Recruitment was a straightforward task: you just had to publish the job offer and wait for the resumes. But it is now a very strategic, technologically advanced, and data-driven process, the primary goal of which is to find, engage, and retain the best candidates rather than the easiest ones.
To be able to compete in a labour market that is changing all the time, employers must understand that being up-to-date with the way hiring is done nowadays is a condition that is necessary for them.
What is Modern Recruitment?
Modern recruitment is a thorough approach to hiring through the whole hiring process that is a blend of employer branding, candidate experience, technology, data, and talent strategy.
Recruiting is no longer viewed as a one-time task assigned solely to the HR department. Leading companies, on the other hand, view recruiting as a closed continuous cycle that includes:
- Develops & maintains talent pipelines
- Employ diverse channels (job boards, referrals, social media, talent communities)
- Focuses not only on previous roles but also on skills & potential & culture fit
Recognises that how candidates feel about the experience they have getting hired, from first contact through to onboarding, will influence how your company is viewed in the marketplace and how likely new hires are to remain with your organisation.
Key Features of Modern Recruitment
The recruitment process in most organisations today includes several components:
Multi-Channel Sourcing: Employers use multiple sources to reach both active (candidates currently looking for jobs) and passive (candidates not looking for a job) candidates by posting jobs on job portals and LinkedIn, posting jobs on niche platforms, using employee referrals, partners who specialise in recruitment, and sometimes hiring from campus job fairs or events.
Technology and Automation: The use of recruitment technology is common in today’s hiring environment. Many recruiters use an ATS (applicant tracking system) to manage their applicant funnel, video interview software to conduct remote interviews, skills assessment tools to evaluate candidates based on proven success (not just degrees or years of experience), and digital onboarding tools for onboarding new employees.
Skills First: In many organisations within the tech, digital, and other continuously evolving industries, when determining hiring decisions, recruiters often focus on an applicant’s skills and their ability to produce results, rather than only on the applicant’s education and years of experience.
Data-Driven Decisions: All metrics, such as time to hire, cost per hire, source effectiveness, early attrition, etc., will be used to improve the hiring process over time.
The Importance of Employee Branding
Today, your company’s job-seeker image may be just as important to candidates as the salary you offer. Most candidates now take the time to check out the companies they are interested in by visiting the company’s website, checking out various social media platforms, looking at online reviews, and hearing what other people have said about them.
Companies that promote their employer brand with authenticity by articulating their values, providing realistic depictions of their culture, sharing stories about employees, and being transparent in their communications typically:
- Get better-suited candidates to apply for jobs.
- Have fewer candidates that “no-shows” and reject job offers.
- Create long-term talent communities that, although not selected for today, may apply for jobs at a later date.
The question of many roles has now shifted from “Is this candidate a fit for us?” to “Are we attractive enough to the type of candidate we want to attract?”
Candidate Experience: A Core Differentiator
Modern recruiting views candidates not only as employees but as customers as well. Poor communication, long wait times, and unclear expectations for the hiring process may hinder your brand and cause top-qualifying candidates to withdraw from consideration.
The following improves your candidate experience:
- Accurate job descriptions and candid, honest job expectations.
- Fairly described and logical steps (screening, interviewing, assessing, and deciding) through the recruitment process.
- Timely responses to candidates – even if “Not Selected”.
- Respectful, structured interviews of candidates by well-prepared interviewers.
Treating candidates well during the process may result in future applications and referrals from candidates who do not obtain employment with you.
Modern Assessment and Selection
- Structured interviews: Asking the same questions of all candidates will minimise bias while allowing fair comparisons between their responses to each question.
- Skills tests/work samples: Tasks that simulate everyday workplace activities (e.g., coding challenges, case study exercises, or written essays).
- Behavioural/situational questions: Learning how candidates have behaved and what actions they would take in response to specific situations gives insights into how they think and behave.
This approach provides additional data points for the employer to assess candidates effectively for the job and fit within the company’s culture.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Fair Hiring
Equitable and inclusive recruitment practices are paramount in modern recruitment. Organisations are now realising the impact of implicit bias and how building diverse teams can enhance organisational performance.
Some of the steps employers are taking to promote equitable and inclusive recruitment practices include:
- Reviewing job postings to remove gender- or race-biased language
- Developing a standardised rubric to assess candidates during the interview process.
- Expanding sourcing channels to reach underrepresented groups
- Educating hiring managers on how to conduct inclusive interviews
It’s clear that creating equitable and inclusive recruiting practices isn’t merely about value; organisations want to create diverse teams that can collaborate, innovate, and produce results over time.
Partnering Strategically with Recruitment Experts
Employers are increasingly looking to partner with recruiting firms and outsourcing providers to overcome the complexity associated with hiring. Recruiting agencies and outsourcing firms can help employers:
- Access larger or more specific talent markets.
- Advise employers on pay rates and expectations for potential candidates, and assist them in creating a job structure that is appealing to candidates.
- Deliver the same level of service when it comes to high-volume hiring, i.e., using the same process for filling difficult positions.
- Provide the employer with temporary, contract, and/or outsourced employees as necessary.
Instead of viewing staffing agencies as a final resort, employers now consider them to be valued partners in building sustainable workforce strategies.
How 6 Pence Supports Modern Recruitment
If you are a company looking to transition from a traditional, non-systematic approach to a more recent and efficient way of recruiting, working with a second team, such as the one at 6 Pence, will help speed up the transition process. 6 Pence partners with employers located in the GCC region as well as employers around the world. 6 Pence partners with employers in the GCC region and globally by:
- Creating clear, skill-based job descriptions based on the company’s business objectives
- Locating, vetting, and placing both local and foreign workers in white-collar and blue-collar positions.
- Providing flexible staffing and outsourcing to accommodate project work, seasonal demand, or specialised areas
- Alleviating administrative responsibility for outsourced workers by providing all legal documentation related to contracts, payroll, and employer-employee relations.
By utilising 6 Pence’s services, employers can incorporate modern recruitment methods into their hiring process, which will enhance the quality, speed, and overall experience of candidates’ lifestyles. Additionally, utilising 6 Pence allows the employer to refocus their internal teams on the company’s main goal, which is to create and enhance a successful company.
Also Read:
How to Choose the Right Recruitment Agency for Your Business
Top Mistakes Employers Make During Recruitment in Iraq
