9 Recruitment trends for 2022

2022 Recruitment Trend 1: High-volume recruitment becomes mainstream

High-volume recruitment requires filling a large number of positions in a short period of time. Traditionally, high-volume recruitment was viewed as being exclusively for hourly, seasonal or graduate recruits. Over the past year, we’ve seen an increase in high-volume recruitment for regular full-time roles. 

As organisationsorganizations scramble to backfill vacant positions, the shortage of qualified candidates has created a need for accelerated recruitment cycles. At the same time, talent teams are lean: PageUp data shows us that on average a recruiter’s workload has increased by 28% since the onset of COVID-19. 

As a result, many organisationsorganizations now face the demands of high-volume recruitment for at least a proportion of roles. Recent research indicates 65% of companies have high-volume recruitment needs today. In 2022 we expect this percentage to increase. 

As organisationsorganizations consider their talent acquisition strategies for the next year, high-volume recruitment must be a priority and the technology solutions they use must be equipped for high-volume hiring. Many traditional ATS systems aren’t designed to perform activities —such as advertising, scheduling and communication —in bulk. In fact, 65% of companies with high-volume recruitment needs are not satisfied with their current ATS and 82% plan to increase their investment in fit-for-purpose technology this year.

2022 Recruitment Trend 2: Leverage internal mobility and Alumni

Before the pandemic, organisationsorganizations executed internal mobility programs with varying levels of success. During 2020, many organisationsorganizations were forced to redeploy talent at-speed in order to survive. OrganisationsOrganizations began to see that internal mobility could work —and that it was a crucial source of untapped skills. 

At the same time, many organisationsorganizations had to stand-down or furlough talented employees. This created a pool of ex-employees waiting to be re-engaged and brought back onboard, and highlighted the power of alumni networks.

With competition for talent at an all-time high, internal mobility and alumni networks are proving to be vital sources of pre-vetted, culturally aligned talent. In the past, HR teams would typically view the talent journey as linear: new talent brought in through external acquisition, onboarded and developed, then wished well when they moved on. Savvy recruiters are capitalisingcapitalizing on the knowledge that the talent journey can look more fluid —ex-employees can be brought back onboard, and internal talent can fill skill gaps. In 2022, we expect organisationsorganizations to accelerate the inroads they’ve made in building alumni networks and facilitating internal mobility. 

Giving employees internal development opportunities keeps them invested in their career growth with your company and is a great way to retain valuable talent. Bringing ex-employees back on board is a great way to regain valuable talent. With the Great Resignation upon us, you never know which ex-employee will become a returnee.

2022 Recruitment Trend 3: Employer branding becomes a competitive differentiator

In 2022, the way you present your brand and EVP will have a direct impact on your ability to attract and win talent. Think about where jobseekers may see your employer brand: on your careers site, on your social media channels, via job boards and at careers fairs. Are you putting your best foot forward here? Is your branding consistent, engaging and attractive to potential candidates? 

Your employer brand isn’t just the way your organisationorganization looks. It’s also reflected in how you treat your candidates at every stage of the hiring journey – whether they’re successful or not. In 2022, your candidate experience is integral to your employer brand. 

Leading organisationsorganizations create targeted EVPs to appeal to hard to fill talent segments. They do this by creating dedicated pages on their careers site to show off specific aspects of their culture and employer brand that would appeal to their target talent segments. Some organisationsorganizations have LGBTQI+ dedicated pages, others have Women in STEM and Veterans pages. 

Instead of promoting one blanket EVP, the best organisationsorganizations craft a unique EVP that speaks to diverse groups of talent. Take leading employment services organisationorganization APM as an example. APM undertook research to understand the needs and wants of their target audiences, then crafted unique messaging and specific pages that spoke to each of these EVP elements. They managed to appeal to jobseekers across 10 different brands, while still delivering a consistent careers site experience. 

