6 Hiring Trends Of 2022

An increasing number of hiring managers are opting for video conferencing platforms to know the candidates, explains Narayan Bhargava, chairman and managing director, Calibehr.

The past couple of years have changed the dynamics and functionality norms of almost all sectors.

Right from the execution of tasks to management of workers and even HR activities, the 'new normal' is far different from what it used to be.

The paradigm has shifted and industries are adapting new ways of conducting business.

Here are some trends we have noticed in the recruiting space this year:

1. Use of predictive analytics

Attracting and identifying quality candidates is of utmost importance for any staffing or HR firm.

To make sure this step happens effectively, most firms are now relying on predictive analytics.

As the name suggests, it's basically prediction based on data so it is more like making an informed guess.

In HR, predictive analytics obtains data from HRMS (human resource management system), resumes, job descriptions and various other sources to show a calculated outcome about applicants.

Most firms now use machine learning algorithms to sort out bulk resumes and use predictive analytics to shortlist the most suitable ones. This way the organisations get through apt candidates in much less time.

2. Emphasis on mental well-being

Since the pandemic, a lot of attention has been laid on the mental well-being of employees. Organisations too are keen on providing a healthy work-life balance.

Some organisations have even started feedback portals for their workers and employee listening programmes, so that their mental health and well-being can be taken care of.

This emphasis on offering a healthy experience also extends to candidates. Several career sites have been upgraded themselves and are using surveys to get feedback from candidates.

Moreover, now companies want to rope in end-to-end service providers who can look after employee lifecycle completely.

3. Rise in flexi-staffing

A major shift in trend in the staffing industry is the increased demand for contingent workers.

In last two years there has been a lot of disruption and uncertainty leading to fluctuation in businesses and laying emphasis on workforce.

As a result, talent preference for a lot of companies changed. Most firms now prefer flexi-staffing, ditching the traditional model of hiring full-time employees.

An increasing number of organisations have now started relying on staffing companies and vendor management system for procurement of workers to cut down the hassles of conducting the recruitment and selection process.

4. Digitisation and automation

Dependency on technological tools is also on a rapid rise in the staffing industries, so much so that a definite change has been noted in the ecosystem.

Now, cloud computing, AI (artificial intelligence) and an array of other digital tools are put to use to facilitate various steps of recruitment and retaining process.

For example, lengthy and repetitive tasks like document verification of employees or the process of background confirmation is all automated.

In addition to this, AI is a great aid for sourcing, screening, sorting and ranking candidates for systematic hoarding of qualified and talented applicants.

Various staffing agencies vouch digital tools help them conduct seamless on boarding process, and also reduce the time taken to complete the sourcing and hiring of candidates.

Automation of these processes eliminates human intervention on all level, thus establishing an error-free and unbiased talent acquisition system.

5. Remote hiring

In 2022, the most 'out-there' talent acquisition trend is remote hiring.

Even though this trend started and further escalated during the COVID-19 outbreak, remote hiring stayed even after the pandemic receded. Furthermore, it is still gaining traction.

The process of interviewing a probable candidate has modified entirely with most steps taking place online.

An increasing number of hiring managers are opting for video conferencing platforms to know the candidates and have interactions.

Recent research suggests there are over 50% positions in most organisations that can be filled without the employees having to physically appear for the interview process or even for the formalities post recruitment.

6. Recruitment marketing

This further leads to the necessity of ascertaining an appropriate recruitment marketing strategy.

Recruitment marketing helps in targeting the right kind of talent by putting forth a proper job description and role requirements.

Along with helping in acquiring the attention of most probable candidates, it also helps in personalising the hiring process so that organisations can screen better.

This is how aspiring professionals can make the most of these novel trends:

• Along with helping recruiters in accurately identifying top talent, predictive analytics can also prove useful for aspiring professionals. By using appropriate keywords, and being precise and discrete while adding professional and educational summary about self, candidates can increase their chances of finding appropriate role requirements.
• Predictive analytics is a very helpful tool when it comes to matching the candidate profiles with job openings, so if used smartly one can enhance the chances of getting suitable opportunities.
• Remote hiring is another up and coming trend that can be really beneficial for candidates looking for jobs because it saves a lot of time that goes in the interview process. For example, the travel time or the waiting hours.
  Aspiring candidates can utilise this time to look for more opportunities, they even get the liberty to apply for far-off locations. Along with a more widened prospects, they also get extra time to prepare well.
• Similarly, flexi-staffing is also beneficial for aspiring candidates because they can use this opportunity to get associated with various organizsations simultaneously. Since flexi-staffing doesn't bind them with contractual terms, it allows them to explore more and more opportunities while being associated with one organisation.

These new trends in the hiring industry can prove advantageous for candidates if used wisely and smartly.

It's imperative for candidates to gain in-depth knowledge about digitisation and automation of processes at various levels and the tools so that they can be well-equipped with the right kind of knowledge.