SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 27, 2016) - Jobvite (www.jobvite.com), the leading recruiting platform for growing companies, today announced the results of its ninth annual survey of recruiting professionals. The 2016 Recruiter Nation Report gathered responses from over 1,600 recruiting and human resources professionals, revealing a highly competitive landscape in which recruiters must become more strategic and innovative than ever to source, hire, and onboard new hires.
Nearly all respondents -- a full 95 percent -- expect recruiting to be as or more challenging in 2017, with 69 percent reporting that their company's hiring has increased in the past year. To keep up with this demand, recruiters are offering both traditional and nontraditional incentives to lure candidates, like raising salary offers (68 percent), awarding monetary bonuses to incentivize referrals (64 percent), allowing for flexible work hours (44 percent), and implementing a casual dress code (44 percent). The way recruiters define successful hiring has also evolved -- now, 61 percent of them care more about post-hire metrics (like performance and retention rate of new hires) than they do about the hiring process itself (such as cost- and time-to-hire).
"Job creation has been steadily increasing ever since the recession, forcing recruiters to double up their efforts to fill positions with quality candidates. But there simply aren't enough educated, talented, and qualified candidates to keep up with the demand," said Dan Finnigan, CEO of Jobvite. "As a result, recruiters must now go above and beyond by creating a compelling employer brand and an exceptional candidate experience to keep their companies growing."
Although candidates are largely benefitting from this job seeker-focused market, it's critical for them to continue putting their best foot forward. In addition to concrete qualifications, recruiters also expect a host of soft skills, including enthusiasm (78 percent), conversational skills (73 percent), and, most importantly, cultural fit (83 percent).
Other notable findings are summarized below:
Despite Fear of a Downturn, the Job Market Is Thriving
- 33 percent of recruiters anticipate filling 100 or more positions in the next year, up from 26 percent last year
- Your job is safe -- 86 percent of recruiters do not believe their companies will make layoffs within the next 12 months
- Will robots replace us? Not anytime soon -- only 10 percent of recruiters say they expect their companies to replace jobs with tech in the next 2-3 years
Diversity's Gaining Momentum, but There's Work to Be Done
- 43 percent of recruiters polled say that diversity is either somewhat or very important when making a hiring decision
- Political diversity counts, too -- 10 percent of recruiters judge candidates based on their political affiliations on social media and said it would affect their decision to move forward with a candidate
- However, diverse doesn't always mean equal -- 23 percent of male recruiters and 44 percent of female recruiters believe that female candidates earn less than men
Heads Up, Job Seekers -- the Little Things Matter
- Think twice before wearing your lucky jeans to an interview -- 62 percent of recruiters say casual dress is a red flag
- One of the worst social media sins? Oversharing -- it's a guaranteed way to turn off 60 percent of recruiters
- Break out the spell check. 72 percent of recruiters negatively view typos in candidates' social media profiles -- even more so than references to alcohol or marijuana
While recruiters have proven adept at adjusting their strategy amidst a consistent talent shortage, there are still several opportunities that are not fully being taken advantage of.
For example, recruiters lag behind job seekers when it comes to social recruiting on Facebook and their adoption of mobile-optimized career sites -- only 45 percent of recruiters said their company's career site supports mobile, and just 43 percent leverage Facebook in the recruiting process. And if the prediction of increased competition for talent in 2017 holds true, finding every opportunity to stand out to job seekers will become even more crucial.
Methodology
The 2016 Recruiter Nation Report is based on a nationwide online survey conducted in partnership with The Polling Company, Inc., and includes responses from over 1,600 recruiters and HR professionals from hundreds of companies, comprised of both Jobvite customers and noncustomers.
Nine Years of Jobvite Recruiter Nation/Social Recruiting Surveys:
Jobvite 2016 Survey
Jobvite 2015 Survey
Jobvite 2014 Survey
Jobvite 2013 Survey
Jobvite 2012 Survey
Jobvite 2011 Survey
Jobvite 2010 Survey
Jobvite 2009 Survey
Jobvite 2008 Survey
About Jobvite
Jobvite is the industry leader in recruiting software that helps emerging, mid-market, and enterprise companies hire top talent easily, efficiently, and effectively. Our comprehensive and analytics-driven recruiting platform accelerates recruiting with an easy-to-use Applicant Tracking System (ATS), social recruiting capabilities, mobile-optimized branded career sites, a recruiting branding solution, on-demand video screening, advanced analytics, onboarding, and seamless integration with other HR systems. Focused exclusively on recruiting software since 2006, with offices in San Mateo and London, Jobvite has thousands of customers including LinkedIn, Schneider Electric, Amway, Zappos, and GoDaddy. To learn more and request a free demo, visit www.jobvite.com or follow us @Jobvite.