What Recruiters Face Hiring in the Digital Age

Finding the right employees is one of the toughest tasks for HR professionals, especially in the digital age. A recruiter has to balance the needs of the company with the expectations of applicants, making it difficult to find exactly the right fit. If you are responsible for attracting employees to your company, you need to be aware of these recruiting trends for 2016.

1. Candidate Expectations

In the digital age, a typical candidate expects a speedy hiring process. Gone are the days when you could take your time reviewing applications and following up with the best candidates. If it takes too long to schedule an interview or conduct reference checks, a good candidate is likely to move on to other opportunities. Potential employees also expect the application process to be fast and easy. Applicants are likely to get disgruntled if you have them fill out a four-page application by hand.

If your company doesn't have the resources to implement a robust applicant-tracking system, do as much as you can to streamline the process. Take advantage of job networks for listing open positions and collecting applicants. These networks already have the technical capabilities needed to make the application process faster and easier.

2. Digital Recruiting

You no longer have to rely on a single piece of paper to evaluate an applicant. Instead, you have the power of social media at your fingertips. In the digital age, it's perfectly acceptable to check LinkedIn to find information about any of your applicants. Employers are also using video interviews and other technology tools to reduce the cost of the hiring process and make it easier to find the best candidates.

3. Employer Branding

One of the biggest changes ushered in by the digital age is the need for employers to build strong brands. Many job seekers research employers thoroughly and want to learn more about organizational culture, vision and values before submitting applications. If your company has a weak Web presence, potential employees are likely to look elsewhere. Move into the digital age by asking IT to update the company website with relevant information. Because company reviews are very influential, keep track of what employees are saying about your company on Glassdoor and other review sites.

4. Passive Candidates

Expand your applicant pool by considering passive candidates, or people who haven't applied for an opening but may be interested in a new challenge. Find passive candidates by searching social media for profiles matching the minimum requirements of the job. Then, reach out to your most likely prospects via private messages.

If you don't keep up with recruiting trends, it's difficult to find good candidates and limit the amount of time it takes you to fill an opening. Although recruiting in the digital age is much easier in terms of the tools available, it's also more difficult to cater to candidate expectations and keep up with changes in technology.

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