Looking into the present times, let’s analyse the visible trends that are affecting employers and recruiters in their search for the right talent.
The Housing Bust and the Home-Anchored Job-seekers
With housing properties nose-diving in terms of their value, most talented job-seekers are unable to relocate to places that will give them desired employment opportunities. With their mortgage in default, insufficient funds to pay off their home loan debts or their incapability to give the house on rent, these job seekers are stuck to where their houses are located. This is turning out to be a concern for employers or recruiters belonging to industries that are already facing a talent crunch. Employers must look at options like encouraging tele-working – allowing their employees to work from home, who may be located in a different region or even a distant country! This way they will be able to include the right talent pool in their workforce. Another way is to search for quality talent among the local candidates.
Job seekers break conventional norms of seeking employment
If you are an employer relying on your regular HR processes of screening and interviewing candidates to convince the right ones to join you, then you may be in for a rude surprise. Your Mr. or Ms. Right Talent may not take the usual road into your organization. He or she may be talking to your existing employees, gathering information on the kind of employer or organization you are, or looking at your organization’s social media profile! While all your efforts may be focused at making your recruitment efforts more effective and professional, you may be missing out on improving other avenues where these candidates approach you from.
Employers must seek foresight into the probable entry points for these candidates and work with their existing employees to create the right impact about their organization image. Employers must leverage the social media networks and skills of their existing employees to reach out to current and potential candidates. The recruitment teams must be educated on the need for versatility of medium to meet the right candidates.
Social Media and Employer brand image
With social networking becoming ubiquitous, you are no longer what you want others to perceive you to be, no matter how effective your websites or other promotional materials are in putting you in good light. There are too many people passing on their opinions about you and their experience with you through blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and more. The remote control to create a positive employment brand may no more be in your hands alone.
Employers must evaluate their employer brand image by talking to existing employees. They must create positive opinion makers inside their organization, to begin with. Once this is achieved, the power of social media will take care of the rest. Another benefit of starting inside before going out is that internal employees are easy to believe and their opinions are seen as more authentic.
For employers and recruiters, finding the right talent will always remain a challenge, irrespective of changing times and trends. Employers will gain only if they align their HR processes and techniques with these changing trends.
