20 Recruiting Trends for 2024 to Acquire an Impactful Hiring Experience

Today choosing a candidate for any open job position is no longer only the recruiter’s or the company’s choice. The highly skilled and efficient candidates of today have their preferences set for the companies they want to work for. This reality further multiplies the need for the recruiter to be more efficient and impressive while reaching out to applicants.

The first degree of convincing the job seekers happens during their first conversation with the hiring manager, where they make the applicants familiar with the company culture and make them understand why this is the best place to work. As technology advances, recruiters are collaborating with different candidate assessment tools to choose the best candidate for the role, and the face of recruiting is changing.

This approach now enables the recruitment process to be precise, and seamless and can work at full capacity. Hence, being updated with the latest trends is essential. Here we bring you insights into recent recruiting trends and recruiting ideas for 2024. 

Two main evergreen and consistent recruitment trends never go out of style. The first is adaptability. Adaptability is going to be one of the major criteria that hiring managers are keen to focus on. The focus is on how well newly hired candidates, recruiters, existing employees, and the company itself can adapt to the constantly changing corporate culture and dynamics.

The second is scalability. Talent acquisition during uncertainty is the biggest challenge. That is where adopting a scalable recruitment strategy is ideal. It offers a seamless hiring and onboarding talent-hunting that will elevate organizational performance and overcome the challenges of a market slowdown. 

Recruiting Ideas 2024

1. Employee Retention Amidst Economic Uncertainty

Labor hoarding is one of the current recruiting trends, where companies of any size and type are trying to retain their existing employees considering the upcoming economic fluctuations and uncertainty. Relying on new onboarding and training would weigh down the pace of the workflow.

Additionally, laying off employees for present benefits would eventually lead to replacing the employees’ vacant space. A change in the working setup would alter the coordination with workforce upgrades. Hence, during a potential recession, companies prefer to be ready to keep up their pace. 

2. Virtual Recruiting

More than half of the organizations in many industries conduct their talent acquisition, recruiting, and onboarding virtually. In this setup, the candidates are assessed using methods like online test links, video interviews, etc. where the candidate does not have to be physically present. This trend seems to be growing fast and removes the challenges when a company has to afford to have candidates for in-person interaction.

Most organizations prefer conducting both virtual and in-person interviews. This way it becomes a collaborative approach where the candidates have the choice to choose according to their perception as well. 

Human Capital Management (HCM) is a framework that navigates and coordinates the workforce and business goals of your organization. Recruiters have a crucial role to play in this management system. HCM also holds the practices and strategies that businesses can use to efficiently recruit, train, and retain employees. Virtual recruiting has high significance in HCM strategies when collaborating with remote working. Gone are the days when candidates were chosen only from particular for the job postings. Today, recruitment goes beyond geographical boundaries. 

3. Remote Work

The hybrid work model is becoming more prominent currently and recruitment trends are evolving to accommodate this shift. Since the restart of corporate work-life after the pandemic, the hybrid culture of work has developed quite well. This new trend has shown considerable success, that is, it proved that employees can do remote work with equal efficiency. Due to this new post-pandemic culture, about 60% of the applicants who apply for jobs want this sort of flexibility in choosing when and where they want to work.

Candidates are enthusiastic about doing different remote certifications that train them in skills needed to work from home. Most organizations also shifted their internship program offers to virtual setups as well. 

4. Flexible Schedules

Along with remote work, working on a flexible schedule is a crucial parameter that both employers and applicants look and demand for. Gaining a flexible schedule empowers the workforce to attain a work-life balance, hence continuing to blur the line between work and personal life. The employees are more free to work when they feel they can be more productive.

This is simultaneously supported by companies to encourage, attract, and retain top, skilled, and efficient candidates. A complete reshaping of the recruitment approach enables the companies to expand their hold on a large pool of job seekers and at the same time caters to the work culture’s wider needs.

A survey conducted by the travel company TravelPerk states that 76% of the organizations have planned to stick to the hybrid work culture even after the pandemic, where employees are free to split their week of work into in-office or remote working. 

5. Automation

Automated applicant tracking systems, pre-employment assessment tools, and candidate relationship management, along with other digital interview tools are setting new trends in recruiting the best candidates. With these technological advancements, the recruitment process is streamlined and optimized for a smoother process.

The recruiters are enabled to be accurate and defined in filtering out the right candidates to fit the roles. Automaton was one of the most prominent recruitment industry trends in 2023 and remains the most sought solution for the shortlisting of candidates.

Research conducted by Brookings Institutions revealed that a quarter of most jobs have a high potential for automation. Almost all of the tasks in them can be automated using machines or software completely. Here is a list of the sectors and their automation potential.

