Top Trends in Hiring

What are the newest trends in hiring — and how can you fit them seamlessly into your recruiting efforts?

This is for certain: Recruiting and hiring keeps HR pros on edge. More than 45% of HR pros say it’s their top priority this year, according to research from Gartner.

That’s why you want to stay abreast — or even better, ahead — of trends in hiring. If it’s an applicant trend, you want to be ready to react to their newest moves. And if it’s a recruiting trend, you want to know if it’ll work for your organization (or if it’s better to skip it).

Top trends in hiring

“While attracting talent has garnered a lot of high-level attention, it’s never been more critical to get back to the basics of smart talent acquisition,” said Tony Lee, VP of Content at SHRM when he spoke at the SHRM Annual Conference and Expo.

Most solid, seasoned recruiting practices will never go out of style, but new trends in hiring can help bolster those — and create competitive recruiting advantages in many markets.

Here are 10 of the newest trends in hiring, culled from SHRM’s research, data and observations of what keeps HR pros up at night:

Make it easier

Good candidates often drop out of the hiring process because it’s too complicated. In fact, 43% jump ship in the application stage because there’s too much hassle.

When applicants’ time and patience are limited, so will their interest in your job be.

Ideally, companies want to whittle their initial application process down to less than 30 minutes. Even better, mobile-optimize the application, as more candidates than ever apply from their phones.

Recruit earlier

Start recruiting new employees before they’re even ready to work.

“Work with institutions to co-create curriculum,” Lee said. “In return, you get the first shot at new graduates.”

Programs like this work through high and trade schools, plus community colleges and universities.

Lee offered this real-life example: A community college administrator asked a local business owner why they didn’t hire many of their graduates. The employer said the students didn’t have the skills they needed. The administrator said they’d start courses to fill those needs — and asked the business owner if they had employees who could teach the courses. The partnership created useful curriculum and turns out great candidates every year.

Reevaluate education requirements

“Does every job really need a college degree, credentials or certifications?” asked Lee.