Hiring trends for 2022

All aspects of business are constantly changing and recruiting is no exception to that. Over the past two years we have experienced dramatic changes in hiring, including: working from home, increased benefits and rises in pay, the Great Resignation and more. So that leaves us wondering, what’s in store for 2022? Read on to find out what trends may be popping up this year.

Hiring for soft skills

In the past, we have seen crazy job listings asking for things like 5+ years experience and a bachelor’s degree in the industry all for an entry level position. Well, running jokes about these positions are going to be a thing of the past as hiring managers now look for soft skills! It’s becoming increasingly apparent to hiring teams that hard skills can be taught, but soft skills are far harder to teach. Soft skills are far harder to hire for and can leave you having more interviews to try and find that right candidate. However, by hiring based on soft skills rather than hard ones, you will end up with a better fit for the company.

Implementing referral programs

We know how hot the job market is at the moment, which means it has been quite difficult to hire talented people. Some businesses have been coming up with smarter ways to attract candidates, like creating incentives for current employees when they refer someone they know for a role. This strategy will often give you more appropriate candidates who are likely to align with your company’s goals and mission as well as be a good fit for the company. Why is this? Because your employees won’t want to disappoint by recommending someone unfit for the role (and they definitely won’t want to work with someone that isn’t a good fit for the role or the company!) This hiring strategy is definitely going to continue to rise this year.

Focus on employee experience

We don’t have to look any further than the impacts of the Great Resignation to know that employee experience should be a key ingredient in the hiring process this year. There are 2 reasons why employee experience needs to be put first:

1. It is much easier (and more cost-effective) to retain talent, than to acquire new talent. 
2. Candidates are in the power position, and employee experience is important to them.

So by understanding why your people are leaving you and coming up with ways to address any issues, you will be more likely to retain talent and new candidates joining your company will know that your company values employee experience!

Employer branding

Largely driven by the impacts of the Great Resignation, employer branding is a hiring strategy we will likely see more of in 2022. Candidates - or at least the best ones - are likely to be doing some research on your company. They will be looking at your website and social media and looking for what your values are, what your mission is and what your company culture is like. Essentially, they want to know whether they themselves are a good fit for your company. Employer branding comes with a lot of advantages, not just appearing more attractive to candidates! It reduces turnover and recruitment costs and also increases the quality of candidates that come through to you.

Diverse and inclusive hiring

Diversity and inclusion strategies have been increasingly popular over the past couple of years and are only becoming more so in 2022. This is because businesses have started to recognise that diverse teams provide a wide range of skills and perspectives, drive innovation and can even contribute to higher profitability. If more inclusive hiring isn't part of your strategy for 2022, you will be missing out!

Virtual recruiting and onboarding

The virtual shift can’t stop and won’t stop! Many industries still have to (or now prefer to) do more remote work. Which means that virtual recruiting and onboarding is a trend that's going to continue. Particularly when a role is virtual (or at least hybrid) setting the expectations from the get-go and preparing your new hires with a great remote experience is going to be really important. Virtual onboarding is likely to be the biggest point of concern for hiring teams, because of how crucial the onboarding process is. A good onboarding program is going to set your new employee off on the right track, will show that they are valued at the company, reduce turnover, increase productivity and more! So make sure you spend time on not only the virtual recruitment process, but more importantly, the virtual onboarding process.

More social recruiting

Social recruiting has become increasingly popular over the past couple years and that trend won’t stop now. By social recruiting, we mean using social media to find, attract and hire new employees. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to social recruiting now, it isn’t all just about LinkedIn and you don’t just have to natively post to your page! Using social media to recruit (particularly as part of an integrated recruitment strategy) gets you in front of your ideal candidates and gives you access to a larger talent pool.

Increase in proactive recruiting

Proactive recruitment means identifying a need for and attracting new employees ahead of actual recruitment needs. Knowing there is a talent shortage, that hiring is going to cost a lot of time and money and that there is a good chance some current employees may be leaving you in the near future makes proactive recruitment of paramount importance. A proactive recruiter will network and essentially nurture potential future candidates, making a future role much easier to fill with a great candidate.

For help with nurturing your employees through the entire employee lifecycle (from recruitment to departure), take a look at People Central and schedule a live demo with a product specialist to find out how systems can revolutionise your HR and people management practices.