The future of work has arrived, and despite some organisations’ (and industries) attempts to revert back to the way things once were, it’s safe to say that things will never go back to the ‘old normal.’ Hybrid and remote working are now a permanent fixture, as are an emphasis on ‘potential’ over ‘experience’, demands for a better work-life balance, a bigger priority on positive mental health, and a need for a different kind of recruiting and retainment strategy to accommodate these evolving shifts and requirements.
As we have been catapulted into a tech and data driven business world in recent years, it can be easy to forget the human aspect of people strategy and development. The pandemic has accelerated this global transition exponentially, and there is no getting away from the fact that if you are not embracing the new business and hiring practices, your competitors will be.
Recruiter trends and the data driven landscape
The latest research by Thomas International shows the majority (85%) of UK businesses need to critically improve the quality of their recruitment processes, with nearly 80% saying they need to improve the way they assess the value and skills people bring to their business. The 2021: Mind the trust gap report indicates a massive shift in the way we hire, develop and retain our talent is in progress, and the vast majority of hiring managers now believe predictive hiring and hiring for potential will play an essential part of their future process over the next two years.
Interestingly, hiring managers and recruiters believe the best indicators of how an employee will perform in an organisation are personality (34%), emotional intelligence (32%) and adaptability (32%), with traditional pointers such as performance in an interview (7%), qualifications (16%) and relevant previous experience on a CV (19%) no longer ranking as valuable. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed also felt psychometrics testing can help enhance trust throughout the recruitment process, and if they had to rely on only one method to predict the future performance of all hires over the next 12 months, nearly half would opt for psychometrics only. Crucially, just 33% trusted the interview process and only 21% felt CVs would be of true value. (HR Director).
The ability to ‘recruit without borders’ and a bigger emphasis on diversity and inclusion cognisance have both played a part in the emergence of data driven technology tools being used to attract and hire the most suitable candidates with speed, efficiency and without the potential barrier of unconscious bias. This is impressive, however, without a healthy company culture that continually evolves alongside those individuals within it, there is the potential for organisations to lose this valuable talent as fast as it has taken to find them. Successful recruiters are now pushed towards being data led, but they must also be able to demonstrate an awareness of organisational behaviour and are encouraged to rely less on an ‘intuitive streak.’
But are they ‘people’ people?
Effective recruitment is no longer just about being an efficient talent search provider. Unless your recruitment partner understands the importance of trust, positive company culture trends, and is invested in working alongside you to build, develop and retain that talent, there is a danger that those excellent new hires will not stand the test of time. Those who hire for your teams must be aware of the value of a positive organisational culture, understand the importance of emerging tech and data developments, and must recognise the demand for modern leadership practice by tomorrow’s potential employees.
Greenacre Recruit, Exec and Consult work hand in hand to combine the essential components needed to attract and hire the very best talent, using up to date recruitment methods, whilst also working alongside companies to create robust, valuable and clear development pathways. We utilise our talent and leadership development expertise, helping organisations to not only find the right candidate first time, every time, but also shape and nurture a positive company culture which is fit for the future. It’s these elements, combined with an exceptional trusted industry network which includes both inside and out of sector influencers and leadership development expertise (recently endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Housing), which have cemented our reputation as the go-to industry recruitment consultancy for tomorrow’s employment world. To find out more about our recruitment, executive search and leadership development pathways, please get in touch, or visit our website.