The State of Recruiting

Recruiting for history books

The past five years have felt like lashes to mass recruitment professionals. Whether it was due to the hiring freeze at the start of the unexpected pandemic, the boom of the toilet paper industry soon after (if you recruited for those producers, we hope you received a good bonus) or the labor shortage during the Great Resignation. Now, because of the massive layoffs in technology, it's fair to say that the path of attracting talent and recruiting has been Turbulent.

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The word “recession” has been incorporated into every LinkedIn update and news headline since the beginning of the year.

For people in other positions, this can be scary, but for you, a fan of attracting talent and an extraordinary recruiter, it's just another stone in the road.

As pragmatic planners, the question is How? ‍

How will you overcome another challenge with such ease?

What does the recession mean for recruiters?

For mass recruiters, the recession may impact recruitment volume if the number of vacancies is reduced, but the turnover rate in operating industries and the Resignation who are expected to require continued recruitment.

So, while there may be fewer vacancies, the role of the mass recruiter never truly ends, regardless of how the economy is on a large scale.

Keep in mind that, even At the peak of the pandemic, Amazon was recruiting 1,400 new employees per day.

Any “rule” that exists in the labor market during a recession does not apply to all operating companies.

How recruitment teams can overcome the panic of the recession

At a time when panic seems to be the obvious answer, it's important for HR teams to focus on what they can control. Instead of fixating on or ignoring a potential recession, we recommend preparing.

Many companies are starting to tend to their nests with layoffs or hiring breaks. None of these situations are ideal for professionals in the recruitment world and, to tell the truth, they are not ideal for the companies that start them (but that's another topic).

Either way, recruitment professionals are too familiar with the economic roller coaster to be caught without a plan.

To prepare for panic, we believe that recruitment and talent attraction teams should consider using recruitment technology to:

1. Combating recruiter burnout
2. Create differential candidate experiences.
3. Strengthen HR technological tools.

Let's delve into each one.

How recruiting automation makes your team recession-proof

Combating recruiter burnout

Why are recruiters in burnout?

A recent survey conducted by Workvivo showed that 97% of HHRR professionals had experienced emotional fatigue over the past year, and 98% experienced burnout in the past six months. However, a study is not needed to understand why these professionals are on the verge of their limits. Recruiters and talent attraction professionals are tired, and with good reason.

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Recruiters are busier than they have been in decades, but do they have the necessary support in terms of resources? It depends. Some recruiters spend more time doing tasks that could be done by other people on the team than working on strategic projects that only they can carry out. For example, recruiters who spend half their time pursuing candidates for a first call, filtering CVs and scheduling interviews, end up with very little time to actively attract talent, build the brand, and conduct talent retention activities.

The skills of recruitment and talent attraction professionals are often not well used due to the large number of tasks they must carry out, which consume a lot of time. As we well know, when a person is constantly overwhelmed with projects that are not satisfactory or challenging, they can easily become demotivated.

Why should burnout be a priority area for HR leadership?

The challenging situation faced by recruiters today would be complicated even without an economic crisis.

So why should HR leaders focus their efforts on alleviating burnout?

In companies that choose to “nip the problem in the bud”, by firing workers or pausing hiring, the resources of the recruitment and talent attraction teams may also be curtailed. As a result, these teams are left with fewer “hands” to tackle their tasks. The members of such teams, who are already encompassing more than they can, carry even more responsibilities, and this could lead to these people resigning, either mentally or formally.

While these roles may not seem to be the most essential in times of cost reduction, the price of hiring new recruitment teams, rebuilding the employer brand and attracting candidates to the talent pool could be higher.

That said, the intention is not to tell a horror story, but to make a wake-up call for companies to invest in their talent in order to be able to retain it, beyond the recession.

How can automated recruitment alleviate recruiter burnout?

Automated recruitment platforms coordinate manual tasks that often contribute to burnout. With the help of this technology, companies can dramatically reduce the time of their recruitment process, generating higher-quality hires and shortening turnover in general.

Creating Differential Candidate Experiences

Why are differential candidate experiences important during a recession?

As we have already mentioned, no matter how or when the recession impacts the market, there will always be industries that maintain or even expand their workforce. For example, suppliers of discounted products, such as Dollar Tree or Ross, performed well in the 2008 recession.

The pandemic added more pressure to the labor market in operating industries.

