Digital Recruiting Trends You Need to Know

We live in a world where practically anything can be done digitally, and recruiting is no exception. To keep up with an ever-evolving digital landscape, recruiters are increasingly turning to modern tools and technologies to attract job applicants like traditional marketers attract paying customers. Digital recruiting is the best path forward. 

However, many HR professionals and business owners are still unaware of modern digital recruitment trends and unsure how to implement them. You’re likely already behind the competition if you haven’t gone digital yet.

Here is important information and a few of the top digital recruitment trends you need to know about, so you can begin capitalizing on them to attract the top talent you need more effectively. Let’s get started.

What is Digital Recruiting?

Digital recruiting refers to any recruitment effort that happens utilizing technology and online platforms. Software programs and systems are available to help engage, screen, interview, assess, and hire candidates for your job openings. You don’t even need to meet people in today’s climate, so hiring for openings in other locations is easy. 

By leveraging the power of the internet, social media, and various digital tools, companies can post job openings, track applicants, and create a more streamlined onboarding process. It allows employers to reach a larger talent pool, regardless of geographical boundaries.

What are the Advantages of Digital Recruiting?

By using digital recruiting tools, you can cast a wider net and reach more potential applicants. The traditional methods can limit the number of channels you can reach, but with digital recruiting, you can cross-post job descriptions and make it simple to share. 

Digital recruiting helps organizations remove geographic boundaries because candidates don’t have to look at a job board or local newspaper. People will have an easier time finding jobs that fit their skill sets in multiple places. 

The platforms also allow organizations to automate their onboarding process and remain consistent in follow-up and next steps. It removes the tedious tasks from the recruiting team and allows the HR team to focus on making decisions and finding the most qualified candidate. Potential applicants will also receive better communication and have more access to answers and information on the job.

Top Digital Recruiting Trends

Recruitment automation and AI

More and more organizations are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to automate a wide range of repetitive business tasks — including certain parts of the recruiting process. In recent years, various automated recruitment software applications have been created to transform time-consuming, manual activities into streamlined processes. Now, tasks that once had to be completed manually, such as posting job openings and organizing or cataloging a stack of resumes, can be put on auto-pilot. What does this mean for your business?

On average, 18% of the time an organization spends on recruiting is dedicated to sourcing potential candidates, and 26% is spent on screening applicants. If a large portion of that time was freed up, you could focus on higher-return tasks such as building genuine relationships with candidates, preparing for interviews, and building your employer brand! 

Recruitment automation is a powerful tool that can help get you there by taking some of the weight of manual recruitment tasks off your employees’ shoulders. Utilize ChatGPT and other AI systems to draft strong job descriptions with the right keywords to attract the best candidates.

Remember that human beings are still an integral part of all human resources processes and won’t be replaced any time soon.  AI and recruitment automation can help you handle those labor-intensive recruitment tasks that don’t necessarily require a human touch so the ones that do can garner the attention they deserve.

Social recruiting

In our modern digital world, professionals live much of their lives online. Therefore, being present on the right digital channels can help you connect with candidates where they already are. That’s why social recruiting is one of the digital recruitment trends you should definitely be aware of. It means using social media networks (such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and websites (such as blogs and job boards like Indeed or CareerBuilder) to attract and source talent.

These innovative recruitment methods are so effective (especially with younger generations like Millennials) because, if done correctly, it feels like a natural conversation. This allows candidates to connect with your brand in a low-pressure environment and develop a more personal relationship between your organization and potential employees.

Social recruiting is a tool that goes far beyond just posting your current open positions on your social network pages. It can help you place your job opening before passive candidates who aren’t actively looking on job boards or your company’s careers page. Plus, it makes it easy for your current employees to refer candidates — they can share your job opening with their social networks and colleagues with just one click. As a bonus, social recruiting is very cost–effective… all you need is a social network account and a well-written job description to start posting!

Recruiting on mobile

As we just discussed, many modern professionals find their next job opportunity on social media. They aren’t just searching for open positions on mobile; they’re actually applying directly to jobs from their phones, too. According to Indeed, 78% of Millennials, 73% of Gen Xers, and 57.2% of Baby Boomers have used mobile job search as of 2016. You may have thought only Millennials are constantly glued to their smartphone screens — but, in reality, mobile job search spans multiple generations. This means employers that have not optimized their job listings and application process for mobile recruiting are likely missing out on top talent.

