Hiring Trends To Get Ahead Of In 2022

Work environments and the technologies we use are constantly evolving, and hiring trends in 2022 are proof of this.

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Many of the key 2022 hiring trends began before the pandemic and have expanded as a result. These hiring trends are expected to become permanent. 

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According to Monster’s 2022 Future of Work Report, the hiring landscape for 2022 is looking up, with 93% of employers planning to recruit new personnel this year. 

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This includes 51% of employers planning to replace or backfill workers and 41% planning to fill brand new posts.

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But this is no easy feat. Because of the Great Resignation, there are fewer active job seekers. Skilled candidates are considerably more difficult to find and expensive to hire.

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Traditional workplaces no longer exist for many companies, and new working models are emerging at a faster rate than ever. New skills are in demand, as are diversity and inclusion practices. 

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HR leaders need to reassess their hiring processes and talent development to win the battle for talented and highly skilled workers in our evolving workplaces. 

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7 Hiring Trends for 2022 to Keep You Ahead of the Game 

Recruiters must remain ahead of the hiring trends in 2022 to meet crucial skills gaps. None of these factors are likely to lose importance in the future. 

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The more open you are to reconsidering established methods and habits, the higher your company's chances of being successful and profitable in the long term.

1. Leverage Artificial Intelligence 

A growing hiring trend in 2022 is to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify operations and achieve better workflow and efficiency. 

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Companies that use AI will see a considerable reduction in time-to-hire and improved candidate experience. 

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Until recently, the main advantages of HR technology were to boost efficiency and reduce costs by automating repetitive processes. 

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But today, AI also enables HR professionals to tackle crucial business obstacles, achieve rapid optimizations, and even have an impact on broader company goals and revenue. 

How AI is Being Used in HR Now

• Background verification: Raising red flags on applicant resumes such as resume padding. 
• Content personalization: Applying predictive analytics to offer career options and professional development programs or enhance career growth based on prior applicant behavior.
• Anomaly detection: Identifying behavior that could amount to time theft, corruption, or other misconduct.
• Employee disengagement and burnout: Spotting behaviors that indicate employees’ loss of interest and exhaustion. 

Related: HR Technology Trends In 2022

2. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) include more than policies, initiatives, and employee headcounts. Equitable employers are more likely to outperform the competition by valuing each team member's individual needs, opinions, and capabilities. 

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As employees become more conscious of social issues that impact them and their communities, they will align themselves with firms that have transparent DE&I policies and have shown genuine commitment to implementing them. 

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Companies are also dedicating more time to teaching DE&I principles and acceptable behaviors to their employees.

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The McKinsey study on why diversity matters compared profitability between companies that do or do not embrace a cultural and gender diverse approach. The results showed a clear trend toward better profitability for companies with sound DE&I policies and progressive practices. 

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Companies need to recognize that diversity and inclusion are not simply nice to have but critical to their success.

How Can You Incorporate DE&I Into Your Hiring Strategy For 2022?

• Broadening the criteria for what makes a successful candidate can assist you in becoming more inclusive. Beyond gender and race, there are other factors to consider, like generational, age and ability differences, neurodiversity, and veteran status.
• Establish a diverse hiring team to ensure candidates are viewed from different perspectives and to reduce bias. The best practice “mirror the consumer market” is equally applicable in the talent market. 
• Standardize your job interview process for all candidates. This assists interviewers in determining what questions to ask and in what order to ask them. It also ensures a consistent candidate experience for all applicants.
• Write inclusive job descriptions. Begin with a job title and description devoid of any references to gender or demographic traits. Keep things simple and concentrate on the task at hand. Watch out for using masculine or feminine words. Emphasize work responsibilities rather than prerequisites and eliminate any degree requirements that aren't necessary. 
• Advertise job openings in a variety of places. Consider that many applicants look for work on social media. They likely use their mobile devices to access job adverts, so make sure they are mobile device-friendly.
• Define the meaning of diversity and inclusion for your organization. Keep in mind that diversity can be defined by several types of people and interconnections within those types. 

3. Virtual Recruiting Has Become The Norm

Initial interview rounds over the phone and via video were already commonplace before the pandemic hit. This hiring trend will be the primary personnel recruitment mode for most organizations in 2022. 

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Virtual events, multi-person remote interviews, virtual office tours, and online real-time presentations will become standard. 

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In-person interviews will often only be conducted during the final stage if the candidate is expected to work at corporate headquarters. 

4. The Rise of Remote Hiring 

Many recruitment officials report that prospects have turned down job offers because of a shortage of remote work opportunities at the company. 

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If companies do not shift to a hybrid model, totally remote, or remote-first culture, nearly two-thirds expect to lose some of their existing staff.

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There has been a significant impact on employee recruiting methods and processes since the move to a remote-first strategy. 

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Plus, the advantages of remote hiring for HR professionals and businesses alike are well recognized. They include:

• A larger and more diversified talent pool: The quality of an organization's employees significantly impacts its success. Without geographical restrictions, recruitment officials can hire top talent regardless of where they are. 
• Quicker time to hire: Remote recruitment is more efficient and shortens the hiring time. Digital platforms, video interviews, and digital feedback scheduling are more accessible. 

Allowing employees to work remotely, at least some of the time, is beneficial for both employees and the organization. This is because a higher level of engagement has been found among employees who have a hybrid work arrangement. 

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According to Bloomberg, a recent survey revealed that 39% of employees would consider quitting their jobs if organizations were not open to remote work models. 

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After successfully recruiting remote talent, keeping people from all over the world in sync, supported, and motivated will necessitate new systems and adaptive attitudes. 

