Recruitment Trends In 2017

Now that we are finally settled into 2017, it is only natural that people are looking to see what has changed and what is likely to change over the rest of the year. Looking at trends and predicted behaviour at this time of year is a natural reaction and if you are in the recruitment sector, it is vital that you know what is happening in the industry. Whether you want to be at the forefront of changing behaviour or you want to make sure that you are not left behind by your peers and rivals’, being aware of the new trends is essential.

One behaviour that is expected to become popular by the end of the year is the use of AI in the recruitment process. This isn’t quite the future just yet, robots are not going to come to life and carry out interviews on behalf of companies, but the use of AI will help firms to streamline a lot of the recruitment process. This is good for firms who are looking to save time in filtering out unsuitable candidates while minimising the risk of missing out on someone brilliant but who doesn’t quite tick all the standard boxes.

AI looks to be a big thing in 2017

If the use of AI develops further and it becomes available in affordable software options, it will be a massive boost to small firms. Anything which helps small firms take better control of the recruitment process, an activity that many developing companies and start-up firms lack experience in, it has to be seen as a positive step. There will always be a need for a human element in recruitment to ensure that candidates can blend with a team and engage with people but this can speed up the process while making recruitment activity more formalised. This offers consistency, which is always good for a firm to develop.

Of course, while AI is of benefit, it is not fool proof or 100% perfect. Then again, neither is the traditional form of recruitment, which may explain another tipped trend for this year. With 65% of CVs and applications for high volume jobs being initially ignored, there is scope for firms to sift again if a suitable candidate isn’t found. This has been labelled “talent rediscovery” and candidates may find that they have a second chance of a job.

There is also an expectation that mobile recruitment will increase in 2017. You only have to look at the way people access the internet to see that smartphones are almost a natural attachment to our hands and arms these days. This means firms have to make sure that recruitment listings and all information/documents associated with the process can be easily accessed on a smartphone or tablet. A failure to make the application process suitable for mobile users could see firms miss out on suitable candidates. This may not be something that many HR departments have considered yet but the way that internet usage is progressing, it is likely that this will become an essential component of the process.

February 2017 Author : 2XL Recruitment Solutions part of 2XL Media Solutions