25 Recruitment tips for 2025

Over the last twenty five years, recruitment has experienced an evolution. Especially since covid, hiring processes have transformed at a seismic rate. Remote interviews and onboarding have now become the norm, and technological advances have revolutionised our data capture processes, along with the introduction of AI applications.

However, many human aspects remain integral to success, and there are some tangible things hirers can do to ensure their recruitment strategy is fully prepared and fit for the future. 25 things in fact, which should help you get the next quarter decade off to a flying start:

1. A streamlined recruitment process increases your talent pool 

With the evolution of technology, the recruitment process has been levelling up for some time. A hirer with a smooth, seamless process is the bird who catch the proverbial worm. In other words, top talent will not hang around for you to come back with an offer at a slow, leisurely pace. If they are left hanging, and the process feel clunky, you will likely find them swiped from under your feet by another organisation with a slicker, faster process.

2. A positive candidate experience now will increase your attraction rates in future campaigns

Reputation is everything in the world of recruitment. And word travels. In a transient and fast moving market, your candidate will always remember their last experience with you. If it’s a good one, they are highly likely to return when they are looking for their next opportunity. Likewise, if their experience was less than enjoyable, they will vote with their feet and go elsewhere. The vast majority of our placements come from repeat business and word of mouth experiences from happy candidates who felt valued, looked after and supported.

3. Give genuine feedback

Candidates will thank you for it! How many times have you received a generic feedback response? Or worse still, no feedback at all? Taking the time to give constructive, respectful feedback not only helps candidates to build on their future success, it also shows them how much you valued their time and effort in applying for the role.

4. Follow up promptly

Good candidates won’t be available for long, so make sure you get back to them in a timely manner. We’ve lost count of how many times a great candidate has jumped on another offer, simply because they were fed up waiting to hear back from a slow responding organisation.

5. A job description is a sales document not a policy document

Your main aim here is to entice suitable candidates to apply for the role. You want them to be intrigued and interested in the job description. If, and when a placement is made, the next step is where the deeper detail is drafted, with T’s crossed and I’s dotted. For now, rein in the chapter of War and Peace and focus on giving the key aspects of the role, in a succinct and engaging way.

6. Utilise EDI data to identify areas for improvement

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion stats are now a crucial strategic hiring component. Candidates will be looking to see how diverse and inclusive your organisation is before deciding whether it is a good fit for them. Having this data readily available will improve your chances of hiring from a top quality, diverse talent pool. Monitoring your EDI strategy will also help you to identify areas of weakness and turn them into strengths through adapting your hiring strategy.

7. Employer branding is crucial

Make your company a place where people want to work! Focus on your company culture and how you are perceived by your wider audience. Build a strong digital presence where you can stand out against your competitors and showcase your values and your great work environment.

8. Effective onboarding is paramount

Recruitment doesn’t stop after an offer of acceptance. It’s the entire journey which will help you to retain your new recruit. Creating a positive onboarding experience where the new staff member feels supported, motivated, embedded and well prepared for their role will pay dividends in the longer term.

9. Make your advert speak to the candidate’s needs, not yours

Remember, you want people to actually apply for the role. Creating a list of demands and expectations, with no mention of what’s in it for the actual candidate is not going to get you very far. Applicants will want to understand how the role will benefit them and has the potential to support their career goals, as well as how it will fit around their aspirations and values.

10. Get rid of advert templates

Each role needs to speak to your desired candidate. They will switch off after reading the first line of a generic cut and paste job advert, so bring it to life and make it relevant. Think about the unique aspects of the role and organisation. Paint a picture of what it could feel like to be part of the team. Where is the organisation heading? What are their values? What can the candidate bring to the role? Why should they want to apply?

11. Select the right recruiter 

You want someone who will represent your organisation authentically. Someone who can communicate the role, the team and the ethos of the organisation effectively. Selecting someone who can engage well with the role’s specific candidate pool, ask the right questions, and most importantly, listen to and gauge the applicants responses, is essential.

12. Save money on recruitment

Investing in your existing staff is an essential part of effective recruitment strategy and succession planning. Listen to your current staff’s ambitions and help them to achieve them. Invest in their individual progress through upskilling, training and promotional opportunities.