6. Artificial Intelligence

HR did not escape the wave of Artificial Intelligence. The recruiting process involves several processes like creating job openings, sourcing candidates, reviewing resumes, and finally scheduling interviews.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is leveraged to ease this process. AI improves the evaluation task of recruitment tests like the scan through the written answers to questions, analyzing the data, and using algorithms to target and arrive at the final shortlisted candidates. As one of the most advanced recruiting trends, AI also aids employers in the recommendations on carrier sites, automated notification systems, and instant result generation of employment tests. Earlier surveys have shown that 36% of recruiters admit that Artificial Intelligence can effectively make their job much simpler and easier. 

A clear advantage AI offers is in removing the bias in the selection process which is always a necessary element in recruitment. AI writing tools have the ability to change the language in the job descriptions that may be sometimes biased or gendered. Hence, it is expected that companies that do not work on AI will soon be shifting to the principles of artificial intelligence for an effective recruitment process. AI is also an efficient tool in building the employer brand for candidates.

7. Virtual and Augmented Reality

As a new recruiting trend, there is a possibility for the convergence between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and VR/AR, but might not happen next year. Virtual and Augmented Reality will play a significant role in the onboarding and training of the employees. If boosting engagement is the goal, advanced technologies like VR/AR can widen the scope for it. 

8. Robotic Process Automation

With RPA, advanced chatbots, and machine learning are employed to enhance communication and efficiency in the talent acquisition and recruitment process. These can effectively speed up data processes, making the selection process seamless. These chatbots also help convert more candidates into candidate leads.

It also provides space for the candidates to know more about the organization even before applying, hence, this saves time for the recruiters from answering such queries. According to the Phenom Study conducted in 2020, career sites that use chatbots have 95% more conversion leads than the sites that do not use any chatbots. 

9. DEI program – As the Top Priority

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are still the topmost preferred parameters for candidate selection by companies of all sizes. It is predicted that in the years to come, investment in DEI programs will elevate, and it is expected to form a coagulation of widened talents and perspectives. 

10. Gig Work and Gig Economy

With the increasing expectations of flexibility in working hours and remote working, gig work and the gig economy are still in popularity. This culture offers candidates to work on flexible project-based works completely changing the necessary for hiring new candidates. 

11. Overcoming e-presenteeism

Presenteeism refers to the pressure that the workforce comes under when they are required to be physically present at the workplace even during sickness, generally in fear of being accused of slacking. Some research reveals that this is caused by factors like 

• Workplace bullying
• Financial pressures
• Poor mental health
• Subjected to unrealistic deadlines at work

In the case of e-presenteeism, it simply refers to the same but in a hybrid or remote work setup. This perhaps happens because of the common understanding that remote working comparatively requires less energy, further influencing and encouraging more employees to work remotely when sick even when they have the option to take a sick leave. 

It is expected that the coming years will bring a drastic change to this scenario. E-presenteeism will be prioritized to tackle and employees could be saved from burning themselves out and also create a healthy working environment. 

• Giving clear guidance to the employees on when to take remote working, casual, and sick leave
• Formulating guidelines and policies for the conduction of management duties.
• Conducting programs to instill good habits in employees, for example, regulating the frequency of the breaks, and stipulating time to disconnect themselves from work.  

12. Overall Development of the Workforce

As one of the most anticipated future recruitment trends, the overall well-being of the employees is in focus. The eradication of e-presenteeism ultimately leads to the overall effort to improve and heighten employee well-being. Seven key areas of employee well-being will be the prime focus

• Health
• Good work
• Good lifestyle choices
• Social life
• Personal growth
• Values
• Financial well-being 

In the coming years, one of the future recruitment trends will be a rise in employee well–being apps, training, surveys, and examinations.

13. Shift to Proactive Recruiting

Hiring highly skilled candidates has always been on the agenda and is still in the recruitment market trends. Several companies will be busy searching for the best fit for every role. A talent-oriented recruitment and development techniques will be employed lavishly to get in-depth insights into the talents of the candidates as well as the existing employees. 

This provides a space to understand their employees well, their talents and personalities, and garner all the benefits that can be used. This understanding will also help companies when they make an outside hire. Therefore, it will be a proactive hiring. In contrast, traditional hiring is reactive, that is, hiring new employees as replacements for the employees who leave. Proactive recruiting can be practiced in social recruiting as well, where candidates are hired through social media platforms. 

In proactive hiring, the recruiters make use of skills analysis and similar techniques to detect gaps when sourcing and finding the right candidate so they are empowered much before the need arises. Comparatively, proactive hiring is a less stressful process:

• It is less stressful for the team members. No member has to cover for an absent member.
• It is cheaper. There is no efficiency lost when hiring managers start to look for replacements.
• This process is more effective than reactive hiring. The skills and talents required are identified earlier forming a criteria framework. Using talent testing, the right candidates can be accommodated at the right time. 

