Notes from the Frontline: Emerging Trends in Recruiting

Want to start with a disclaimer here: this is only my second blog post, so bear with me. It’s a little bit scary, actually, but if there’s one thing that doesn’t bother me, it’s opening up to the world (as many of you probably know). My problem isn’t knowing what to say about the future of recruiting, it’s where to start. See, I’m a recruiter by trade, so this stuff is in my DNA.

While I haven’t personally “worked a desk” in over six years, my job requires that I have a pulse on what recruiters are thinking and a solid understanding of how the business of recruiting is evolving. I spend over 100 days a year on the road: at conferences, tradeshows, and client sites. I like to think I have the coolest job in the world for a recruiting dork. While my title is “Vice President, Client Adoption,” it’s really not about “adoption.” It’s all about adaptation.

I get to lead an amazing team of former recruiters, HR professionals, and Monster product experts who work hands-on with our clients. Our goal is to understand their hiring needs and ensure that Monster’s able to deliver best-in-class tools and technologies that make them even more successful.

If that sounds like a sales pitch, it’s not. Honestly, it’s a promise we make to our clients, and it’s one I personally take very seriously. We all do. Monster is at the center of the recruiting universe…and I am here to create as much chaos as possible- to move us in the right direction. To do that, I have to know the direction our industry is heading. Here’s what I hear our customers saying:

Technology: Allowing Us to Do More with Less

I don’t know of many recruiting teams who have grown in the past two years. In fact, I’ve heard estimates that the profession is up to 50% smaller than it was only 18 months ago. That means when the rebound occurs (and I think it’s already under way) those professionals who survived will have to function with much smaller teams and more than likely, smaller budgets. It will be upon their shoulders to rebuild our industry with a keen eye on efficiency.

Fact is most companies (wrongly) see talent acquisition as overhead. It is unlikely that an organization will re-invest in these areas first. You can expect demand for recruiting talent to return much faster than approved headcount to hire a recruiter. That means a dramatic increase in the number of requisitions per recruiter, with fewer resources on our teams to assist in the hiring process. The current hope is all of the technology we have at our fingertips will actually make us more productive.

The dedicated sourcing specialists so in demand in the last decade seem to have been hit harder than either full-lifecycle recruiters or generalists. While these sourcers could fill a req, their roles focused on the transactional rather than the strategic components of talent acquisition and management. Companies are becoming less concerned about making a hire, and more concerned about making the right hire.

Fortunately, advances like semantic search technology no longer require the expertise to craft a Boolean string reminiscent of the math problem Matt Damon solved at the start of Good Will Hunting. When I demo the power of semantic search technology to recruiters or generalists- who used to enjoy the luxury of a team of sourcers- I can see the light bulb go off: “I can do this myself!” It’s a good feeling to know that we’re moving the needle (rightfully so) from sourcing to selection and reviving the art of recruiting.

We are on the cutting edge of recruiting technology attracting top talent through behavioral targeting tools, transforming job postings into dynamic media modules, showcasing jobs to professionals where they are already going online. In effect, these technologies target the same passive, high potential professionals that companies have relied on third party search and lead-gen firms to acquire.

Social Recruiting Comes of Age

Obviously, the dialogue around social media has been going on for a while now. Today, the conversation seems to be evolving from “Should we get involved?” to “How do we get involved?”

It is less about tactically finding qualified candidates for open positions and more about long-term relationship building with a focus on organizational fit. This means using social media in recruiting is moving from a sourcing and posting strategy to a messaging and brand-building vehicle to communicate higher level values and ideas around your employment value proposition (EVP).

The result: more transparency leading to better informed hiring decisions. No doubt, recruiting runs on metrics. It is clear to me that effective use of social media has a tangible impact on time to fill and quality of hire.

Increased Focus on Retention:

Leaders have been saying for years that “Our people are our number one asset.” With unemployment quickly rising to double digits, we’ve seen evidence to the contrary. The economy has made it tough for even the best of organizations to maintain their workforce. That being said, with hiring picking up companies need to embrace this concept if they want to retain top-tenured performers. For real, this time.

This boils down to engagement- the dominant theme of every conference, tradeshow or coffee klatch I’ve attended these past few months. And it’s about time.

I hear a lot about employment branding, but the most powerful (and believable) message about a company comes not from professional recruiters (and others involved in the PR machine) but from the general employee population itself. This is one of the most exciting things about the evolution of social networks; having engaged, passionate workers whose personal brands inform and enhance their employer’s brand.

I’ve always believed in what I call the “Power of Passionate People.” The rise in personal branding enabled by social networking makes having dedicated, engaged and inspirational brand evangelists even more important for Employers. In fact, I would argue it is necessary to compete for top talent today.

Creating visibility and accessibility to your employees outside of your organization helps put a real face on your brand. It also sends a powerful message that you recognize and encourage personal and professional growth. It will not only help your company win the war for talent, it will gain you new business, stronger account relationships and greater revenue.

If you don’t believe me, let me convince you in person. That’s how business gets done, after all. What are your notes from the frontline? Agree? Disagree? Weigh in! I thrive on a healthy dialogue around the future of recruiting.

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