Companies have spent the past couple years reshaping the hiring process in response to significant shifts in the core motivations and top priorities of employees. The emergence of remote and hybrid work, along with the growing emphasis on culture fit have greatly changed the recruitment landscape.
The Wall of Fame Way
Over the past year at the Wall of Fame we have set out to construct a new culture around our work anywhere, anytime philosophy. We firmly believe allowing associates to build a work role that best fits their interests and lifestyle not only benefits them but also creates the greatest value to our team as a whole and our customers. As we began to implement this culture within our growing company, we also decided to extend it into how we post opportunities, evaluate candidates, and hire new team members.
Instead of forcing individuals into static job descriptions, we developed smaller, more flexible roles, which encourage associates to build their own experience. Instead of accepting resumes which often lack uniqueness and personality, we are taking our content matters promise to heart by asking candidates to share their story in whatever way best showcases their strengths.
We understand both role fit and culture fit play an important part in forming healthy, effective teams. When associates can better match the daily structure of their work to their life and goals, they become happier and more productive. But VitalSigns is not alone in realizing these shifting priorities when it comes to recruitment. Employees and companies alike have spent the past couple years reshaping the process of hiring, as the core motivations for choosing whether to take a job, as well as whether to stay at one, have significantly changed.
Why the Shift is Occurring & What to Expect
A variety of factors have contributed to this shift. One inevitable cause comes from the new generation entering the work force. Unlike previous employee pools, the younger generation prioritizes flexibility, transparency, and creativity in their work more so than older groups.
A less predictable influence on both recruitment and retention, however, stemmed from the pandemic. Everything from safety concerns to vaccine policies to the increase in fully remote opportunities began to impact employee decisions. Organizations who did not adapt effectively or properly address expectations in these areas fell victim to the Great Reshuffle (previously referred to as the Great Resignation). Meanwhile those offering flexible roles, virtual or hybrid environments, and transparent policies have seen greater success in hiring. Even from these companies, though, candidates have started requiring higher salaries, as well as better benefits when it comes to health care coverage, childcare, and parental leave.
With these changes, a few new or growing recruitment trends have emerged:
- Engaging candidates proactively – The practice of building relationships and proactively seeking candidates has long been used for higher level positions, but it is now expanding into more entry-level roles.
- Offering remote opportunities – While remote and hybrid work likely would have gained popularity eventually regardless, the pandemic drastically accelerated this transition, and led to a renewed focus on employee experience in general when attracting and retaining talent.
- Focusing on DE&I – Culturally diverse workforces are known to fuel innovation, boost creativity, and lead to higher profitability, which when combined with the higher social awareness of younger generations means many companies will or already have placed an emphasis on diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Using advanced screening – As companies look to streamline recruitment, they may implement data-driven processes and a variety of advanced screening tools aimed at gathering the most information possible about candidates without adding to the workload of HR staff.
Tips for Hiring in the New Environment
While the exact needs of employees have shifted, the importance of understanding the evolving desires and values of candidates has always been an essential part of recruiting. A handful of tips to connect with candidates who best fit your organization and stay relevant in their job search include:
- Solidify your company identity and culture – Determining this before beginning the search for new associates allows you to better describe who you are to candidates and better evaluate their fit for not only your available roles but also your overall culture.
- Create a standard hiring process tailored to the size and structure of your business – Ensuring your organization has a set process for hiring allows you to treat all candidates equally, while tailoring that process to your specific company allows you to make it more personal and more effective.
- Create realistic job requirements – If the requirements shared with the outside world and the ones internal team members look for when evaluating candidates are too broad you will waste time with the wrong people, but if they are too specific you may miss out on the right people.
- Look for candidates within the company, focusing on training and development – Never spend so much time and resources on external hiring that you forget about retention. Instead, make sure to check-in with current employees to see how they are doing, recognize their contributions, and consider additional roles they may be ready to take on.
- Explore new talent pools – Whether it comes from networking with groups outside the company or asking existing employees for referrals, constantly making connections with a variety of talented individuals, even when roles may not be currently available, allows you to proactively recruit when you are ready to do so.
- Take time to get to know the candidate’s story – The value exchange between a new hire and the company should go beyond money. The best way to learn whether candidates will both provide and gain value from a position in your organization is to listen to their story as well as share your own.
- Keep candidates informed – From beginning to end the recruiting process should remain open and transparent with a constant flow of communication between the company and the candidate whether you choose to move forward with the applicant or not.
- Focus on soft skills – Along with the hard skills necessary for certain jobs, the recruiting process should also focus on your company’s desired soft skills, such as flexibility, adaptability, and creative problem solving.
Imploring the above tips while living out the core values of your organization throughout the recruiting process will ease the experience for you and your candidates. It will also give you a positive reputation among employees, applicants, and the outside world as a company for whom people want to work.
What to Look for in Candidates
The above tips can help a company attract potential applicants, but recruiters must also enter the process knowing what qualities in candidates will provide the greatest value to the organization. This will partly depend on the company and the job(s) available. The following characteristics, though, can set applicants for any position apart:
- The right attitude – People can be taught the specific skills necessary for a role, but their values and work ethic will determine whether they are a good fit for the culture. Someone with the right core personality will outweigh someone with the right skillset.
- Drive and vision – Great teams are built with enthusiasm and energy mixed with an understanding of how to drive the vision.
- Research – Prioritize candidates who do their research. These individuals will come in with a base knowledge of your brand, product(s), and industry. But more importantly, they have already demonstrated a willingness to learn.
- Embracing Change – Progress and growth cannot occur without change, therefore hiring people who can embrace change and lead others to do the same can make a huge difference for any organization.
Regardless of what qualities you seek and what practices you employ, keep the process human. Take your time to get to know candidates and communicate openly about where they stand. In addition, remember while you interview them, they are interviewing you too. Find ways to make them feel valued. Whether an offer gets extended or not, recruiting is an opportunity to build relationships and earn a positive reputation.
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If you’re interested in learning more about our new hiring process built with the above trends in mind, visit the Join Our Team and/or VitalSigns Culture pages.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/02/15/hiring-and-recruitment-trends-to-expect-in-2022/?sh=7c5746fc279e
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/generations-in-the-workplace
https://www.betterteam.com/best-hiring-practices
https://online.wharton.upenn.edu/blog/10-hiring-best-practices-and-lessons/
https://www.hotfootrecruiters.com/hiring-best-practices-to-thrive-in-2022/
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