I’ve worked with CV-Library right from their inception and so I’m really pleased to share this guest post written for us by Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library
There’s always a lot to be said about the trends that are shaping the recruitment market. From new technologies, to candidate attitudes, having an ear to the ground and understanding more about the latest developments is crucial if you want to attract and recruit the top talent.
Not least because competition for securing the very best candidates is rife, putting pressure on UK recruiters to stand out from the crowd.
With this in mind, we’ve pulled together a comprehensive guide on some of the main trends that are shaping the future of recruitment in the UK, to help you boost your hiring efforts.
1. Recruiters are needing to be more proactive
Skills shortages have been a major issue for UK businesses for some time now. In fact, of the 66 million people in the UK, 10 million are considered to be under-skilled and in low-paid jobs, meaning we don’t have the talent we need to drive productivity.
Alongside this, data from the Office for National Statistics reports that unemployment is at its lowest rate since the 1970s. While this is certainly good news for the economy, as it means more people are in work, it also means there’s less people actively looking for new jobs. And this is a major issue for businesses that are hiring.
Of course, we are all sick of hearing about Brexit. But there’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding this and we’re losing out on skilled workers as a result.
All of this is forcing recruiters to be more proactive in their hiring efforts. Our own data tells us that the amount of CV searches ran on our site have more than doubled in the past 12 months, as recruiters frantically look for the candidates they need.
In addition, many are turning to social media to head-hunt professionals and 83.3% believe that these platforms will be a major part of their hiring efforts this year.
2. Cross-industry collaboration
Another key trend that we’re noticing is cross-industry collaboration between online recruitment platforms. In particular, job boards are working closer than ever with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) to make the hiring process a much more seamless experience for recruiters.
After all, a lot of companies use ATSs as a one-stop-shop for all of their hiring needs. Alongside this, job boards are still the main tools that recruiters invest in, with 71.5% stating that they use them to advertise jobs and search CVs.
At CV-Library we’re actually working on a number of developments to integrate our platform with ATSs. In fact, our Latest CV API cross-references people’s talent pools within their ATS to see if we have a more up-to-date CV in our database
Many organisations are recognising that keeping the end-user in mind is key, sparking more collaboration than ever before. So, if you are using an ATS, it’s definitely worth integrating it with your job board to ensure you’re getting the best matches
3. AI and machine learning will help ensure the best matches
While many recruiters are nervous about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the negative impact it can potentially have on candidate experience, technology can actually take away a lot of manual tasks for recruiters.
And that’s not just areas like using technology to screen candidates. Some of the latest developments are able to arrange interviews, or even provide candidates with more information about the role they’re interested in applying for.
As well as AI, more companies are investing in machine learning to ensure better candidate matches. For example, by manually rating the relevancy of certain job results against search terms, and feeding this into a ‘machine’, technology can make intelligent assumptions on the job matches that are fed out the other end. This ensures candidates are presented with only the most relevant results.
Because it has the potential to drive more applications to our vacancies, we expect to see more organisations investing in this area over the next 12 months.
4. A streamlined application process
Another trend that’s only set to grow is a more streamlined application process. According to our data, 60.7% of recruiters think application forms aren’t necessary any more, with 55.7% believing that a CV and cover letter provides enough information.
It appears that many organisations are moving away from lengthy application forms. In fact, 58.6% of recruiters that we surveyed said an application should take less than 10 minutes to complete. There’s even the option for candidates to apply for jobs with a short profile, making the process a lot quicker and more efficient.
What’s more, as more companies recognise the importance of candidate experience, we’ll see more recruiters communicating with candidates on the status of their application – whether that’s human or technological interaction.
Simply sending an acknowledgement email to let a know their application has been received, or informing them when it’s going through the screening process can do a lot to boost your brand.
5. Establishing new ways to measure success
As with any area of business, it’s hugely important for recruiters to set clear benchmarks in order to understand what’s working, what’s worth investing in and what areas need improvement.
Sure, you might look at the amount of applications you receive, but what about going one step further? Do you understand areas such as how many clicks on your jobs convert to applications? This can reveal useful insights! For example, if it’s low, there may be a problem with your application form.
Alongside this do you know your average cost per hire? If it’s ridiculously high, how can you bring this down? Are you losing money on hires that haven’t worked out? If so, there could be gaps in your recruitment process that need addressing.
With this in mind, it’s important to understand what your goals are and how you can measure your success against this.
Stay on top of these recruitment trends
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it should certainly give you some food for thought. As recruiters, it’s important to constantly review your processes and always strive to do better. The market is tough right now, but there’s plenty of opportunity there – good luck!