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HR leaders should be focused on selecting platforms that deliver efficient and sustainable remote hiring models this year. 

Related: Tips to Attract Top Talent in a Post-Covid Market

5. Fully Remote Onboarding 

Remote onboarding is an extension of remote hiring and is already the most popular choice for companies and employees alike. 

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It's still a novel concept for some organizations to hire and onboard staff entirely online. Some are still adjusting to the new models, but indications are that this is happening swiftly. 

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The many new and efficient platforms, tools, and apps now available are helping companies rapidly upgrade their onboarding process.

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Employers should use these resources to make virtual onboarding as smooth, dynamic, and instructive as possible. Even though onboarding takes place remotely, many of the employee requirements are fundamentally the same as onboarding in person.

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Facilitated by collaborative tools and shared documents, remote onboarding introduces employees to your organization in an exciting and integrated way, even if they are not in the same physical office space. 

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In the first few days and weeks, new employees have a large amount of information to process. So, ensure that open communication is a central theme for a smooth onboarding process. Also, make knowledge and policy libraries available online for all employees and managers.

6. On-Demand Workforces 

Along with changing labor demographics and digital transformation, companies are struggling with a chronic skills shortage. 

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Talent platforms that include marketplaces for high-level expertise, freelance workers, and crowdsourcing innovations offer the most viable solutions. 

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Competitive organizations are engaging with these platforms far more strategically now. Their recruitment officials readily tap into digital applicant tracking systems (ATS), and they have access to skilled pre-screened candidates from around the world. 

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These candidates are screened rapidly by AI, such as IBM’s impressive AI system known as Watson Recruitment. This advanced talent solution uses a high-level scoring system based on factors such as social listening, which evaluates candidates’ social media use.

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It will require rethinking policies and processes and a cultural shift in hiring trends to take full advantage of the transformative potential of all these new platforms.

The Advantages of Talent Platforms 

• Vast availability of talented workers, with about 162 million gig workers in the US and EU alone.
• With over 300 digital platforms and counting, skilled workers are increasingly accessible.
• Companies can commission freelancers to do single tasks or projects and do not need to undertake an entire recruitment process in every case.
• Organizations have access to skills that are not internally available, and they can broaden their capabilities and offerings more quickly.
• Increased skilled workers available at short notice rapidly improve critical project delivery.
• Organizations can leverage these platforms to broaden diversity and inclusion. 

7. Employee Engagement as Corporate Survival Strategy

‍Distributed workplaces will remain in place in 2022. The expected Great Return to the office has stalled while the Great Resignation seems set to continue. 

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Business leaders have realized that with the ongoing growth in hybrid and remote work models, engagement efforts need to be adapted as soon as possible. Excellent employee engagement is now a survival strategy rather than an option.

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Company cultures in 2022 will be more about encouraging workers to thrive in their roles and make sure they feel seen and heard by all team members and top management. 

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To improve employee retention, try a thought exercise. How can you engage better with your current employees? What will make them significantly happier in the long term? Can improved work conditions, rewards systems, and job perks revive your company culture and productivity? 

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This thought exercise will help you get ahead of the 2022 hiring trends by adapting to accommodate your workforce. In turn, your company will be able to attract much better new talent. 

8. Work-Life Balance Facilitation

The widespread consensus is that businesses have a moral duty to their employees' health. With a large percentage of talent now prioritizing work-life balance, HR professionals must take note.

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Minimizing work-related stress while maintaining work efficiency and general well-being can be challenging, but burnt-out employees are less efficient and more prone to making mistakes and quitting. 

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Time away from work is essential. Flexibility with work hours, hybrid and remote work options combined with job perks have been shown to improve employees’ experiences. 

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Organizations still need to respect the time that employees clock in and out. Just because they work from home does not mean they are accessible for work at all times.

Related: Lifestyle Benefits For Employees (Ultimate Guide)

9. Strong Employer Branding 

Organizational reputation and company branding, which have always been significant, have become a powerful hiring asset and a vital aspect of retention tactics this year.

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The more a candidate learns about your company, culture, people, and purpose—and the more positive their perception is—the more likely they are to apply for a job and be happy to stay with your company.

How Can You Create Potent Employer Branding?

Consider the following key factors:

• Is your company's mission statement clear and concise? 
• Is it designed with diversity and inclusion in mind? Many candidates in the current employment market are carefully assessing a company's reputation before they consider sending in their resume.
• Does your company embrace social responsibility and ethical practices? This needs to be evident in your branding material.
• Use your website and social media to tell your brand story and showcase your company in the best light. Ensure that the content is authentic and that candidates will understand what to expect as a new employee. 

10. New Recruiting Skills 

Recruitment officials must constantly enhance their own skills to stay ahead of the competition for new talent. Any successful HR manager has excellent communication and relationship-building abilities. 

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However, upskilling is now non-negotiable for HR teams, especially if companies have any hope of future growth. Investing in HR managers’ and officials’ career development will help you stay ahead of the 2022 curve in hiring trends. 

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Education platforms such as Coursera, professional development workshops, communities of practice, and other educational resources are among the best ways to ensure your HR team’s success.

Final Word

The post-COVID-19 rise of the technology-dominated workforce is here to stay. Successful recruitment officials now have a powerful array of tech tools and new skills at their disposal. 

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The more willing you are to question long-held beliefs and habits, the better your company's chances of long-term success in the war for talent. 

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Complacency in the face of shifting business and talent demands might cost your company its competitive advantage.

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In the post-pandemic working world, recruitment officials need to be proactive and stay ahead of hiring trends in 2022.