Hiring Trends In 2006 - 7/18/2006
by Jessica Hurff

A logical and methodical recruiting and hiring process is a primary key to every company’s success. This is true for every single company no matter what the size or configuration. In order to create a recruiting process that works well, it is important to keep up with hiring trends and use them to mold and shape your company’s process.

Modern hiring trends that affect the HR professional on a daily basis include: A general shift away from classic hierarchical structure, a growing emphasis on technology, marketing creative and aggressive benefits packages, and a move toward more clearly defined corporate culture, a move toward a less subjective hiring process, and a trend toward more third-party regulation. Paying close attention to hiring trends will allow every HR Professional to work towards the goal of hiring the best people to do the best job possible, and these major hiring trends should be taken into consideration while you are putting your staffing model together.

Hiring Trend 1: Pyramids are only in Egypt

Those of us who have been around a while are used to an organizational chart that looks a little bit like a pyramid. There is one person at the top with two direct reports who have four direct reports who have eight, all the way down to the entry level employees. However, over the past few years there has been a shift toward a more horizontal plan. The flatter org chart allows for an easier flow of information, therefore enabling the company to respond to market demand more effectively.

How does this hiring trend impact the HR or Staffing professional? It means that you must constantly be on the lookout for candidates who have not just technical skills and ability, but the ability to succeed in a team oriented environment. Communication skills and the ability to work as a part of team have become increasingly sought after skills, and making sure that you are able to attract those candidates to your company is very important.

Hiring Trend #2: Show me the Money (in the form of benefits that is!)

The unemployment rate today is at an all-time-low in many parts of the U.S. In order to attract the best candidates to your company, it’s important to recruit aggressively and offer a variety of benefits. Gone are the days of just posting a job on one job board or in the paper and getting hundreds of qualified applicants. The HR Professional has to help create a package including compensation, benefits, and work schedule that stand out above all the rest.

What does this new hiring trend toward string benefits packages mean for you? Your benefits package can’t just be run-of –mill. It has to be special, outstanding even. To get the best candidates to want to come and work for you, you have to offer flexible benefits, flexible work hours, a positive work environment, educational opportunities, and even ownership in the company (stocks, stock options). These things have become standard, and in order to entice a professional to leave their current job, your company has to be prepared to use them as a negotiating tool.

Hiring Trend #3: Knowledge is Power

People graduating from college today have never used a type writer or word-processor. They have never owned a cassette tape. They have to special order vinyl records, and consider them a valuable commodity in the world of shiny silver discs. The world, it is a-changing’. The move toward a more automated, technologically advanced society affects us every day. Staffers don’t hire people just for their specific work experience, but for the knowledge the hold and have the propensity to use and learn.

The clear hiring trend toward bringing people on board with at least basic technical skill is as clear as day. Employees who can’t keep up will slow your organization down. Be prepared to either provide technical training or hire people who already have the skills.

Hiring Trend #4: Image is Important

We’ve all heard it: The company mission statement. Successful companies have a clear mission, vision, and value set that is shared by their leadership and employee base. A company that has a clear mission is better able to set goals in line with their mission, vision, and values and then go about reaching them.

What does this clearly defined image hiring trend have to do with you? We talked about how important benefits are, but what may be even more important is finding employees who fit into the company’s corporate culture. Your company’s recruiting, screening, and interview process should help to identify personality traits in line with your company culture as much as it finds technical capability.

Hiring Trend #5: Using Science to hire Employees

In days gone by, if the boss liked you and thought you had nice shoes; sometimes that played into the hiring decision. Has anyone else seen the Alley McBeal episode where the judge checks her teeth to find out if she’s guilty or innocent?

The scientific hiring trend has affected successful companies have worked to make their hiring process less subjective and more methodical. They have put measure into place that will allow them to objectively quantify people’s skills sets and even their personality traits. That way it’s easier to compare apples to apples.

Hiring Trend #6: Compliance, Compliance, Compliance

Smart companies know that the most important thing about the entire hiring and recruiting process is making sure that it is compliant with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) standards. If a hiring decision is made without considering EEOC rules and regulations, it can result in a lawsuit. Even a baseless lawsuit can cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The hiring trend toward more regulation by the EEOC has changed the way we all do business. It is the HR professional job to make sure that there is a written job description clearly outlining job duties for each open position. HR and Staffing Professionals have to familiarize themselves with Title VII regulations and make sure they avoid discriminatory questions. It is also key to have legal counsel on standby to address any potential problems on an ongoing basis and to help review hiring documents such as applications and offer letters.

Conclusion: What Hiring Trends mean for you, and how to find more information

It is important to take into consideration all of these hiring trends when putting together a recruiting and hiring process. Keeping them in mind will allow you to create a recruiting methodology that will help your organization make the right decisions when it comes to staffing.

If you are a small company or brand new to HR or staffing, there are several great resources that you can refer to for answers to commonly asked questions. The “For Dummies” has an awesome book, “Human Resources Kit for Dummies” that helped me out a lot when I was new to HR. Visit www.dummies.com for more information. A great organization to join is the Society for Human Resources Management or SHRM for short. Go to www.shrm.org to find out more about hiring trends and how they affect the recruiting and hiring process.