Blog:

The Intersect Group:
Here and Now.

5 Recruitment Trends to Know in 2020

POSTED: January 10, 2020
CATEGORY: Client Resources
By The Intersect Group

As the great Bob Dylan once said, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” And nothing could be truer when it comes to recruiting in 2020.

In addition to the rise and sophistication of HR technology, including AI-powered skills assessment, sourcing and recruiting, candidates are expecting a highly personalized experience when it comes to their job search. Some have coined it the “Amazon effect,” or the ongoing consumer shift to shopping online and the expectation that once there everyone will get a customized experience. As it turns out, much like retail shoppers enjoy the suggestions they get as they shop on Amazon, the same is true as people ‘shop’ for jobs online – which is almost exclusively where people go to look for a new job.

Finding great talent today requires a different approach. These are the top five recruitment trends to know in 2020:

  • The rise of dark social: In the spirit of personalizing the candidate experience, more and more job seekers are opting for ‘dark social’ modes of communication, like instant messaging apps, chatbots and email. Having individualized channels to communicate about what it’s like to work at a company will be vital in 2020.

 

  • Humanizing data: Putting a face to recruitment and HR analytics to enable better collaboration, feedback and community will mean more meaningful touchpoints for job seekers. “It’s just data unless you humanize it.” –Chip Ferarri, SJC Custom Drums

 

  • The prioritization of soft skills: By 2030, the skills shortage in the U.S. is anticipated to be 29 million. And most of what’s missing is soft skills, including collaboration, problem-solving and good communication skills. This means companies will be hiring as much, if not more so, for soft skills as they are for hard, technical skills.

 

  • More proactive recruiting: In addition to posting jobs online, recruiters will begin building talent communities to promote information about the company and to share open jobs. Proactive social networking and recruiting will also mean recruiters have a better source of qualified, interested and compatible candidates for the company and jobs as they open up. Recruiting in a tight talent market requires a strong recruiter brand and pipelining ahead of demand.

 

  • Authentic employer branding: By now, most companies understand the need for having a strong employer brand. Much like they have a consumer brand, their employer brand shares the benefits of what it’s like to work for the company. According to data from LinkedIn, over 75 percent of job seekers research employer brand and reputation before applying. Getting branding right in 2020 means the difference between getting talent and not.