How will recruiters continue to adapt in 2023?

2023 marks another year in which recruiters have to deal with oddities in the labour market. Resignation is at an all-time high while the talent pool in multiple industries grows shallower by the day. What will it take to keep recruiters soaring above all the chaos? Keep reading to find out how recruiters will continue to adapt in 2023.

1. Invest in technology

The first step to continue adapting in 2023 is for recruiters to invest more in technology. The process of sourcing, screening, meeting, and communicating with candidates need not be outdated manual models.

There’s an urgent need for recruiters to turn to technology in these areas for comprehensive process efficiency.

For interviews, our proven video interviewing software, Shine, is available for recruiters for both one-way and two-way interviews. What’s more, it integrates seamlessly with applicant tracking systems. Applicant Tracking Systems are necessary software for recruiters; they gather candidates’ data, keep track of recruiters’ interaction with the candidates, and move them through the recruitment funnel without hassle.

Chatbots shouldn’t be left out of the conversation. They’re growing in popularity as they provide candidates with the required information and qualify the candidates even before their initial communication with members of the recruiter’s team.

For recruiters who are eager to optimally evolve, technology is a must.

2. Prepare with the latest generation in mind

The latest generation, Gen Z, is entering the workforce. To continue to adapt in 2023, recruiters need to be mindful of the tendencies and values of this generation and subsequently remodel their recruiting and hiring practices to suit them.

Gen Z is a generation born in a digital cradle. Therefore, recruiters must hop on the digital bandwagon if they aspire to attract them.

Getting on the digital bandwagon, for starters, involves optimizing the application process for mobile devices. Emails aren’t entirely a thing of the past, but for the Zoomers, applying with only a few taps on their devices is the way to go. Social media is an excellent platform and a much better option for them.

Also, they’d much rather consume content about your clients’ companies via video. Large walls of text on the brands’ about and career pages aren’t really their cup of tea. A brief but insightful video on a potential employer and their culture works like a charm.

Make the necessary changes to attract them as much as possible.

3. Meet candidates’ needs and expectations

If the pandemic did only one thing, it was to put candidates in the driver’s seat. Along with the Great Resignation has come the Great Awareness and the Great Expectation. Candidates are more aware and, as a result, are more expectant.

For recruiters to hold their place, they have to ensure that these needs and expectations are met.

To begin with, recruiters need to make sure that flexibility is integrated into their clients’ job offers. The current global health concerns cannot be swept under the carpet, so the job offers have to allow remote work or hybrid work.

Additionally, recruiters have to ensure that their clients’ brands uphold diversity and inclusion. The truth is that the talent shortage has prompted multiple companies to brush D&I concerns to the side, as they focus on filling the vacant roles.

Recruiters must make sure that their clients demonstrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in both their culture and even the recruitment process. Research has shown that candidates care about prospective employers’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

4. Source strategically, hire rightly

The pandemic changed the world of business in more ways than one. Many employees were laid off as businesses took a beating. As economies gradually open up, it’s only natural that candidates come beating down the door.

Right?

Wrong! Oh, so wrong!!

Active job-seeking is almost a relic of the old world; candidates are the prized jewels in the new world of business, not the brands.

To effectively navigate these uncharted waters and thrive in 2023, recruiters need to be wholly given to the continuous process of finding and maintaining communications with qualified potential candidates. This will ensure that the talent pipelines are steadily filled for the companies.

Also, recruiters need to ensure that they pick the best candidates for their clients. Though picking the best candidate from a pool of applicants can prove quite challenging, case-based screening can be employed to get an idea of the candidates’ capacities in practice.

For recruiters to better adapt in 2023, they need to have access to, understand, and analyze data. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends Report, data-driven orientation is the order of the day in the recruitment sector; ignore it at your peril. The metrics and insights will keep recruiters abreast of nuances and fluctuations in the labour market.

5. Don’t neglect soft skills

As times change rapidly, the needs of businesses equally change.

Tertiary institutions disgorge thousands, if not millions, of graduates annually. The rise of the machines is taking place before us as robots are working in multiple industries, thanks to artificial intelligence. While degrees and technology are very much appreciated, an element of the workforce that can’t be overlooked is soft skills.

These soft skills – character traits and interpersonal skills that typically define one’s relationships with others – are crucial to building cooperative workforces. Robots can’t cultivate soft skills. Candidates with hard skills also need soft skills to go along with them.

Taking candidates with the former but without the latter is a recipe for disaster (…found worthy, both in character and in learning… remember?).

Thus, recruiters need to adapt in 2023 by modifying their recruitment approach to concentrate on soft skills even more than hard skills, particularly during the current talent shortage. Hard skills can be learned, but soft skills are grasped through awareness and intention.

Some prime soft skills that recruiters should look out for are:

• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Work ethic
• Flexibility and availability
• Problem-solving skills

These soft skills guarantee the longevity and steady growth of businesses, so recruiters must emphasize them for the sake of their clients.

6. Effectively market your clients’ brands

Finally, for recruiters to effectively adapt in 2023, it’s imperative that they properly market their clients’ brands. Candidates pay due attention to every element of the recruitment process and aren’t afraid to tell the world about their experiences.

Thus, for recruiters to meet up with the current expectation they must ensure a positive candidate experience and show off the prospective employer’s value proposition.

Some steps that recruiters can take to guarantee an impressive candidate experience and brandish their clients’ colours include:

• Maintaining frequent communication with candidates during the recruitment
• Highlighting the brand’s culture
• Being empathetic
• Giving feedback to candidates and getting the same from them

As bumpy as the recruitment landscape might seem in 2023, these hints are sure to keep recruiters on the winning end all through the year and even beyond. What’s more? Read our post to find out how recruitment consultants can competently deal with the talent shortage that currently plagues the recruitment scene.