Are you ready for changes in the hiring process and the future of hiring?
Over the last twenty years, we’ve seen dramatic shifts in hiring and recruiting. But what’s next for our industry? How will HR, employers, hiring managers and recruiters do business in the next few years?
Here are a few short-term predictions to prepare for.
Say goodbye to resumes
The classic, carefully formatted one-page resume has been on its way out for a long time. Soon, it’ll be considered as old-fashioned as a typewriter or a floppy disk.
The same goes for cover letters. Job applicants hate writing them, HR hates reading them, and nobody can agree on whether they’re helpful or not.
Within the next few years, expect both of these standard documents to disappear for good.
Candidates’ web presence is everything
Employers (especially in the media realm) already Google job applicants and vet them on social media. This is only going to become more important in the future.
Candidates’ own websites and project portfolios will become the basis of their digital calling card, especially in the absence of the resume and cover letter. It will be their #1 way to convey their personal branding and demonstrate professional competence to you, the employer.
Employers will also more heavily weigh factors like size of social media following and positivity of Google search results relating to the candidate.
Instead of hiring someone to edit their resume or proofread their cover letter, applicants will soon find it normal to pay someone to optimize their search engine rankings and clean up their digital reputation to impress you.
The value of reputation can’t be overstated
While you judge candidates on their web presence, candidates will judge you on your employer brand. Your company needs a strong reputation as a great place to work if you want to attract top talent. And competition will be fierce.
Expect “Employer branding executive” to become a new top role, as agencies, startups and media companies need help managing their reputation.
For example, let’s say you’re a tech startup. You hire an engineer who sexually harasses other employees.
Suddenly, the public is talking about your lack of commitment to female employees instead of the technology you’re building. And the deluge of job applications you used to see has trickled down to barely anything. Nobody wants to work with you anymore.
An employer branding executive can help you get rid of the offending employee, audit your company’s culture, issue an apology, build better sexual harassment policies, hire more women in leadership roles, and get the word out that you’re making positive changes.
This kind of crisis management and reputation building can help you keep the talent pipeline open instead of closed.
What will replace interviews?
In our changing world, a lengthy interview process isn’t always the best way to evaluate a candidate.
We tend to overestimate our ability to make good hiring decisions based on interviews—sometimes, even glossing over the facts and data to hire someone with a good personality (or not hiring someone capable because of a mediocre interview).
In lieu of the standard small talk and expected questions, savvy employers will introduce new ways of getting to know candidates.
For example, many companies already offer a freelance-to-full time transition. In the future, expect to see more trial runs—paying a candidate to join the team for a full month (or more) to see if they’re a good fit.
Video games and virtual reality are also on the table to replace interviews. Imagine a gamified experience where you can evaluate candidates as they complete tasks, overcome challenges, and show off their skills in a virtual world.
It’s not as far off as you might think.
What do you predict will change in the next few years?
Topics:
Recruitment
