On the surface, recruitment and retention seems straightforward. You find the best people for your organization, you hire them, you make them happy, and in return, you get great results, happy clients, and more money for everyone. What makes it complicated is that everyone is trying to do the same thing, and your rivals are looking for the same candidates as you are.
By now you know that the revolution is upon us. Workers are re-imagining their work and their careers. Managers are increasingly finding workers doing their duties in offices all over the world. Recruitment and retention doesn’t mean putting butts in seats anymore, it’s about finding the people who can get it done, no matter where they are and, increasingly, what their professional background is.
The truth is, with more workers entering companies as independent contractors and remote workers, recruitment and retention has to change. Recruiting has shifted as a result of traditional office workers demanding new and different benefits plans, office environments, pay structures, and more. As these trends continue, recruiting has to move along with them, and some companies are looking for talent in different places to get a leg up on their competition. What is the new wave of recruitment theory?
The Fall of the Resumé?
Calls are already coming from HR professionals to retire the resumé for a number of reasons. Resumés put too much emphasis on titles and previous professional roles, only show a static snapshot of a candidate’s qualifications, and don’t necessarily identify truly on-demand talent, among other problems. Workers in all industries are bucking previously static roles and taking on new responsibilities as needed. Job applicants have adapted, taking on roles and jobs they wouldn’t have before to round out their skills and experience, and to help their organizations.
With online platforms becoming more adept at finding talent for companies and connecting workers with possible opportunities, the simple act of showing up resumé in-hand is officially old fashioned.
Shifting Priorities in Recruitment and Retention
The shifting nature of work means that employers are taking a different approach to finding the workers they need. Instead of filling an office with full-time employees, companies are hiring part-time workers or temporary workers to complete specific tasks. Some of these workers may be outside the office, some might only be needed for a few weeks or months.
Obviously, moving away from the traditional Full-Time Employee model has consequences on recruitment and retention. One under-the-radar consequence is that organizations have to be much more choosey about who they decide to lead and who they decide works for them full-time. What’s the right balance of FTEs and part-time or contract workers for a brand? How can a brand keep its identity with so much of the workforce in flux? The fewer the FTEs, the more important each FTE becomes both in recruitment and in retention.
Better Resources for Recruiting
Using social media platforms to find candidates for specific jobs and tasks has become the norm for many employers. 87% of recruiters now use LinkedIn to find job candidates. Websites like Glassdoor gives both job applicants and employers tools and information to learn about each other. In many cases, sites like this cause the employer to audition and impress the applicant as much as the other way around, especially in areas with huge job growth and low unemployment numbers.
Recruiters now have the tools to find the perfect candidate for exactly what they need when they need them. Workers can find themselves in better situations they have more control over.