13. Avoid using corporate language in adverts

Removing buzz words and corporate phrases will improve your attraction rate, and will engage your audience more. Those with a proven track record of using dynamic and forward-thinking language will be ahead of the game when…see, you totally switched off there…

14. There is no silver bullet to achieving EDI

EDI needs to be considered at all stages of the attraction, hiring, onboarding and employment stages. This includes building and nurturing an existing environment where diversity thrives and everyone feels included. In short, your collar needs to match your cuffs. There is no point in creating an effective diverse and inclusive recruitment campaign if the successful candidate doesn’t feel the workplace culture matches the image.

15. Keep the flow of communication consistent

Even ‘”no news” is a valuable message. Staying in touch with your candidates throughout the process, even when there has been a stall, shows that you are still on their radar and are working on their behalf to keep the process moving forward. It will also discourage them from losing interest and floating off elsewhere.

16. Seasonal lulls are a myth

We often hear people say there is no point in recruiting in December or the summer holidays as “everyone is off”. In fact, these times are among our busiest throughout the year. The recruitment market never switches off!

17. Plan out your recruitment campaign and stick to it

Creating a recruitment campaign timeline is important. It ensures that everyone is well informed of the process, and knows what to expect at each stage. Sticking to the timeline makes for a smoother, seamless process, with well managed expectations, where nobody is left waiting for news. It also gives candidates and hirers time to prepare well for each section.

18. Maintain a social presence throughout the year

This doesn’t mean inviting your candidates out on the lash every weekend. But maintaining a regular social presence, whether digital, face to face or audibly, keeps you engaged with your audience. Then, when its time to get your recruiting trousers on, they’ll be more likely to remember you, and hopefully, be warmly receptive to your communication.

19. Think creatively when it comes to skills gaps

When it comes to addressing skills shortages, how can out-of-sector skills be transmuted in an effective way? Rather than simply advertising what’s needed and hoping to catch a rare fish in a very big pond, how can you sell the values of transferable skills and push the benefits of working in an evolving sector at this exciting time?

20. Gather and utilise available intel

Your recruiters have ‘real time’ intel on market conditions. They have an ear on the ground and a glass to the wall at all times through their everyday interactions and conversations – leverage this through effective internal communications and you will improve your recruitment success.

21. Plan your recruitment campaign from a candidate perspective

As well as looking at your campaign through a hiring lens, try to see the entire process through the eyes of your prospective candidates. This will help you to structure the campaign in a more effective and engaging way. It will also improve your success rate.

22. Remember what it was like to be a candidate

Unless you have sailed through your career without having to apply for a single job or attend a single interview, you will have walked in the shoes of your candidate at some point. What was your experience? What stood out in a good way, and what gave you beef? Think about what you want your candidates’ overall experience and takeaways to be from their recruitment journey.

23. Ask for feedback from your candidates

Feedback isn’t just a one-way street. Gaining insights on how the experience was for your candidates is vital for ensuring that any negative experiences can be addressed. It also means any positive experiences can be built upon for your next set of candidates. Often, even those who were not successful this time will be keen to apply for further suitable roles if their overall experience was positive.

24. Adapt your hiring process to a changing environment

Technology is evolving fast and its important to keep up. If your competitors are using smart apps for candidates’ applications, document uploading and onboarding processes to create a streamlined process, you’ll also need to adapt. In fact, even if they are not yet doing so, why not get ahead of the game by ensuring your hiring processes are on point?

25. Understand how the workplace is evolving

It’s important to understand how different the modern workplace has become post-covid. If you haven’t already, adapt your work environment to attract and retain your talent. Flexible and remote working, individualised benefits packages, tailored progression pathways and shared values are all high on the agenda of todays’ candidates. A diverse and inclusive culture is also a top consideration now for the majority of job seekers. Cultivating this kind of work environment, and selling it through your job campaigns, will ensure 2025 is your best hiring year yet.

This blog has been adapted from Barry Forsythe’s Greenacre Recruitment Advent Calendar Series 2024, on LinkedIn.