8 hiring trends for 2022

The last couple of years has seen the employment landscape change like never before - want to know what we think will happen in 2022 and get a head start? - read on!

1/ Hybrid or remote working is here to stay

You may have the advantage of hiring people from a global workforce. However, other customers could be targeting your candidates in your local area to work for them remotely. So you need to ensure you are looking after the people you already have as much as looking for new people. When hiring, be sure to offer hybrid or fully remote working as providing this option has pretty much become the norm for most leading-edge companies and you don't want to miss out.

2/ Your employer brand is more important than ever

Candidates have more tools than ever that will help them form an opinion of a company before they even apply to join you. You need to ensure you take the time to see how you are portrayed in the public domain and the information available for a candidate to make the decision to join you. This can be done by checking and working on your website, your company page on LinkedIn, other social media channels and employee reviews, as they will all be part of how you are viewed by prospective new hires.

3/ The hiring process needs to be flawless

Once they have applied, the interview process needs to be flawless as it's the first real touchpoint for a candidate of your company. Was the interview scheduled on time? Were the people involved punctual? Were they polite and professional? If there was a face to face meeting, were they shown around the building? Before they started were they introduced to the team?  Did they get a welcome pack when they started? Is there continual and prompt feedback to the candidate (successful or not). Professional people and processes are a reflection of you brand that will make a big difference to any prospective team member.

4/ It's not all about the money!

Last week we had a conversation with one of our candidates who we placed in a new role who turned down 3 other firm offers which were higher in remuneration but the candidate said 'it's not all about the money'. When we dug deeper in this conversation these were the four points that were important to them:

• Work satisfaction with a sense of purpose
• Ability to make an impact
• Opportunity to stretch themselves
• Aligned values and cultural fit

They realised their opportunity for growth in the chosen company far outweighed the short term gain from the financial reward.

5/ Employer values are making more of a difference

We know companies exist to make a profit, but nowadays, it's certainly not 'at all costs'. Individuals are now motivated by a sense of purpose. The work is important but they want to make a real contribution and make a real difference. Many are also expecting companies to be ethical, give back to the community and be sensitive to well being and mental health issues. They need to be inclusive in their hiring efforts and 'lip service' is no longer good enough, these values must be genuine, demonstrable and led from the top down.

6/ Maintaining an ongoing 'live' talent pool is essential

Hiring is not a 'one-time' process, more a continual dialogue with people who 'fit' your business. Candidates want value and to know what you can do for them. Of course, you might be hiring for a 'full stack' engineer that you need tomorrow - but that ideal person that you spoke to and got on really well with? OK, they are not ready to move right now but keep a regular interaction going, by phone, email, or text. Don't let their details go into a 'database graveyard'. You can bet you will still need more engineers in 3, 6, 12 months' time - and that might be the right time for that person to move. An ongoing dialogue will mean they think of you as you will be top of mind and you never know, you might be able to fill that next vacancy with one simple phone call!

7/ Contingency, temporary and contract working is on the up

The concept of 'jobs for life' has gone and flexibility is the order of the day. Businesses are adapting to be more agile, the gig economy is now 'normal' (whatever that is!) and many more individuals are working on a project basis. Call them what you will, contingent, freelance, temporary, contract, this type of working is growing and is expected to rise exponentially. Don't just consider permanent hires - be flexible in considering this new wave of talent that want to work in this way.

8/ Remote cross border working is gaining popularity

We are seeing more of our US clients (as an example) recruiting workers who will remain physically based in the UK or Europe. As mentioned above, remote working has become widely accepted, especially in the high tech sector but it also allows companies to search for talent across borders (and continents!). 'Offshoring' has been popular with many at a company level but now it is becoming more popular at an individual level. It opens up your talent pool for a swifter hire and with pay rates differing widely across different countries, it can be a very cost-effective way to get the talent you need.

There you have it - our 8 hiring trends for next year - good luck!