals are changing faster than ever. In an uncertain economy and with an increase in flexible working, companies will likely start to require a wider variety of employees, from full-time to contract to flexible and remote workers.
Recruiters will need to be able to cater to changing demands as well as the impact this will have on candidates, who are faced with a plethora of options.
You’ll need to be able to hire quickly, bring in different types of talent, and recognize the kind of skills candidates need today, such as adaptability.
Passive talent will be even more desirable
We’ve mentioned before that LinkedIn is changing the recruitment industry. It makes it easier than ever to find candidates who are looking—whether that’s through matching by skill and field or enabling people to highlight that they’re open to work.
In addition, job boards mean actively looking candidates can apply to as many jobs as possible in a very short time.
Now, the best value will come from engaging a passive candidate. Someone highly skilled, so much so that their current role doesn’t want to let them go, and doesn’t even necessarily want to move—but would with the right offer.
Recruiters who can work out what this offer is and build trusting relationships with their network to engage passive candidates are more valuable than ever.
Specialisms
Recruiters are so often expected to be a jack of all trades—frequently looking after data analysis, marketing, and even understanding how to use the latest recruitment tech.
However, as recruitment becomes a more strategic part of the business, teams could expand to include people who specialize in technology or data.
It’s also expected that you’ll need to specialize in different roles. As every sector becomes more focused on specialist tasks due to automation, recruiters will need a deep understanding of what skills candidates will need in the future. It will be important to specialize at least in a sector, if not in a niche.
More important than ever
Don’t despair if the above seems like a lot to take in and adapt to. Overall, all these changes point to that recruitment will be more important than ever over the coming years.
Demand for recruitment professionals to work at a higher level of the business, or as a really trusted partner, is only set to increase.
Businesses won’t just need recruiters—they’ll need them to do more, whether that’s negotiating with a candidate who already has a job, using technology to sift through thousands of resumes, or consulting on how to build a team.
The industry is changing—but the big takeaway is to know your worth and keep developing those skills for the next five years.