It is 2023. We have weathered the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything is almost back to normal. Now, as the new year rolls in, the challenge for any enterprise and outsourcing company is to find and retain top talents.

Most companies continue to opt for a hybrid or remote setup. As a result, recruitment trends today have evolved to be more digitally driven in this revolutionised employment landscape. Naturally, every company that is seeking top talents is also stepping up its hiring strategies.

To help you out, we put together this article to inform you about recruitment trends and tips that you can try yourself.

What Are The Recruitment Trends For 2023?

Recruitment trends and techniques mirror the job landscape at any moment in time. 

We can expect that the hiring strategies we will see for 2023 and the succeeding years will still have a remote-first approach and lean more heavily on every possible digital tool and recruitment avenue available to understand the applicants better and streamline the hiring process. 

In addition, more and more businesses are hiring outsourcing companies for some, if not most, of their office functions. 

This notion should not come as a surprise. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than a third of the businesses nationwide reported difficulty filling company vacancies with the right talents for 2022 alone. That is a sizable jump from the 27% that was reported back in 2021. 

On top of that, according to a June 2022 report by IBIS World, business process outsourcing in Australia is seeing annual growth of up to 3% starting from 2018 up to the current year. 

Simply put, business owners from small-medium enterprises and large companies are opting to partner with an outsourcing company to fill any vacancies and scale their businesses. A reason for this is that outsourcing agencies, like Flexisource IT, are better equipped to find top talents beyond Australia’s shores.

10 Hiring Strategies You Can Try This 2023

Since the competition to find top talents have moved from local to international, every outsourcing company and talent acquisition professional is taking a proactive stance to keep up with the recruitment trends. 

Here are strategies for hiring the best team you can apply to your company.

Optimise Your Career Page

First on the list is a tried and true classic. This particular recruitment trend will never get old for one obvious reason: The career page will be the first thing any potential applicant checks. Furthermore, it is where jobseekers will see the complete information for any company vacancy.

There are plenty of ways to do this. Here is a checklist you can use to cross-check with your company career page:

• Is it SEO  optimised? 

Check if every job post uses the proper and relevant keywords. In addition, check for any possible bugs or errors and ensure the page’s performance.

• Are you using recruitment marketing software?

Most recruitment marketing software available right now can integrate with an existing page or even create a better branded career site. They have features like social media integration, SEO, candidate relationship management, and more that aid the journey from interested audience into potential candidates.

• Does your career page have a chatbot?

Chatbots can help answer any possible FAQ that a potential applicant might have. 

• Are the links leading to your career page update?

Most recruiters reach out to potential talents through job boards or other websites. However, using the wrong links on job posts can easily be overlooked by recruiters. This oversight can impact the recruitment experience and hinder application leads.

So it is important to make sure the links that were shared work.

Take Advantage of Social Media

Social media is a great way to reach a wider audience and find interested applicants. 

There are two hiring strategies that you can do together: 

One, post it directly on the official company social media page. You can boost this post via paid ads to reach the preferred targets effectively.

Next, have your current employees share the job posting on their social media pages. You can incentivise them with an employee referral program. This encourages them  to reach out to their network and suggest it to people interested in applying for the post.

Boost Remote Hiring

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, every outsourcing company and talent acquisition professional switched to a remote-first approach when recruiting talent. Naturally, every step of the recruitment process for remote-centric hiring strategies is completely digital.

Having said that, ramping up remote hiring capabilities means utilising web tools and software: 

• Video conferencing software such as Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.
• Interview-scheduling tools that enable applicants to choose the most convenient time based on the recruiters’ schedule and an email prompt with a link for the upcoming video interview.
• Job application features that enable applicants to upload their resumes, then the system reads and places the information on the corresponding spaces of the application form.
• Video or file-sharing platforms that provide new hires with the necessary information about the company and its policies for a smooth onboarding.

Strengthen Company Culture

Improving work culture is one of the recruitment trends that puts a spotlight on the internal state of the company and employment satisfaction. 

Strong and good company culture speaks for itself. This is because previous and current employees can become your brand evangelists and spread the good word. 

However, this is not just up to the talent acquisition professionals and recruiters alone. This requires the help of the deciding powers of the company to strengthen the company culture. 

