Future of recruiting

How Recruiting and HR Will Change in 2017, According to LinkedIn’s Talent Leaders

We are three weeks in and there is no denying -- 2017 is on. And, it’s going to be a busy year for recruiting and HR professionals alike.

According to our Global Recruiting Trends survey, 56% of Talent Acquisition teams say their hiring volume will increase...but their team size and resources will stay the same. And, once all those candidates are hired, HR professionals have the challenge of creating outstanding employee experiences in order to retain that talent. More and more, employees are starting expect perks like free lunch, flexible work hours, and of course plenty of vacation.

So, how will the industry respond to these - and many more - challenges in 2017? LinkedIn’s CHRO, Pat Wadors, and Head of Talent Acquisition, Brendan Browne, discuss the top six trends that will emerge in the world of HR and Talent Acquisition this year in their latest Talent on Tap episode:

Let’s take a closer look at these trends:

1. Focusing on employee experience and hyper-personalization

With the market becoming more and more competitive, companies are switching focus from what employees need to what employees want. Google Trends data reveals that the term “employee experience” has jumped 140% since 2011, affirming that the switch will be a major trend of 2017.

This will not only affect how the HR and Talent functions carry out their operations, but also will open an entirely new field of work focused solely on innovating and providing the best employee experience at companies.

Pat refers to this trend as “keeping the magic” - identifying that in 2017, companies will gravitate towards hyper-personalization in the workplace in terms of benefits, compensation, work location and overall operations.

2. Bots and Artificial Intelligence changing how we work

Recruiting is one of the oldest professions in the world, centering on human-to-human contact. The world of HR and Talent has been buzzing with the impending effects that Artificial Intelligence and Bots will have on the industry. According to Brendan, a “premium” will be placed on the human side of the recruiting process through the evolution of Bots and AI.

How will this evolving technology impact HR functions? The answer isn’t 100% clear, as the technology is still developing, currently focusing on process automation and efficiency. “The days of having to spend a lot of time and money finding a name have evolved,” says Brendan.

3. Rethinking annual performance reviews

Companies across all industries are reassessing the age-old practice of annual performance reviews, with nearly 46% of companies changing their review practices, or getting rid of it all together. Pat explains, “It’s such a hot topic…no one has gotten it right" and everyone is striving to.

Transparency and trust between employer and employee has become increasingly important. In this practice of “behind the curtain” manager discussions concerning employee performance, transparency can be tough. “20-25% of your managers are employees, and so there has got to be trust," says Pat. Performance management and compensation will be a huge discussion in 2017.

4. Emphasizing skills over schools

University recruiting will be heavily impacted in 2017 by the emerging methodology of “skills over schools.” Deloitte, an industry-leading audit, consulting, tax, and advisory service, plans to hire over 1,500 recent college grads and will not share the unviersity in which the candidates come from with hiring managers. This practice is an effort that intends to create a more diverse workplace, setting a precedent on performance and talent, rather than calibration of education based on University.

Recruiting teams will need to adapt to this evolving recruitment methodology. First, by identifying hidden talent pools where skill level is top-notch. "There are pools of hidden talent that no one really thinks about, but are incredibly capable and brilliant,” says Pat. 

5. A new focus on the predictive side of data

As technology continues to advance and the value of data remains a main focus, Pat indicates “the predictive side” of data will become increasingly important. Data will allow us to predict growth, expected employee compensation, and what skills are rapidly evolving in our industry.

With the “skills over schools” mentality becoming a focus of 2017, predicting which skills are needed, and moreover growing, will be a gamechanger.

6. Proving the ROI of talent acquistion

All of the trends listed above have a large impact on how Talent Acquisition functions operate. In 2017, proving the ROI for TA will be imperative, as tech innovations continue to push the “human” out of human resources.

Tech is changing, but human talent is what drives change through innovation. So although the exact ROI for Talent Acquisition is tough to determine numerically, 2017 will be a big year for trying to do just that along with recruiting, retaining, and keeping employees happy.

Talent on Tap is a weekly series where Pat Wadors and Brendan Browne break down some of the hottest topics, biggest challenges, and most enticing opportunities in the world of talent. Talent on Tap will also give you an opportunity to hear from other organizational leaders, subject matter experts, and thought leaders in the space. Stay tuned each week for the latest.

*Image by julochka

To receive blog posts like this one straight in your inbox, subscribe to the blog newsletter.

Have blog stories delivered to your inbox