Companies have been pushed to evolve, although some have been more resilient than others. El Average hiring time is 34 days, but the best candidates are out of the market in just 10 days. And negative experiences can remove them from the talent pool, given that 83% says that a negative experience during an interview can change their thinking about a role or a company they used to like.

Mass recruitment teams know that, even if the number of vacancies is reduced, there will always be a need for recruitment since they are high-turnover industries.

What can companies do to differentiate themselves in the experience they provide to candidates?

In operational work, creating an excellent candidate experience is primarily about functionality. That's why one of the key points is to understand what candidates really want (we discussed this topic in detail in our 2023 Guide: What Operational Candidates Want).

Good operational candidate experiences are:

1. Fast: Getting hired quickly is the most important factor for operational candidates, even more than salary.
2. Consistent: The candidate's experience is only as good as the most insignificant element. It's important that every interaction, from application to hiring, is simple.
3. Empathetic: Every interaction between the candidate and the brand should be personalized and inclusive.
4. Transparent: Provide the candidate with as much information as possible about the position, including salary and benefits.

How can automated recruitment create a differential candidate experience?

While formal workers have advanced and specialized channels such as LinkedIn and Indeed, operational workers must navigate the process through tedious and outdated forms. Automated recruitment It should Get to Everyone candidates, no matter where they are (although this is not always the case).

Emi is a mass recruitment platform focused on improving operational workers' access to job opportunities. Here at Emi, we have focused on developing a solution that is tailor-made for the experience of operational candidates.

Strengthen HR technological tools

What is technology acquisition like during a recession?

It's understandable to think that a recession means eliminating budgets for technology. While some companies may take that path, the majority (80%, according to the 2023 Gartner study) are planning to increase their spending in that sector.

As Alexander Bant, head of research in the Gartner Finance practice, said, “CFOs know that there are two issues that can make or break their ability to drive growth and profits during and after the 2023 recession: their investment in technology and people.”

While CFOs are choosing technology over stagnation, each area must demonstrate the true value of the new tool or platform they want. We believe that technologies that thrive will be those that: 1) combine well with (existing) others 2) improve business efficiency 3) reflect KPIs to show true ROI.

Why is it important to align HR technology?

When considering new technologies, your teams will want to ensure that that new technology can replace or integrate with existing systems.

If different people or tools are taking care of the repetitive elements within the recruitment process, including filtering, coordinating interviews, communicating with candidates or background checks, it results in a waste of time and effectiveness of both the staff and the technology itself.

Companies should also do research about how much support they receive from the technology partner during the integration process. Unfortunately, there are many situations in which the solution does not fulfill its purpose from the start, when seeking to integrate existing systems with new ones.

Therefore, make sure that the automated recruitment platform has the ability to connect with your existing technological background and that it provides the right support to successfully integrate.

How does the right technology at HHRR recession-proof your recruitment team?

For HR teams looking to streamline their processes, automated recruitment provides a solution that encompasses the entire candidate experience. Automated recruitment systems like Emi are made to boost the recruiter's role rather than replace it. By automating various steps in the process, recruiters can focus on the parts of the job they truly enjoy, such as connecting with candidates, choosing the right opportunities for the right people, growing their employer brand and demonstrating the value of their work.

Investing in solutions that accompany the recruitment team has been beneficial for candidates, who have a direct impact on the generation of profits for companies. Talent attraction managers and recruiters with high satisfaction rates provide better experiences to candidates and hire more suitable people, who are more likely to stay with the company in the long term.

Building Resilient Recruiting Teams

Rather than cutting staff or recruiting budgets, some companies are choosing to invest strategically in technology that will survive economic changes. An automated recruitment platform will empower mass recruitment teams to scale their operations with limited resources, without sacrificing the candidate's experience in the process.

While the recession landscape is intimidating, recruitment and talent attraction managers know that a vision for the future and a plan for challenges will take them further than panicking. It is well known that these professionals must be flexible and will need to delve into these skills to be able to see beyond immediate challenges.

After all, the key to making sure your recruitment and talent attraction teams are recession-proof is to stay agile, adaptable and strategic. By adopting a proactive mindset and committing to helping their HR area, companies can build resilient, adaptable teams with the necessary skills to overcome turbulence and emerge stronger.

Start “recession-proof” today

If you want to explore how Emi, the automated recruitment platform, can help your recruitment team prepare for a recession, contact us. Emi optimizes the recruitment process in its entirety. We can help you make quality hires faster, using sophisticated automation, key metrics and artificial intelligence.

‍Request a demo to learn how to drive better mass recruitment results with Emi.

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