The recruitment landscapes have undergone tremendous changes in the last decade owing to the disruption occasioned by various aspects of technology and the growth of the economy. As such, most staffing agencies in Montreal have been forced to adapt if they want to stay on top of their game and provide top hires for their clients. The constantly changing landscapes have also necessitated that hiring managers and hiring agencies be aware of all the trends currently shaping the industry and learn how to make good use of them in finding talents. With that said, below is a look at some of the top recruitment trends every employer should watch out for in 2020.

Social recruiting

Social recruiting was considered a farce a few years ago, but the past few years have seen it rise as a formidable force in finding top talents. Gone are the days when social media platforms would be dismissed as a playground for teens looking to connect with friends and strangers. Currently, there are various strategies that companies and employers use to identify, nurture and hire top talents from platforms such as Facebook, and Twitter. The presence of a social media platform like LinkedIn which focuses solely on professionals can’t be ignored. Therefore, any recruiter who wishes to remain relevant in 2020 and beyond must incorporate social recruiting in their strategies.

Employee referrals

Employee referrals have always been one of the best internal methods of finding top talents for open roles in businesses. Though it is not a new method, it is emerging as one of the leading trends and one which serious recruiters should watch in 2020 and beyond. Most employers find it easy and more cost-effective to get talent from their existing pools, or they can simply ask their employees to refer some of their friends whom they think are capable of filling the vacant spaces.

It gives employees a chance to tap into their network of friends and associates and refer some of their buddies or past colleagues who they are certain are up to the required tasks. It saves the recruiter as well as the business a lot of time in shortlisting and interviewing candidates, hence, reducing the time and expenses associated with the finding brand new hires.

Inbound recruiting

In inbound recruiting, employers proactively and continually attract potential candidates with the end goal of projecting the company as an ideal employer for potential employees. Gone are the days when companies would simply approach a target employee and offer them an open position with attractive perks. This worked for the short term, but these hires soon abandoned their positions. As a long term solution, businesses are now deploying strategies to attract employees, engage them before converting them over from other businesses.

More emphasis on candidate experience

With the fragile nature of the current employment landscapes, candidate experience is emerging as a leading factor that determines whether potential candidates will take up or reject positions offered. Employers can no longer feel as if they are doing the candidate a favor by offering them a position.

Any placement agency in Montreal keen on getting better results in their hiring processes must also focus on ensuring that the candidate was pleased with the experience they had right from the start of the recruitment process. How they feel, behave and the kind of attitude they have during the recruitment process must not be ignored. This is because, with a positive experience, they will be more likely to accept the offer even if they think it is not exactly what they wanted or deserved.

But with a negative experience, the candidate may accept the offer but will be on the lookout for the next opportunity, or they may reject the offer, causing the business a loss of valuable time and resources in the hiring process.

More focus on talent pools

A talent pool is a database where a recruitment agency in Montreal or the human resource department keeps all the top job candidates. It contains the details of all the candidates that have interacted with the agency or business in any way along the recruitment lines. These include all candidates who applied for jobs, those that got shortlisted but never passed the interview, those who got interviewed but were never picked, all referred candidates, and any other candidate who might have shown a willingness to join the company in the past.

With a talent pool, recruitment agencies and businesses don’t have to start the recruitment process from scratch each time. All they have to do is get to the pools and search for suitable candidates, and only after they are unable to get potential candidates from the pool will they begin a new hiring process. It saves a lot of time and money for the agencies and the human resource departments.

Accepting texting as an appropriate way of communicating with the candidate

Texting may appear a bit informal when it comes to recruitment, but it is another trend which businesses and recruitment agencies must watch and be ready to adopt. Nearly all candidates have access to a phone at all times, and they are likely to see a notification of a new text. Unlike emails, they don’t need to have internet or access their computers to check if there is any communication.

It is the instant nature of texts that makes it so appealing in the recruitment industry. Through texting, recruiters can text candidates and candidates can also reply irrespective of where they are. It is even easier to respond to a text compared to a phone call.

Committing more resources reskilling

Through reskilling, businesses have found a way to meet the challenges usually associated with talent shortages. With this approach, candidates with one skill set and are willing to learn another will be facilitated by the recruiter or the employer to learn the additional skills that match the needs of the industry or the current economy. This is usually done through apprenticeship, mentorship, and online training programs. Though the momentum is not yet fully on with this, it is a trend every employer or recruiting agency must watch keenly.