Ignite Digital Talent are a progressive leader in talent acquisition and talent solutions.  We offer our clients a distinctive edge by offering a unique partnering approach.  Working with them, we find top-grade data, digital, and technology people to power their businesses.  For our candidates, we build digital careers, placing them in career-defining roles within disruptive and industry-transforming organisations.

Both our clients and candidates value our focus, specialist reputation, and straightforward collaborative approach.

We know tech and digital recruitment, and with that in mind, this blog looks to let you into our world a little.  We reveal the top recruitment industry trends that are sweeping through our sector in 2021.

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Top Recruitment Trends.

Employer Branding.

Employer Branding is fast becoming the hot ticket of many companies’ recruitment strategies.  Employer Branding is the reputation of your company amongst candidates and employees.  It defines how people see you as an employer both inside, and outside your organisation.

Building, leveraging, and promoting the employer brand will all be high priorities for businesses in the coming year.  In this candidate-driven market, top talent has options.  Employer branding could be the deciding factor when it comes to who they choose to work for.

Remote Work.

Of course, remote working makes the list! 2020 made it the norm, and now many candidates have come to expect it.  Whether this is a fully remote position or a hybrid model, candidates will expect a level of flexibility in their future workplace. For many, it will be a deciding factor in whether they accept a job.

Remote working will not only help you to attract top talent, but it will also widen the available talent pool; it considerably widens your geographical restrictions.

Company Culture.

Arguably, company culture has always been there. However, as we all return to offices (at least a bit!), company culture has become more front and centre. Businesses have to entice people back to the office; reuniting your team and welcoming new team members has to be made a priority.

The last 18 months have taught us a few things about what we most value. A culture of compassion, honesty, and care has become an employee priority.  Businesses may need to revamp their company culture in line with these expectations. New talent will thrive off it, while it will breathe new life into existing teams. It won’t do your Employer Branding any harm either!

AI and Automation.

Most industry sectors have already welcomed AI. This year Automation has swept through recruitment, transforming and enhancing many elements of the recruitment process.

Automation has taken away many of our sector’s menial tasks, allowing us to focus on what really matters.  For example, algorithms and AI contribute to the CV screening process, while SaaS solutions help us speed up contractual exchanges.

Teams can focus more than ever on candidate experience, ensuring that all stages of the hiring journey are smooth, streamlined, and meet the best practice standards we live by.

Retention.

Retention should be high on every company’s talent strategy.  To reduce recruitment costs and minimise disruption in an already disruptive time, a company must try and hold on to its MVPs.

To focus on retention, organisations must listen to employees and be open to a little flexibility.  Perhaps they want better benefits or more flexibility. Maybe they are asking for more opportunities for progression or changes to the company culture.  Voices should be heard and wins celebrated. Your talent strategy will be grateful if you are able to hold onto your top performers over 2022.

For more advice on retaining your MVPs, head over to our recent blog.

A man takes part in a remote interview at his laptop. He has on a headset and is holding some notes.

Data-Driven Recruiting.

Data-driven recruiting is the term for using tangible facts and statistics to inform hiring decisions.  As data becomes more and more available, this trend is going to be more and more popular.  Data-driven hiring can allow you to monitor recruitment budgets more closely, discover any issues in your recruitment process and even allow you to make objective, evidence-based hires.  It also removes bias from hiring decisions and diversify your team as well as finds people most suited to your business. It also speeds up the candidate screening process and could even reduce recruitment costs.

Social Media Recruitment.

Social media recruitment is another trend that is making waves within the recruitment sector.  Social media allows you to reach a cohort of professionals who didn’t even know they were looking for a new job.  It also allows you to build brand awareness, promote your employer brand and advertise vacant jobs. Social media advertising and Google ad campaigns can target individuals with relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.  Less budget is wasted and you are having the right conversations instantly.

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Growing Talent Pools.

A talent pool is a collection of candidates who are passionate about your brand and want to work for you.  The recruitment space has seen companies keep these pools warm and engaged throughout 2020 through targeted marketing strategies, such as email campaigns. This approach ensures that those candidates remain interested in your business until a role becomes available.   It is a great way to keep on the radar of top-tier candidates while keeping recruitment costs down. The recruitment industry does the same thing, just on a larger scale. We build talent pools through networking,

Social media recruitment marketing campaigns and through keeping in touch with passive candidates, or those we have previously placed.

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Candidate Experience.

Technology ensures that candidates expect and receive a smoother candidate experience, especially when they are applying online. In 2021, there is no excuse for disjointed application processes, unresponsive websites, or tardy responses. The experience you offer candidates has a direct impact on your employer brand; it makes or breaks your recruitment strategy.  Get it wrong, and it can even have serious implications for your bottom line.

For more information and advice on improving your Candidate Experience, read our recent blog post here.

Remote Recruiting.

Remote recruitment is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is still a force to be reckoned with among our sector.  Remote recruiting is convenient and isn’t restricted by geography or travel expectations.  It is time-efficient, saves money, frees up resources, and allows you to speak to anyone across the globe. The benefits of remote screening are huge, and we can expect it to remain a feature of modern recruiting.

A lady wears earphones and smart clothes while on skype. She is waving at the camera greeting colleagues.

Diversity and inclusion.

2020 has pushed diversity and inclusion right to the forefront of recruitment.  Steps such as ensuring your recruitment process is more inclusive and diversifying your leadership team are just two of the many you can take to make sure that you are an ‘equal opportunities for all’ employer or recruitment partner. Diverse and inclusive businesses are more productive, creative, and have the advantage of a range of perspectives and opinions.

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2021 and beyond.

Broadly speaking 2020 was a dawn of change. Organisations across all sectors have had to pivot their ways of working and adapt their business models to remain profitable and relevant.  Recruitment is no exception. Both candidate and client requirements have shifted; meaning that we too have had to follow a different roadmap to accommodate these changes.

Hopefully, these 12 recruitment trends have helped to give you more of an insight into our industry, how the broader landscape of recruitment has evolved and will continue to evolve moving forward into 2022 and beyond.

Are you looking to grow your tech, digital or data team? Let us show you what progressive talent solutions look like in 2021. Reach out today.

About the author: As a founder of Ignite Digital Talent, I lead our brilliant team to ensure we deliver time and time again for our clients. I also stay closely networked with industry influencers to ensure we are well placed to understand the issues and challenges our clients face.

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