Learn more: How APM attracts talent with a compelling EVP across 10 brands

2022 Recruitment Trend 4: Candidate experience becomes the cornerstone

With demand for talent outstripping supply, jobseekers are in control. Talented people know they have multiple options, and they won’t be afraid to say no to an offer if their expectations aren’t met. A poor candidate experience has repercussions — 49% of jobseekers would reject a job offer after receiving a bad candidate experience. 

For many organisationsorganizations candidates are also customers. A poor experience may lose you valued customers —whereas a great experience has been shown to drive referrals even when jobseekers aren’t successful.

In 2022 we expect to see an increased focus on all aspects of the candidate experience. 

What does a great candidate experience look like? Key aspects include:

• Access to information that allows jobseekers to make an informed decision about their personal fit with the role and the organisationorganization. In addition to a clearly articulated and targeted EVP, create transparency regarding flexible work arrangements, culture, career development and benefits. Highlight your organisationorganization’s commitment to DE&I, corporate social responsibility, mission and values. The goal is for jobseekers to self-select in or out of your recruitment process based on the information you have readily available. 

• A seamless technology experience from application through to onboarding.
• Timely, transparent communications at every stage of the process. Set expectations, give clear timelines, and show your applicants you appreciate and value their time. 

• Specific, targeted post-interview feedback for unsuccessful candidates. This will show you’re interested in their development for the future –and maybe they can re-apply when a suitable opportunity arises. 

PersonalisedPersonalized candidate communications. People can tell when you send off bulk generic messages, and it doesn’t reflect well on your employer brand. Lean on automation to do the heavy lifting and you’ll be able to send personalisedpersonalized, engaging messages that make all your candidates feel valued.

2022 Recruitment Trend 5: Inclusive practices drive uptake of DE&I

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) practices have become a central focus for HR teams in today’s competitive talent landscape. More than 75% of jobseekers state diversity is an important factor for them when evaluating companies and job offers. And 39% of candidates reject a role or do not proceed with a job application due to a perceived lack of inclusiveness within the organisationorganization. 

Your branding and EVP directly affects your ability to attract diverse talent. So how can you ensure your DEI strategy shines through in your employer branding, messaging and recruitment process in an authentic way? 

Did you know that the human brain can process visuals at a rate of 60,000 x faster than words? The look and feel of your organisationorganization’s branding and online presence sticks in a candidate’s memory long after they’ve visited your careers site. What impression are they taking away? Today’s candidate wants to see and hear stories from people that they can relate to. Showcasing “people like me” stories on career sites helps candidates visualisevisualize themselves working at your organisationorganization. 

In 2022 we expect to see an acceleration in the uptake of technology and processes in support of organisationsorganizations‘ DE&I strategy:

• text analysis to reduce bias in job ads
• application forms with inclusive titles, pronouns and gender options
• pay-equity analysis
• diversity reporting
• anonymisedanonymized screening 
• skills matching 
• unconscious bias training
• competency based interviews
• diverse sourcing channels 
• inclusive (accessible) onboarding.

2022 Recruitment Trend 6: The gold standard HR tech stack

A leading recruitment trend going into 2022 is the ‘gold standard’ tech stack: a selection of best of breed point solutions that seamlessly integrate and speak to each other.  

OrganisationsOrganizations are moving away from large ERP solutions that claim to do everything but in reality offer limited functionality or configurability. Instead, they’re adopting an ecosystem of best-of-breed point solutions that are fit for purpose and flexible enough to meet each organisationorganization’s unique needs. 

Some HR tech stacks include solutions for AI Skills matching, chatbots and candidate screening, others include video interviewing, i-9 verification and background checking software. The thing they all have in common is seamless integration and a true ‘jack of all trades’ capability (and because all solutions are best-in-class, you won’t find the ‘master of none’ drawbacks.)  

2022 Recruitment Trend 7: HumanisingHumanizing candidate touchpoints

Now we’ve covered how a cohesive, customer-first tech stack will be a key focus for organisationsorganizations in 2022, let’s look at how talent acquisition teams will be personalisingpersonalizing and adding the human touch to these tech experiences. More than18 months of remote work, job changes, lockdowns and restrictions have left employees feeling disconnected. 

