Human resource departments and recruiters are constantly tweaking their hiring methods to engage and hire the top talent. It is important to know the future hiring trends for job seekers so they can find the perfect job.
As you look to have a more productive and rewarding career in 2017, take note of some things happening in the recruiting industry. This will give you a slight advantage over other candidates when exploring new career options.
2017 Hiring Trends for Job Seekers
For those looking to find a new position or make a career change, 2017 might be the ideal year to do it. One of the major hiring trends for job seekers to note is that 56 percent of teams intend to increase their hiring volume this year.
This means that employers want to hire people – they want to hire you! With candidates at an advantage in the job market, let’s look at 5 trends that will affect the way you navigate the employment search in 2017.
1. The Role of Referrals
It is no secret that a candidate referred by a company’s current employee is more likely to get the job. In fact, the team at CareerXroads found that referred candidates are 14 times more likely to get the job than someone who applies without a referral. This will continue to be one of the top hiring trends for job seekers in 2017.
Referred candidates make up more than 40 percent of new hires at companies described as one of the best places to work. Referred employees are faster to hire, tend to perform better, and stay at the company longer than others.
For companies, referral hiring is effective and provides cost savings. For those looking to find new positions in 2017, ask your potential employer about company referral activity. It can be one way to spot a poor work environment.
2. Enhanced Candidate Experience
Companies are starting to understand how critical the candidate experience is to attract top talent. Essentially, the candidate experience during the application process is a reflection of recruiter and business performance.
Hiring departments looking to keep candidates well informed of their status during the hiring process. They know that regular status updates show that they are an employer of choice. A poor experience will lead to bad reviews on sites like Glassdoor.
This is one of the hiring trends for job seekers to pay attention to because they will be able to drive the frequency and form of conversation in 2017. Whether you are on email, phone, or social media, recruiters will be there too.
3. Diversifying the Workplace
In 2017 one of the hot hiring trends for job seekers will be workplace diversity. In 2016, the topic gained a lot of attention and companies are now placing an increased focus on diversity in the workplace.
According to a Glassdoor survey, 67 percent of active and passive job searchers consider diversity an important factor when comparing companies and job offers. Over half of recruiters said that their talent acquisition methods are designed to attract diverse candidates.
As companies continue to understand the benefit and competitive advantages workplace diversity provide, they will continue to implement strategies to eliminate unconscious bias. Companies are looking for diverse people with different cultures, values, and skillsets.
Diverse companies are great to work for because they typically have a culture welcoming of a wide range of people. For those of you on a job hunt, avoid companies that use cultural fit to disguise hiring bias. Don’t be afraid to ask about the role diversity plays in the organization.
4. The Discovery of Talent Rediscovery
There are typically high numbers of applicants for a single position. However, once resumes enter an applicant tracking system (ATS), most of them will never be looked at again. This is not because recruiters don’t want to review those resumes for talent; it’s just hard to do.
A major pain point in the hiring industry is the lack of technology to effectively and accurately screen resumes of past applicants. New technology is going to help recruiters do just that.
Though it is a new technology, you should expect it to rise to prominence quickly because talent rediscovery is such a large issue in the industry.
Now, companies will not need to pay to source candidates that they have already screened. For highly qualified candidates that may have missed one job from a company, you’re more likely to get a call or email when another position opens up.
5. Less Full-Time Jobs, More Blended Workforces
The decline in full-time positions is one of the hiring trends for job seekers that may cause concern. As companies across all industries use more technological and automated services, many positions will cease to exist.
More companies are hiring contractors or freelancers on-demand to solve key problems. You can expect to see many more blended workforces in 2017. For managers, remote management will be a critical skill in order to find success with those employees working away from the office.
For job searchers with focused skills, this could be a great opportunity to be contractually hired by companies for their specialized expertise. Since there will be fewer jobs, consider taking temporary jobs while you wait to land a full-time one. They will keep your skills sharp and even help you acquire new ones.
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