So, how can you adapt? Ensure your entire website (especially your careers page) is optimized for mobile use. Offer a way to apply right on the website and make it easy to do from a mobile device. Utilize the tools from LinkedIn and other online websites to make the application process as simple as possible.

Related: What is Mobile Recruiting & How to Use it Effectively

Targeted ads and marketing in recruiting

In order to take advantage of all the benefits of digital recruiting, you need to utilize keywords and digital marketing tools. You should also leverage search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure the right candidates find your job postings. 

Posting a job is similar to advertising a product, so it’s vital to be strategic about what keywords you use if you want your job posting to appear at the top of search results. Since job seekers will typically search for a specific type of job, experience level, company, or industry, a quick tip for SEO success is to always include this information in your job titles and descriptions.

Targeted ads allow you to target specific audiences based on their demographics, interests, and online behavior. Many user data is available online, so recruiters can use that information to find the best potential candidates for their openings. Recruiters should partner with a marketing team to maximize reach and best utilize the tools.

Related: What is Recruitment Marketing and Why it Matters

Pre-hire assessments

Don’t you wish there was a way to gain deeper insights into a candidate’s personality, skills, and workplace habits before investing in hiring and onboarding them? Well, the future of recruiting technology is here now, and it is available for you to use. Modern pre-hire assessments make getting a “sneak peek” into a potential employee’s behavior and demeanor before hiring possible. This is vital because hiring an individual who isn’t a culture or job role fit is incredibly costly. It wastes valuable time and money when you have to repeat the hiring process to bring in their replacement, and it can also hurt employee morale and your entire workplace environment.

Pre-employment assessments can minimize these risks by helping HR professionals identify the most qualified, skilled individuals to fit their organization’s needs and culture. Pre-hire assessments come in many forms. For example, there are:

• Cognitive ability tests to measure intelligence;
• Personality tests to measure characteristics such as attitude;
• Communication styles and motivators; and
• Aptitude tests measure an applicant’s ability to learn a new skill.

Candidates will complete these tests virtually at various stages of the interview process to help you determine if they fit your particular job opening and overall company culture.

Related: How to Use Pre-Employment Assessments to Make Better Hires

Onboarding software

Recruitment tasks don’t just come to a halt once you’ve selected a candidate to fill an open position. If you aren’t giving your new employees a welcoming, informative, and seamless onboarding period, retention rates can suffer — increasing your risk of high employee turnover and its associated costs.

This can be difficult since onboarding new employees is often a tedious, time-consuming process that involves multiple employees and departments. It can include manually entering employee data, preparing training materials, and scheduling various meetings to discuss job responsibilities and company policies. With all these moving parts to keep track of, both you and your new hire can be easily overwhelmed.

Onboarding software can ease the pain and increase efficiency by leveraging automation to eliminate repetitive paperwork and processes that are easily prone to human error. Did you know companies typically have 15-20 forms and papers to read, review, and sign during employee onboarding?

With automated onboarding software, you can gather this information about your new hires quickly and efficiently, then easily store it on a secure server or seamlessly integrate it with other HR software, such as payrolling services or benefits platforms. This reduces errors, saves you money, and frees up your time. This way, you can focus less on filling out forms and more on actually giving your new hire a personalized and interactive onboarding experience — making the top talent you just worked so hard to hire want to stick around long-term.

Unique benefits and remote work

Digital recruiting isn’t just about the methods you use to find candidates. Technology also allows you to provide flexibility and unique benefits to potential employees, which can help attract a bigger talent pool. Whether your company offers remote work or a hybrid model with flexible office days, those are often highly desired in today’s job market.

Utilize your ads and targeted recruiting efforts to highlight company culture and some of the unique benefits that your organization provides. Use the social media accounts to share fun team events, both virtual and in-person, and showcase the environment to back up some of the claims made on the hiring site. 

In the same way digital recruiting tools often companies more information, the same tools can give potential applicants a better idea of what they are signing up for. You can’t just claim a fun environment anymore; people will search your Instagram page to see what employees say and post. It’s much easier to get a quick view into what life at a company would look like, so recruiting teams need to be part of the narrative and ensure the information they communicate matches what candidates would find in their search. 

