How Can Recruiters Compete in Today’s Hot Job Market?

Although in the past, candidates who were looking for good job opportunities were at the mercy of employers, the tide has turned and now companies are forced to step up their game in order to compete for the talent they want in their organizations. This means that the same old, same old recruitment strategies just won’t do. So how can recruiters respond to the realities of The Great Resignation, which has given candidates the upper hand to be highly selective in the job offers they entertain because they’re not willing to accept anything less? And how do companies compete with the aspirations of people they want to hire if these workers are considering leaning into their entrepreneurial spirit to go out on their own?

In order to address these questions and more, From Day One—a conference series and media outlet that focuses on how companies can build stronger relationships with employees—hosted a panel discussion with top talent-acquisition leaders who shared their ideas for facing current staffing challenges. Our Chief People Officer and Co-CEO Tariq Meyers was among the panelists in the “Attracting Skilled Talent in 2022: New Ideas for a Hotly Competitive Labor Market” event and the following are some of the insights he shared. 

‍Stop Looking at Pedigree

Tariq noted that evaluating candidates based on the traditional idea of looking at past job experience and education is an outdated practice that won’t help recruiters attract the talent they need in today’s market. Nowadays it’s about hiring based on potential, not pedigree.

“It’s no longer about that degree,” said Tariq. “It’s no longer about that previous company. It’s not about lowering the talent bar. It’s about expanding it. Now we're seeing that folks who may not have gone to post-secondary education, or folks who are self-taught, or folks who didn't go to school at all, are still being able to showcase their skills in some of the different platforms.”

Put Your Culture Where Your Rhetoric Is

In the last few years, many organizations have come out publicly stating how much they care about diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplaces. But candidates are not just taking companies’ word for it—they have to actually walk the talk in order to get top talent. It's not enough to make grand statements; organizations need to actually have an inclusive culture that attracts talent from underrepresented communities, Tariq noted.

“It's no longer these communities busting down the big company doors or knocking at the door looking for opportunity,” he said. “In many ways, folks are sitting back and saying, ‘You know, for the last decade, many of our organizations have made these brand promises of inclusion.’ And now in a competitive job market, folks are sitting back and saying, ‘No, no. I want to make sure that the brand promise matches the brand experience.’”

3 Recruiting Trends to Help You Navigate the Great Resignation

In order to effectively recruit candidates in the hot job market, you need to keep up with the trends that are affecting the industry. The following are some important trends in 2022 that you should keep in mind as you implement recruitment plans for the year.

1. Remote Recruiting Continues

The pandemic forced recruiters to take their operations online through virtual job fairs and interviews, but just because organizations are reopening their offices doesn't mean this trend is going anywhere. Job candidates are increasingly demanding the ability to engage with recruiters virtually, as well as the freedom to work from any location they please. As a result, remote recruiting and remote work are here to stay and it's important for organizations to keep this in mind when hiring.

2. Referrals From Employees Increase

Since companies needed to change their hiring approach during the pandemic, many recruiters began to rely more heavily on referrals from their current employees to help fill positions. In 2022, this is expected to increase as employers tap into the talent they have to find the talent they want.

3. Reliance on a Data Brave Recruiting Approach Grows

Without robust data, it's impossible for recruiters to know where they stand with their diversity recruitment plan, and what they need to do to meet their goals. To ensure that they’re able to hire the talent they want, recruiters are increasingly relying on data platforms that help them keep track of their hiring funnels so they can course correct regularly based on the numbers. For example, we offer a diversity recruitment platform (DRP) that gives recruiters the tools to set and hit their DEI goals through self-reported diversity data. This provides invaluable insights on representation gaps and what needs to be done to address them. Using a DRP takes the guesswork out of recruiting and allows you to easily hire candidates from underserved communities with confidence.

This is a challenging time for recruiters, so it’s important for you to shake up your strategies to adjust to the current landscape. With these tweaks, you can position yourself to compete and create a strong employer brand that makes candidates want to choose you over other possible employers.