The new world of work is being formed by all kinds of people, from seasoned leaders to entry-level professionals with fresh perspectives. A group of agile and modern professional talent is self-reflective, resilient and relational. For hiring managers to curate a blended and productive workforce of inter-generational talent, they must therefore look to the future of recruitment.

Here are 5 of the biggest trends that the new year will see in hiring practises:

Recognising the value of soft skills

Hard skills are, and most likely always will be, a valuable component to a candidate’s desirability. The assessment of these hard skills are simple enough; it is the evaluation of soft skills that will become a key facet to the hiring process. According to LinkedIn’s 2019 Global Talent Trends, 89% of bad hires typically lack the needed soft skills.

The identification of soft skills is hard and often comes after the hire has been made, and therefore hiring managers are investing more in their assessment methods. In the new world of work, employers will have to rely less on social cues picked up during interviews in order to avoid unconscious bias and begin implementing a formal process of assessment, something which only 41% of companies already do.

Augmenting the candidate experience

When applying for roles, it is not uncommon for candidates to send out their CV en masse. Companies that have a long-winded application or hiring process risk losing the attention of a great candidate who expects a consumer-level UX. A key ingredient to approving an online application process is of course leveraging technology for a streamlined approach. The best recruiters go the extra step and make sure there are human touch points along the way.

Of course, the hiring process extends beyond the candidate sending their CV. In order to retain their reputation in candidates and ensure that they do not have negative things to say about the application experience, employers are increasingly encouraged to offer their feedback as to not ‘ghost’ anybody.

Use of video

Through our brand Fyte, we have been leveraging video technology to facilitate the hiring process for managers with limited time and resources. This simple, yet effective method to recruiting uses modern technology to humanise the application journey. With the emergence of technology-savvy Gen Z professionals entering the modern workforce, the value of video will only further rise.

Normalising flexible working negotiations

In the past couple years, there has been a 78% rise in LinkedIn job posts advertising flexible work arrangements. Employers are rapidly recognizing its increasing importance amongst a younger workforce that have a better understanding of personal wellness. This increase in flexible working proposals has inevitably coincided with technology facilitating communication between teams, and as this technology gets better, so will the ease in which flexible working will be part of the hiring process negotiation.

Prioritizing employee branding

The importance of employee engagement is widely acknowledged as indispensable when it comes to talent retention, but also equally important for the company’s reputation. For a wellness conscious workforce, employee satisfaction is high on the list of an employer’s attractive qualities, Research by LinkedIn has concluded that 75% of job seekers research a company’s reputation before applying, with 83% of employers admitting that reputation plays an important part of hiring.