Are you currently jobhunting? Whatever your career goals may be, there are a lot of new trends occurring in the global hiring market
Inevitably, a lot of these global hiring trends tend to trickle down to the Caribbean which influences the practices of recruiters as well as the opportunities that become available.
As a result, jobseekers in today’s digital age have a different set of global hiring trends and criteria to consider when aiming to land their next job.
This set of criteria includes:
Virtual hiring
Traditional interviews required in-person, face-to-face meetings with a recruiter panel or less commonly, over the telephone.
With the increase in digital media, social media platforms, the number and reliability of video conferencing and the rise of smartphone technology, many recruiters worldwide opt for virtual hiring practices.
These new global hiring practices can range from conference-style interviews on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, to recruiters requesting applicants to record videos of themselves answering a series of advertised questions or the use of chatbots.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Chatbots, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, can pop up on an employer’s website and sift through the applicant pool by posing a series of questions. The chatbot generates a shortlist of candidates whose answers are more aligned and relevant to the position in question.
Through Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning, chatbots become smarter with every conversation to quickly sort through hundreds of resumes and pre-screen candidates to shortlist viable candidates. Chatbots also save recruiters a lot of time by updating unsuccessful candidates, scheduling interviews, and expediting the hiring process.
These actions save recruiters around the world from the mundane and lengthy tasks which made the waiting period for applicants to get an update more tedious. In addition, AI technology also is used by modern recruiters to develop job descriptions, a list of interview questions, and recommendations for matching candidates to the right roles based on skills, qualifications, and experience.
Some recruiters may consider that AI has levelled the playing field even further which resulted in fair and equal opportunities. This is because the technology is free from human biases, prejudices or presumptions. Recruiters recognise this creates a fairer way of hiring as the technology is not subjected to ethnic, gender or age bias that humans can have.
Creating a positive work culture
Nowadays, the spotlight is on organisations to foster a work environment that is both productive and positive to the physical and wellbeing of all employees. The greater awareness that comes with the internet and social media has made it easier for company malpractices to be recorded and punished with lawsuits.
Moreover, with more workers around the world prioritising mental health and wellbeing over company loyalty, recruiters are keener towards candidates who can help foster and maintain a positive working experience within their organisation.
As a result, employers are now looking at what applicants bring to the table apart from qualifications. Universities are producing thousands of new but largely identical graduates every year. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the modern recruiter to be faced with hundreds of applications that all bear similar, if not identical educational qualifications.
To go beyond this issue, a popular hiring trend is looking at the candidate for who they are, as opposed to what they are. Employers today, want to identify the right qualifications, but also the right temperament, character, personality and passion. Modern people want to be around people they will enjoy working with.
Resumes can tell lies, but character does not. An inauthentic candidate cannot fake passion for something. Looking beyond educational qualifications and focusing more on accomplishment stories, enthusiasm and character have become useful in hiring the fitting personalities that will contribute to a positive work environment.
Social media investigations
Though social media has been around for well over a decade, global companies use these platforms to acquire insightful intelligence concerning their applicants. Performing an applicant’s background check involves scanning through multiple social media profiles of shortlisted persons. This is necessary to ensure what an applicant claimed during the interview has merit.
Social media has also enabled hiring recruiter to become better judges of character as far as getting insight into the private lives of applicants. This enables recruiters to determine whether the content on these applicants’ social media platforms correspond to the information provided during the interview or on their resumes.
For example, employers can check out a candidate’s LinkedIn for insights into their employment history, skills, completed coursework and the content (if any) that they consume and create. Some jobs posted on social media sites, such as LinkedIn allow for ‘Easy Apply. This function allows candidates to apply for vacancies, where instead of uploading a resume and filling out information fields, their LinkedIn profile is snapshot and sent to the hiring person for review.
More tech skills but human qualities also required
The world keeps getting more digitalised and hiring practices are no exception. A lot of hiring trends involve recruiting people who already have a head start on using new technologies. As such, companies across the globe require applicants to have atleast a basic or intermediate knowledge of software programs that pertain to the industry, whereas previously, such companies would invest in training of these skills as part of their onboarding program.
Nevertheless, the desire for technology-related skills has simultaneously created a need for more human qualities. For example, artificial intelligence can generate reports, job descriptions or marketing content through a simple prompt. However, the human eye or ear is still required to ensure that information is relevant.
Though modern technology has far-reaching effects, companies still require a human element in their workforce. Technology is a tool but it is not the final solution. There is a demand for the human factor to guide and use this tool to find the solutions that are relevant and applicable to real-world problems.
As such, companies that hire today need the appropriate blend of analytical and creative. Though tech skills are in demand, human soft skills are simultaneously required to ensured the technology is used accurately.