Not surprisingly, almost every outsourcing company and top-tier companies from other industries know this. They provide plenty of employee benefits and showcase its company culture on its website and social media channels. 

Invest In Applicant Tracking Systems

Aside from getting recruitment marketing software, and it also makes sense to avail of an applicant tracking system (ATS). Essentially, this functions as an end-to-end management tool that helps talent acquisition professionals conveniently guide applicants throughout the hiring process. 

Here are a couple of features that can be found on most ATS available in the market: 

• Post and edit job postings
• Handle applications and job offers
• Manage database of applicants and candidates
• Store resumes
• Schedule interviews
• Send automated emails and notifications to recruiters and applicants

Identify the Best Source of Talents

The best and easiest way to find the best source of talents is to go back where you found the current and previous talents in your company. 

Nonetheless, there are two hiring strategies you can apply: 

First, as mentioned in this article, is the referral program that incentivises the people in your company to refer interested applicants from their network.

Two, reach out to previous employees. It might not sound like a terrific idea at first, but this has plenty of advantages. These talents already know the company culture, internal processes, and organisational structure. Furthermore, they have gained new skills and knowledge to perform much more effectively in their new or old roles.

Use A Talent Pool Database

The most challenging for any enterprise or outsourcing company when it comes to recruitment is finding top talent.

Instead of just relying on the database available on recruitment platforms, the best way is to create a talent database. This ensures every candidate in the talent pool is already carefully vetted and possesses the experience and skills the company needs. 

That being said, the talent pool is more than just a directory of contacts. It is a curated list that showcases the relevant information of each candidate:

• Experience
• Hard skills
• Power skills (also known as soft skills)
• Cultural fit
• Notable attributes
• Personality test results
• Suitable roles within the organisation

Send Personality Surveys

Before the pandemic, interviews were conducted face-to-face wherein the department manager and the HR representative will each have a one-on-one conversation with the potential candidate. It was a way to get a better idea of the applicant.

Now, the recruitment trends have changed to be more remote-friendly. However, an interview via video call is different from a face-to-face interview. As a result, personality tests are incorporated into hiring strategies. 

Personality surveys provide essential information about the candidates’ personalities and other attributes. From there, every outsourcing company or recruiter get insight into which candidates fit in with the team, the workplace culture, and the communication style.  

Here are a couple of personality tests to incorporate: 

• Myer-Briggs Type Indicator
• Caliper Profile
• Hogan Personality Inventory
• HEXACO Personality Inventory
• Berke Assessment
• SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ)
• Predictive index

Leverage Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning

The process of talent acquisition is a lengthy process.  Most outsourcing companies go through so many potential candidates and have to make a careful decision about who to add to their team. 

As such, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools in many office functions has recently increased. That also includes talent acquisition.

Essentially, these tools can help cut down the time of the recruitment process. Here are a couple of tools that can be incorporated into hiring strategies: 

• Screening applications
• AI-powered interviews
• Background checking
• Suggestions from the talent pool
• Identifying talent gaps in teams
• Assess and provide team insights
• Employee onboarding

Request For Feedback

There is always room for improvement. Even with the application of the latest recruitment trends, hiring strategies can be further developed. 

The best way to identify which parts of the talent acquisition process you can refine is by directly asking the candidates. You can request feedback after the interview or even use survey tools for convenience. 

An Outsourcing Company Is The Best Hiring Strategy

The HR Focus for 2023 is all about fine-tuning remote-friendly hiring strategies most companies have developed during the height of the pandemic. We can see this in the recurring recruitment trends. 

While relying on the capabilities of the in-house talent acquisition team is the go-to option for most companies, partnering with an outsourcing company provides more benefits. 

Having said that, an outsourcing company is actually better equipped than in-house recruitment. For one, it is the core speciality of the outsourcing industry: to find top talents that are suited to the needs of the client.

Furthermore, an outsourcing company is a cost-effective decision because it saves both time and money for talent acquisition. This fact alone makes it easier for a company to flexibly scale at any given moment. 

Looking for top IT talents to help scale your company? Check out our website and learn how Flexisource IT can help your business.