With the new year comes new opportunities to attract and retain top performers. This is when employers can strategize about the most effective ways to tap into talent pipelines. In 2022, that means adapting recruiting strategies based on efforts that worked well during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic disrupted recruitment significantly and influenced employee expectations, employers would be wise to now meet those expectations. In that spirit, this article outlines three pandemic-influenced recruiting trends to watch out for in the new year.
01 Remote Interviewing and Scheduling
Virtual interviewing exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic primarily because people couldn’t meet in person. Even as in-person operations have resumed, that remote expectation is now becoming more commonplace. A recent Indeed survey reported that 82% of workplace respondents said they started conducting virtual interviews due to the pandemic, and nearly all of them (93%) said they expect to continue the practice. Separately, a Mercer study reported that 70% of employers planned on implementing a hybrid work model—where employees work in person some days and remotely other days. Together, these surveys illustrate how widespread the remote work movement has come over the past few years. As such, employers should consider how to align their own efforts to this growing recruiting trend.
See our blog post on Recruiting with Social Media.
02 Passive Candidate Recruiting
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a tight labor market, with many job openings left unfilled. One recruiting trend for getting around this has been shifting focus away from unemployed workers and toward passive candidates. Passive candidates are those who are currently employed but may be ready to change jobs if the right offer comes along. In a constricted labor market, this is a very valuable demographic. Recruiting passive candidates isn’t much different from typical recruiting tactics, but it does require a concerted effort. In essence, the strategy involves building out an organization’s brand so its values are easily identifiable and congruent with the ideals of prospective hires. Next, organizations will need to engage candidates directly— through online marketing, social media campaigns or other methods. Ultimately, the idea is to foster a relationship with candidates over time as they learn more about why they should consider changing jobs.
03 Holistic Benefits Offerings
More and more employers are adding holistic offerings to round out employee benefits packages. These offerings focus on improving employees’ overall well-being in direct and indirect ways. According to a recent PwC survey, employers added or expanded the following offerings in response to the pandemic: flexible scheduling (91%), mental health programs (53%), increased time off (44%) and wellness programs (44%), among others. Going into 2022, employers can expect workers to still want these types of benefits, and they should adjust their offerings accordingly.
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