Future of recruiting: Top skills that all ambitious recruiters develop

Does the future of recruiting depend on new technologies? Hiring methods have changed along with technological development, the emergence of social networks, and changes in online behavior.

Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are shaping the future of work, and the only thing we can do is accept progress. But what does it mean for a recruiter of the future?

Most future professions will be tech-related, but they’ll require excellent emotional intelligence and critical thinking. Therefore, it’s crucial to evolve and gain new recruiter skills and competencies to stay relevant today and tomorrow.

Frédéric Mazzella, the founder of BlaBlaCar, once said, “My father had one job in his life, I’ve had six in mine, and my kids will have six at the same time.” This quote describes changes in working conditions and the active move to the gig economy. We’re moving from the necessity to visit the office at one job to the opportunity to work on several projects simultaneously for different companies.

Many variables shape our workplace, from technological development and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices to finding a balance between data collection and employee trust. The future of recruiting depends on the biggest trends in work life. Let’s consider what challenges will impact the development of recruiter skills and competencies.

According to a Deloitte study about rules for the digital age, 41% of HR leaders say they’ve implemented or started learning more about AI technologies that can eliminate the human factor and unconscious bias.

Following Deloitte’s footsteps, Sage shares polls showing that 24% of businesses started using AI for their talent acquisition needs, and 56% of managers plan to adopt automated technology in the next 12 months. GlobalData even predicts that the market for AI platforms will reach $52 billion by 2024, compared to $29 billion in 2020.

Josh Bersin, a global industry analyst, also claims that the development of flexible, state-of-the-art integrated recruitment technology is now the key to success. To improve recruiter performance over the next five years, LinkedIn invests in new recruiting technology. While technology won’t replace recruiters, it can augment their skills and reduce busywork, allowing them to focus on engaging candidates and developing your talent strategy.

So be ready to practice different skills throughout your career. Instead of asking yourself, “Will I lose my job because of automation?” keep a broader mindset and think about how you can use automation tools and software to optimize your work. Let’s move on to a more specific consideration of skills and competencies for the recruiter that are relevant today and will remain relevant in the future.

Changes in the future of work will lead to shifts in skills required of recruiters. Here are the skills and competencies of a recruiter you should develop to make sure you’re moving in the right way professionally.

Let’s talk in detail about recruiters’ hard and technical skills and competencies according to data we’ve collected through HRForecast AI tools and technologies.

Use of web-based technologies, job portals, and social media for recruiting activities

The recruitment process has changed significantly over the past few years, from advertising vacancies on social networking sites to use online application forms and software to select candidates.

The use of software to select suitable candidates is a boon for HR professionals tasked with analyzing numerous applications for limited positions. Some companies also succeed through transparent procedures like simple online applications on job portals and fixed reviews that include feedback from candidates.

Advanced knowledge and work with management tools like ATS

Finding sources has become one of the most critical talent acquisition skills today. On average, 75% of applicants are unqualified, so it’s essential to have an applicant tracking system (ATS) and tools.

Whether you provide passive candidate search, strategic search, or basic search through the ATS, it’s essential to know what experience your candidates have in this area. The ability to work with such tracking systems is a big plus.

An applicant tracking system is mandatory in the fast-growing labor market to go beyond traditional recruitment methods such as using spreadsheets and email chains to manage the hiring process.

Gamification techniques for recruiting

Gamification usually includes game mechanics, design, and theories to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals digitally and feel freer when working. Professor Allen Huffcutt from the University of Wisconsin has identified that candidates have already heard frequent interview questions and come prepared with script answers that show little of their qualifications.

Gamification can help. Matt Jeffrey, SAP vice president and global head of a sourcing and employment brand, shares that gamification adds a fun element to a typically tedious recruitment process with the help of quizzes, practical tasks, or behavioral assessment tests. These practices allow recruiters to assess a candidate’s creative thinking and problem-solving skills. This type of hiring is gradually gaining popularity, so try gamification as a new skill for you.

Knowledge and application of different interview techniques

Interviewing remains one of the recruiter’s skills and competencies you think you know only because we’ve been doing it for so long that it’s a matter of habit.

However, interviews often have an atmosphere of urgency or tension. And it doesn’t help the candidate open. A candidate should be comfortable communicating with you because, by ignoring this, you can lose valuable talent. Therefore, among the key requirements is finding out what type of interview would be more convenient for the candidate: a physical meeting somewhere or an online call (which leads to the use of convenient video conferencing tools).

Storytelling and employer branding knowledge

Companies are guided by their mission and values, but stories make them real to candidates. Storytelling is not just a trend; it’s a necessary skill for everyone who works with people. Creating your company’s image with the help of storytelling makes that image clear for a candidate and makes your company a desirable place to work. Your ability to create exciting content helps you attract and find the best talent (but please, without bigotry).

Strategic thinking and business acumen

Business acumen is a recruiter’s ability to understand different business scenarios and deal with them effectively. HR managers with strong business acumen can better understand business issues, adapt and remain flexible in the face of change, understand business operations, and ensure business success.

Strategic thinking is another crucial skill and competency for a recruiter. It refers to a person’s ability to develop effective plans to address business situations and create strategies to achieve company goals. Thus, you as a recruiter can quickly adapt to new changes and stay flexible in developing a strategic action plan (which is critical due to the frequency of talent market changes).

Talent sourcing and OSINT techniques

Recruiters typically use Google or LinkedIn to explore the experience, skills, and even character of candidates. However, for some reason, they often bypass the OSINT investigation method.

OSINT, or Open-Source Intelligence, helps recruiters explore, automate, and customize the hiring process with specialized tools to gain information on previous work and academic experience, industry status, interests, etc.

Following this method could mean searching Google for a candidate’s full name or email address in its simplest form. Of course, this is something that many recruiters already do intuitively as part of data verification when selecting candidates, but isn’t it better when you can automate this process?

Soft skills are crucial, helping employees solve complex problems without a flinch. The skills below are based on our global job postings analysis and depict current labor market trends for the skills relevant to the future recruiter.