2021 The State of Change in Recruiting

As we all know 2020 shifted the entire recruiting market. For some industries that recruiters supported, the world was put on hold, but in other industries, the market heated up. But one thing is certain, the recruiting industry got pushed forward along with every other industry out there. 

I have broken down some of the changes that I see taking place in the recruiting industry. (Also please feel free to tell me that I am wrong or feel free to add in the comments things that I might have missed)

Digital Marketing – Recruiting is one of the few industries that hasn’t truly embraced the digital marketing front. Digital Market just like the recruiting industry is an expertise that takes and money to learn which is one of the reasons that many in the industry have not turned it on to its full potential. It's also a hard industry to provide instant results, unlike eCommerce. But starting this year I believe that it's going to be a force to be reckoned with that will shift the industry forward. There is power in becoming an omnipresence in your field through digital retargeting.

Marketing Sequencing – Gone should be the days that a recruiter emailed or called someone and then forgot about whom they reached out to. Client or candidate both. Over the years I have done it, but I have seen it time and time again recruiters that I have been around. They message and call once and then it's back to the hunt and great candidates or clients are not messaged again. Some of the best clients and candidates I have worked with never responded to my first or second calls or messages. Heck, we are ALL Busy. It takes time to break through the noise and sales/marketing sequences with good copy and phone skills help do that. There are plenty of programs that are out there to help you out in this area and many ATS systems are now starting to include those baked in.  If you and your team are not utilizing those tools, they are missing out on good candidates and clients.

Picking up the Damn Phone – In 2021 I think the phone will be a separator of what business looks like. Yes, nobody picks up the phone for an unknown number anymore but at the same time, you do need to speak with people on the phone. We are not in the business of hiring. We are in the business of people. We are working with people to make some of the most impactful decisions of their lives. We are part of that process and you can’t make that kind of impact over a text message or an email. Pick up the Damn phone and separate yourself from the masses of recruiters that refuse to touch a phone.

Snail Mail – This has been one of my secret weapons over the last year and I know it's going to pick up. Just think, how many emails did you get today? How many emails did you get this week? How many phone calls (spam and political calls included) did you get today or this week? When is the last time you got a handwritten note? I have been using it in client and candidate outreach. If you get the address correct the response rate is through the roof. (Hey, we are recruiters, most of the time I am not asking for an address. We are good at finding people and information… use it to your advantage)

AI – I know that this has been touted for years that it's going to wipe recruiters off the face of the earth… I think we are going to see strides of mundane things being taken care of. I will not make any mistake and say there will be impacts, AI is coming. Amazon has hired people where the only human interaction is when they showed up on their first day. But for the moment in 2021 I think we will see an increase in impact but nothing completely game-changing. 

Relationships still matter – We are in the people business. We don’t just place people into a job. We help match people into sometimes what are life-changing opportunities for their careers. Most people have a few major life milestones. Where they go to school, whom they marry, and their careers.  We on a daily basis have an impact on their career trajectory and we must not forget that.   People matter and relationships still matter in recruiting.

Video – All the social media platforms are right now made to organically push video content more than any other form of content. I don’t think that is going to go down in 2021 and it's going to only become more important. Personally, I know it’s a thing that I need to work on but there are experts out there in the field that I will rely on and get better at that.

Copywriting and Personalization – Both potential candidates and potential clients are sick of dumb messages that look like everyone else. They know that you just did an email blast hoping that shit sticks against the wall. The game is changing and taking the time to slow down and personalize with creative copywriting will help speed up whatever you are doing. 

Branding – More and more your personal brand is going to be ever important. It's going to require creating some sort of content, being out there on video, hoping on a podcast, or even hosting rooms on Clubhouse. Branding and Organic reach are going to be important walking through 2021.

Putting in the Work – This is one of the things that I know won’t change. There is no silver bullet in recruiting. There are tools that will help you along the way. The environment is changing and you have to stay on top of that. But you also have to stay away from Shiny Object Syndrome looking for that silver bullet.  Recruiting requires work and that is never going to change. Don’t forget the basics and work. The Basics should never be forgotten.

At the moment we are all looking and hoping that 2021 is going to be better than 2020. But I personally feel that it's going to also come with its own set of challenges. But there is also going to be a wave of success for those out there chasing it. So join me in the adventure and the chase as we walk through 2021 together.

Join me on upcoming episodes of the Elite Recruiter Podcast on Apple or Spotify!

Need to hire? We can help! This article was written by Benjamin Mena who is a Managing Partner of Select Source Solutions which is a boutique executive recruitment firm specializing in Data Science, Cyber Security, Talent Acquisition, and Government Contracting.