In 2022, we forecast that organisationsorganizations will place a big focus on fostering connection through genuine, authentic and personalisedpersonalized tech experiences in the recruitment and hiring process. 

With an emphasis on streamlining tech, 2022’s best talent acquisition teams will lead the way for personalisedpersonalized, engaging candidate experiences. Attention to automation is important – but not at the expense of alienating employees, which can happen if tech is heavily relied upon and the ‘real touch’ of human interaction is lost to automation.

Leading companies are helping the ‘human touch’ shine through their recruitment technology stack by focusing on the human experience. Career websites that include genuine employee experiences help humanisehumanize the job-seeking experience for candidates, as well as differentiate your organisationorganization from competitors. 

HumanisingHumanizing tech experiences is a core focus at PageUp, where we partner with vendor solutions that have connection and collaboration at their core.

2022 Recruitment Trend 8: Jobseekers expect employers to support hybrid work

We’re well and truly at the stage where hybrid work models are the norm, with candidates expecting a flexible, clear plan for remote work. Today’s workers are used to the flexibility and freedom of a work from home lifestyle, and they don’t want to go back. In fact, 34% of employees say that they would look for a new role if their employer didn’t provide remote work options. But did you know that 68% of organisationsorganizations don’t have a clear plan in place for hybrid work?

The best candidates are not looking for a hybrid work model to be on offer in a simple ‘tick a box’ manner. When considering an organisationorganization for employment, they want to know the ins and outs of their hybrid work commitments. What flexibility is offered? How does the organisationorganization utiliseutilize tech to support this? A LinkedIn survey found that so far, 7% of Australian workers have resigned because they hadn’t been offered a flexible workplace. It’s critical to be proactive when communicating your organisationorganization’s hybrid work policy.

In 2022, more organisationsorganizations are providing an ‘under the hood’ view of their hybrid work model. They’re championing the additional possibilities opened up by a talent network that’s location and hours-flexible, while emphasisingemphasizing their commitment to building a connected, human work experience for their people.

The presence of hybrid tech tools is something that candidates will look at when assessing a new role. Candidates often won’t mind what hybrid tech solution you choose (Zoom, Google Meets or Teams, for example) – what they do want to know is that the collaboration tools, video interviewing and meeting softwares work in your organisationorganization harmoniously and are actively used and supported by all employees.

2022 Recruitment Trend 9: Appeal to the new generation of workers

As they complete their studies, Gen Z are entering the workforce in droves. To attract top talent leading organisationsorganizations are showcasing their employer brand in new and exciting ways. Gen Z are often grouped together with their older millennial counterparts, but differentiating their own expectations is critical to attracting and retaining this cohort. 

Outdated recruiting technology is a turn-off for Gen Z. In fact, industry research shows that 54% of them won’t complete a job application if they feel your recruiting methods are outdated, and 46% of them have also applied for a job on their mobile device. Have you looked at which devices your candidates use most when applying for roles?

A strong and relevant social media presence is no longer optional — it’s essential. Gen Z will research your employer brand using social media more than any other generation. Beyond LinkedIn, Gen Z research employers via Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. In fact, TikTok recently launched TikTok Careers as a way to close in on the Gen Z hiring market. The platform has proven a hit for its #careeradvice videos: short, informative content pieces where recruiters give jobseekers interview tips and resume advice. Now, organisationsorganizations like Chipotle and Target that often need to hire high volumes of entry-level Gen Z staff are finding candidates through TikTok’s video resumes. 

Forward-thinking businesses are already recognisingrecognizing the benefits of appealing to Gen Z job seekers. Understanding what drives, motivates and inspires Gen Z candidates is key to a successful recruiting strategy in 2022.

Are you ready to take control of your recruitment strategy?

Are your recruitment strategies strong enough to attract and hire great talent? 

Every day, the PageUp team works with hundreds of clients globally to optimiseoptimize their sourcing channels and career sites, build strong talent pipelines, and nurture relationships with internal and external talent. 

Get in touch today to see how we can help you attract the talent you need to grow in 2022.