Recruitment Trends that Will Impact Your Hiring in 2012

By AJE Recruiting Specialist

1. Flexible hiring, such as contractors and consultants, will grow. With only 31% of business respondents participating in a recent Harvard Business Review Economic Survey in the US and Europe, saying they plan on hiring next year, employers who are on the fence about hiring can and should consider alternative solutions, such as hiring consultants or part-time workers. And with an unemployment rate of 9.1% and 14 million people unemployed, many job seekers are more than willing to consider alternatives to full-time employment. Reducing hours per week, offering flexible work schedules, or bringing in consultant help are all alternatives to filling job requirements.
2. Diversity hiring and globalization will impact your business. With many companies conducting business in this global economy, employers will continue to see the need to diversify their workforce; this means bringing in the right talent that can adapt to different cultures, languages and skill sets.
3. Social media will remain an important part of the hiring process. Sourcing candidates on social media networks is and will continue to be an important part of the hiring process. With the ability to reach a broad, targeted audience, not to mention a great resource for cross-checking candidates, backgrounds, social media recruiting is here to stay. Many employers are also conducting video interviews, in lieu of investing in travel expenses.
4. Your employer brand is bigger than the four walls of your business. With social networks and the instantaneous access to information, your online brand presence will impact how your brand is perceived offline and the types of candidates you source.  It’s not unusual for current, former or prospective employees to blog about your company – with both positive and negative implications. How you manage your recruiting practices and employee relations will impact your hiring practices.
5. Companies will continue to rely on a streamlined labor pool. With many companies trying to survive economic upheavals or uncertainly, some are opting to either put a freeze on hiring or hire only necessary workers. This means recruiting will play an even more vital role in sourcing the right candidates with the right skill sets.  Finding candidates with a wider-range of experience is important, but also sourcing candidates who have the right attitude and willingness to be flexible about their job roles is just as important.