Online recruitment trends

Skilled and experienced candidates hold all the power in the job market according to Careers24’s report on online recruitment trends. The report shows that the South African job market is in line with the international trend whereby the skilled, experienced and educated candidates are able to choose the roles and companies rather than vice versa.

Showcasing the power of the skilled candidates in a skills-depleted job market, headhunting passive candidates was and continues to be crucial. This is particularly true in fields such as engineering, IT and the medical fields. Recruiters need to be able to sell the opportunity outside of a salary and benefits, as skilled employees generally have to be compelled beyond a paycheck to move from one company to another.

Passive candidates are engaged using online of offline talent networks, which are designed to enable conversations.  Due to the shift in power, whereby it is a seller’s market, candidates need to be convinced that these networks offer the opportunity to have conversations with other candidates. Peer-driven company reviews and company-driven corporate showcase sites are online tools that are an extension of talent networks.

Another trend Careers24 noted was that in 2016 there was an emphasis on employer branding. A number of larger organisations used a strategy that created a focus on their employer value proposition and brand, targeting current staff as well as other desirable candidates.

Data analytics in recruitment is on the rise, with a slow but important growth of data analytics in recruitment in 2016. Talent management software assists recruiters plan their recruitment needs by focusing a lot more on data analytics.

The full Careers24 article can be read here.