Online interviews

Traditionally, many first-round interviews would be conducted over the phone, and then follow-up interviews be done in person. With all the incredible technology and tools available now, video conferencing takes over in-person interviews. Setting up a Zoom call or a video conferencing line saves commute times and removes obstacles for the candidate.

Many interviews are canceled due to lack of transportation, lack of childcare, struggles with schedules, and the potential of long-distance travel. By offering a video conferencing option, you’ll have a better chance of connecting with your top choice candidates and selecting the best person for the job. 

Video conferencing options include all kinds of helpful options, like breakout rooms, chat questions, and screen sharing. You can conduct panel or group interviews even if interviewers are not all in the same office. Many companies have access to these tools, and people are much more comfortable with them in recent years, so it makes sense that more and more organizations will utilize these in their recruiting and hiring processes.

Related: Virtual Job Interview Tips for Hiring Managers

How to Build a Digital Recruiting Strategy

1. Assess your needs

Determine where your biggest needs are in the recruiting process and start there. Is your team spending too much time sorting through resumes, doing follow-ups, or trying to schedule interviews? Determine where you could get the biggest gains and start by updating that process.

2. Review your company’s online presence and branding

Spend some time digging into your company’s branding and online presence. This is the first impression that potential candidates will see, so it’s important to put the work into perfecting it. Have current employees share their work experience and take good photos of fun events and perks at work to share on social media. 

3. Determine the budget

There are digital recruiting tools of all shapes and sizes. There will likely be an initial investment or a recurring payment for the tools and services, so it’s important to know what kind of budget you are working with. Knowing this information will save you from searching for things outside of your range.

Related: Tips for Managing Your Recruiting Budget

4. Choose platforms and tools

Take advantage of trial periods and demos of all the different tools available. Each platform has advantages and disadvantages, so you should always check out multiple options to find the best fit for your organization. For example, there are different recruiting chatbots, some are perfect for automating communication with your applicants, and others are better for screening resumes and completing pre-interview assessments. 

5. Revisit job descriptions and optimize them for success

Once you have your tools and platforms, looking at all the current job openings and revisiting the job descriptions is important. Utilize the keywords that best fit the candidates you’re seeking and define who your ideal candidate is. The better the job descriptions are, the more qualified your applicants will be.

Related: How to Write a Job Description

6. Leverage targeted ads and marketing

Spread the word about the job openings using social media and targeted ads. Using SEO optimization, you can help your career pages rank higher for specific keywords and get in front of more active and passive candidates. 

7. Report on results and analyze the strategy

Anytime you implement something new in your business, it’s essential to revisit after 30, 60, and 90 days to see how things are going. Are you getting a good return on your investment? Is your team using the tools appropriately? Are there pieces of the new platforms that aren’t being utilized yet? Gather all the stakeholders and discuss the changes openly to see how things are going.

Digital Recruiting Tips

When your organization starts transitioning to digital recruiting, you’ll instantly notice changes in the types of applicants you are receiving. Follow the strategy we’ve laid out and start taking advantage of all the benefits. Here are a few tips for summarizing this information:

• Optimize your job postings with the appropriate keywords to target your ideal candidates.
• Leverage all of your social media channels to share your company culture and boost your reputation in the market. Check your branding and make sure it is consistent with your job postings.
• Consider mobile users when setting up your system for applications and resume submissions.
• Maximize the time of the recruiting teams by automating the tedious work and utilizing video conferencing options for interviews.
• Stay on top of all the trends and new technology, and continue to reinvent your system to work best for your potential employees and current employees.
• Keep your current employees in the loop on new job positions and utilize their networks to help recruit and share their positive experiences. 

Stay on Top of the Latest Digital Recruiting Trends by Partnering with a Staffing Agency

In today’s digitally driven, interconnected business world, things move fast. It can be difficult to keep up with hiring best practices and recruiting trends that are constantly evolving. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone.

By partnering with a reputable professional staffing agency, your business can have access to professional recruiters that possess the experience and expertise necessary to hire the best candidates.

At 4 Corner Resources, our professional recruiters have in-depth knowledge and skills to attract and place the most qualified, best-fit candidates on your behalf. We’re well-versed in the most modern recruitment trends and have the time and resources to dedicate to helping you align with them. Are you ready to learn how partnering with a professional staffing agency like 4CR can help you leverage digital recruitment trends?

Do you want to learn more about future recruitment trends your business may soon be facing so it can better prepare to meet its goals? Contact us today!

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