I’m sure you’ve read articles that claim to have figured out the future or have insights about some developing trend. However, when you refer back to the article a few months later, you quickly see that the author wasn’t quite as good at prognosticating as he thought. It’s rare to find something that still rings true a year after it is written. Well, I think perhaps I have…
About nine months ago, I read an article that I have referred back to several times. Lou Adler is a recruitment industry consultant who has studied recruiting trends for many years. His consulting company, The Adler Group, provides executive staffing and recruitment consulting. The article he wrote last year is called Four Trends Affecting the Future of Recruiting.
Mr. Adler identifies the four trends as:
(1) The Merging of Candidate Sourcing and Consumer Marketing
(2) Increasing Reliance on Metrics, Forecasting, and Workforce Planning
(3) Recruiters Becoming Partners with Their Clients and Consultants to Their Candidates
(4) Referrals Will Become the Primary Sourcing Channel for All Positions
I believe that these trends resonate with me because these are some of the issues our company’s most progressive clients ask us to address on a regular basis. I’ll cover two trends today and then two more tomorrow.
(1) The Merging of Candidate Sourcing and Consumer Marketing:
When performed efficiently, candidate sourcing involves getting your message in front of as many of the right people as possible, at the lowest possible price. The traditional job board model is at odds with this principle. When candidate sourcing is viewed as marketing, a new paradigm emerges:
“The buzz in consumer advertising is narrowcasting. This basically means segmenting your customer base into narrow subsets (i.e., professional single women between 25 and 30 who live in the city) and pushing your advertising message to them using a variety of techniques.
Some of these include search engine optimization, organic search, behavioral marketing, the use of talent hubs and microsites, and pay-per-click. The key here is to make sure your advertising can be easily found by the right audience.”
(2) Increasing Reliance on Metrics, Forecasting, and Workforce Planning:
In an era of strained resources, companies want to make sure their recruiting budgets are producing results. This means measuring all data and documenting outcomes to assess the effectiveness of recruitment efforts.
In our company (Tidemark), we provide our clients with real-time sourcing results. Hiring Managers can tell how many people are viewing their ads, navigating their on-line HiringCenters, and ultimately, how many are completing employment inquiries.
Effective forecasting involves treating the recruiting process as a work flow. A work flow is a defined process that, if followed, will produce a predictable result. A work flow allows recruiting execution to be measured and then bench-marked over time. It has become commonplace to compare recruiting results across organizations in similar fields to gain a perspective on how efficiently an organization is operating.
Application:
If you’re a recruiter and you’re not using some of the techniques listed above, this is a great time to make a contribution to your organization in this way. Most companies strive to operate more efficiently and would welcome this type of optimization.
If you’re a person looking for a job or coaching someone looking for a job, then it is important to understand the methodologies companies are now using to source candidates. With this knowledge, you’ll be better able to identify opportunities and gain access to Hiring Managers.
Furthermore, the focus on measurement doesn’t end with sourcing. During the interview process, companies are increasingly looking for measurable results. Does your resume demonstrate measurable results? Do the prepared interview questions/answers you draw from during an interview illustrate a measurable track record of results? These are important issues. In this competitive market, it is becoming increasingly necessary to capitalize on the opportunities that come your way.
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