The traditional approach to job seeking has become much too unoriginal and is quite unproductive in today’s ever-changing business world. A top recruiter company understands that trends change and they must stay up-to-date.

Managers don’t want to spend hours interviewing candidates and are putting much more pressure on recruiters to send them the best job applicants. But it’s tough to find people who match company values without interviewing them. It’s a catch 22!  

IT recruiters are starting to find that artificial intelligence can help weed out poor applicants from the process. While it’s not a perfect process, it is much more efficient than the traditional approach. Along with technology, we’re also discovering that giving potential applicants more knowledge about proper resume etiquette also helps them apply for jobs in which they are qualified.

When you compare this to the traditional approach of applying to all jobs in a field without considering company values, you can see how much more efficient the new approach is.  

With that said, this blog post is going to look at some of the top trends that a recruiter company should be on the lookout for in 2021.  

Business Analytics is More Important than Ever!  

More specifically, predictive analytics is the emerging force in the recruitment world. Recruitment companies can use algorithms to analyze an applicant before submitting their information to the client. This is a tool that a recruiter company uses to filter out applications that might not be a good match for the company. More specifically, we can predict which candidates will translate into high-performing employees by using analytics.  

This moves us beyond the traditional metrics into the 21st century. Some examples used to determine these candidates are reviews from previous employees, cost-per-hire, and time per job.  

What this does is not only boosts the efficiency of the hiring process, but it will also allow businesses to streamline their interview process. The interview process is a major pain point for businesses today. Predictive analytics takes some of the sting out of it. 

Enhanced Vetting to Boost Recruiting Efficiency 

Having the ability to dive deep into a job applicant’s background is quite appealing to businesses. Imagine how attractive it is to perform this task using a fraction of the resources. Technology has reached a point where it’s possible for a recruiting company to set up automated background checks that properly vet job candidates before sending them to a company.  

Recruitment will differ from company to company but the importance of vetting is always the same. Most businesses fall under a three-step hiring process – recruitment, vetting, and interview. That’s the steps taken to decide who to hire.  

Top recruitment companies are entrusted with recruitment but until recently, the vetting process was always in limbo. So how can we make the vetting process more efficient?  

First of all, video calls are becoming a go-to method of initial communication. What this does is test a candidate’s communication skills without having to schedule as many in-person meetings. It’s much more convenient and these initial interviews can be carried out by teams other than the hiring agent if necessary.  

Then candidates who pass this initial vetting process will be given a test to ensure that they are able to carry out the job requirements. Only individuals who pass the first two steps will get an in-person interview with a hiring agent.  

As you can see, this will greatly limit the number of unqualified applicants who end up with an in-person interview. I fully expect this trend to continue into 2021 and beyond. Top recruitment companies will need to start preparing job candidates for this type of process. One issue I see right now is that job applicants are caught off-guard and take a hit.  

Artificial Intelligence is Here to Stay 

Businesses across the landscape are turning to artificial intelligence and machine learning processes. At first, these processes were limited to marketing but we’re seeing them spread into human resources. In fact, machine learning in HR is probably the fastest growing trend in business today.  

Yes, human interaction is still important in HR but there are ways that this interaction can be limited. Most notably, the hiring process is a target of many AI systems. Think about it for a moment. Large businesses fill thousands of jobs every year. It can become quite expensive to go through that many applications manually. So the efficient approach is to develop AI systems that screen applications automatically and filter out the ones that are not a match.  

Machine learning utilizes a technology called “natural language processing (NLP). This breakthrough in the AI experience can interpret and even respond to text so it’s being used to read resumes, spot key metrics, and then match those to the job requirements. Naturally, human interaction is required to make the final choice, but these systems are designed in a way that filters out resumes that are not up to par.  

Job applicants need to be aware of this when they write up their resumes. The fact that we’re seeing AI systems being used to filter through job applications means that keywords have become even more important for resumes. So the traditional resume has a high chance of getting caught up in these filters.  

Texting is Used as a Recruitment Communications Tool 

Texting has been around for a long time but we’re starting to see it being used as a recruitment tool for businesses. Texting is the most common form of communication so this shouldn’t really be a surprise. Job recruits will need to make sure that they are using their phone’s texting features. Otherwise, they might miss out on opportunities.  

We can expect to see advanced texting using AI technology in the coming year so recruiters will be expected to keep their audience in the loop. Businesses are starting to find it more efficient to leverage these features so that they limit their human-to-human interaction to only qualified candidates. 

A Top Recruiter Company will Prepare Job Seekers for All Trends 

These trends are valuable foreknowledge and job applicants should take full advantage of them. The traditional approach is a dying trend and no one is going to stand out in a crowd if they follow that approach.

With hundreds of applications being received by businesses, automated systems are going to filter out the old approach in favor of job seekers who are willing to go above and beyond to showcase their skills.  

For instance, if a job seeker takes the time to properly research the job and utilize keywords specific to that description, their resumes will get through these automated systems. By doing so, they are showing the hiring agent their initiative.  

This is advantageous to those applying for jobs in 2021 because these analytical systems will greatly improve your chances of getting an in-person interview. Since most applicants still follow the traditional approach, their applications will get filtered out of the short stack before they get in front of a set of eyeballs.  

2021 will be a great year for job seekers and a top recruiter company will provide the information to get you ready for these recruiting trends!