A decade is a long time for significant changes to take effect. With the effect that technology has had on various industries, much has changed. Tech has brought change and transformation to some industries and has also made some become obsolete. Please see Stopgap for all your recruitment needs.
Recruitment is among the industries that have felt the full effect of technology. Initially, most people thought that the emergence and popularity of social media sites and online job boards would spell doom for recruitment agencies. On the contrary, these have continued to help them grow. But what are the changes that the recruitment industry has seen over the past 10 years?
Recruitment takes less time
Before technology took over, recruitment was long and gruelling. Posts and landlines were the only means of communication for companies and candidates. With daytime hours being the time for work among most people, arranging interviews, exchanging feedback, and negotiating during the pre-contract stage was cumbersome. Recruiters would have to post offer letters and contracts, and this was also the case with candidates after signing the documents. This meant that the start dates would essentially be delayed.
Today, communication and recruiters can keep in touch through emails and phones, and communication has never been more effortless. Regardless of location or time of the day, recruiters and candidates can email and sign off essential documents within a short time. In turn, recruited candidates almost always begin their jobs immediately.
Talent pools have expanded
In pretechnological days, talent pools for recruitment agencies only included candidates who registered with them in their offices. It follows that such agencies were purely dependent on their databases, meaning that they would lose out to a competitor if they didn’t have a suitable candidate for a particular role.
Today, recruiters enjoy an infinite supply of talents, which makes it easier for them to land highly proficient employees. Social media sites and online job boards are viable avenues for recruiters to find top-quality candidates – something that would not be possible some decades back.
Candidates have adopted a take-charge approach
Years ago, the best shot at landing a job was registering with various recruitment agencies and hoping to hear from them about a potential job. Besides being time-consuming, this was extremely limiting for candidates.
Looking back at those days, the comparison is like day and night. Thanks to the Internet, candidates can go about their job however they like. What’s more, it has enabled them to become more proactive. Instead of waiting to be informed about a prospective job, candidates can apply to multiple job vacancies and even get in touch with their potential employers.
Image has become key
With the internet now in full swing, privacy has become almost non-existent. It follows that both employers and candidates have to keep in mind the kind of image they portray to the world.
It is advisable for candidates to be careful on how they manage their social media accounts as prospective employers can and will make an effort to dig into their social media profiles before presenting an offer. Sites like Glassdoor recommend that companies consider how they present themselves before their staff and potential employees as information regarding salaries and employee welfare can be found with a simple online search.