14. Engagement of Teams in Collaborative Hiring Process

The collaborative hiring process is one of the new trends in recruiting. This process involves the entire team during the recruitment process and not just the HR professional and the team manager. Each member of the team gets to give their opinion about candidates. 

This hiring method is considered to be a more agile approach and it can be effectively molded to fit the requirement criteria for any open role. An additional advantage is that it reduces or rather nullifies any sort of bias. There is a wider range of different perspectives on each candidate that is tested and evaluated.

Here is an instance where the entire team takes part in a collaborative hiring process.

 15. Increased Scope of Project-based Hiring

As a new trend in recruitment, employee retention and large investments for employees are on the high. It is expected that in the coming year, there will be more possibilities for development created for the existing employees that can reduce the need to look for project-based hiring. But at the same time, companies can also be seen experimenting with project-based hiring when the need arises. 

So, what is project-based hiring? Project-based hiring is a recruiting industry trend when recruiters hire candidates to join a specific project only and not as full-time employees. There is a fixed timeline and deliverables and no expectation for a continued work relationship after the end of the project. 

Situations where project-based hiring is ideal:

• If a company is launching a new product or products
• If a company is opening new offices in a remote place
• If a company is launching a project that lays out across a wide area

The project-based hiring is a cost-efficient approach as the employers do not have to pay taxes or provide employee benefits for the project-based candidate hiring. Additionally, as this is not a permanent hire, the employer can cut ties or terminate the bond if it does not seem to work or turn out efficiently. 

16. Recruiters Transforming into Business Leaders

For a very long time, a recruiter in an organization is pictured as a person who only takes orders from others. However, trends in recruitment have evolved how hiring managers are perceived. Recruiters are now placed in a strategic role. They are the face of the company during the hiring process. The candidate’s first impression is created from their interaction with the hiring manager. The recruiter’s role is to put everything into perspective for the organization and lead the way forward.

With the high expectations from the candidates’ ends, the hiring managers are expected to be more creative and complex with most of the administrative parts of the organization being automated. The dynamics of the hiring process will change from being about execution and more about talent strategy and pooling. With the latest trends in recruitment culture, the recruiters will be expected to handle the hiring needs of the organizational teams, solve issues in the recruitment process, and spot and suggest opportunities for them as well. 

17. Pay Transparency

Pay transparency is highly important in today’s corporate culture. The issue of the gender pay gap still exists despite the legislative laws being in place for decades. Pay transparency policies introduced in 2022 are expected to negate the salary gap. 

In a research report submitted by Staffing Industry Analysts, they came across nine legislative regulations and policies that are related to pay transparency that cover different areas:

• Access to pay information
• The requirement of employers to disclose individual pay information to employees
• Advertisement of salary on job descriptions
• Prohibition of employers from asking for salary history
• Creating an independent body to ensure equal pay information.
• Obligation of enterprises to publish gender-wise pay information
• Regular audits on gender-equal pay, pay assessments, and encouraging equal pay discussions.

Pay transparency is an escalating issue for hiring managers. There is constant pressure on them to adhere to these standards and regulations and also support and promote a gender-neutral salary system. 

18. Advanced Workforce Analytics

Another essential future trend in recruitment to look forward to in the aftermath of COVID-19, the workplace will continue to be under the effects of it even in 2024. The economy will remain unpredictable and unsteady. Hence, companies have to be prepared to face some sort of fluctuations. This can only be overcome by building and planning hiring strategies that must be incorporated into the latest trends in recruitment. 

19. Gamification

There is a risk associated with employees working remotely or in isolation. They seem to be disconnected and bored without in-person interaction with their peers. Therefore, employee engagement and contentment are essential for efficient working. Gamification is one way to achieve this. Study reveals that gamification improves the productivity of the workforce by 90%.

20.  Recruitment Marketing

Recruitment marketing is another trend in recruitment. This approach is a collection of conventional marketing that is incorporated into the hiring procedure. These marketing strategies can smoothen the process of locating, attracting, and cultivating skilled candidates. This way the company or job opportunity can be promoted to the candidates which will drive them to apply for the job opening given by your company. 

Conclusion

Recruitment trends for 2024 provide new hopes for both the employer and employees. With the experience of uncertainty that companies have garnered for the last few years, they are more keen on developing an adaptable and proactive approach to the recruitment process making it viable for the employer, and the employer brand, as well as the candidates. Companies are willing to go ahead in time to create and manage talent pipelines even before job vacancies are created. Recruiters focus more on talents and skills that would be essential for the organization in the future. 

As 2023 was plenty with fluctuations and unsteadiness, it can be taken as a framework to shape the recruiting approach for 2024. Advanced technical screening, a proactive hiring process, and flexibility in working are some of the essential hiring trends to look forward to. SkillRobo is an online pre-employment skills assessment tool with the potential to seamlessly incorporate these effective recruiting trends. Sign up now to explore more.