4 Familiar Talent Acquisition Trends in 2016

With 2016 comes plenty of planning - on what positions need to be filled, the types of personalities that companies should be looking for in candidates, and any needed updates on talent acquisition strategies and efforts.

For many, that might mean exploring the "latest and greatest" hiring trends and going on in 2016, but that doesn't meant that new ideas are the only game this year. Just the opposite in fact. We're likely to see a continued growth of some of the trends that have been introduced and evolving over the past few years. These trends aren't going to be exclusive talent acquisition trends in 2016, but their rise in significance will be noticeable as they continue to grow and become more important in the hiring world. 

4 Trends in Talent Acquisition in 2016 

1. Mobile Recruiting is Not a Fad: We talked a good deal about how advancements in mobile technology (from the increase in smartphone usage to devices like tablets becoming increasingly more common) has had a strong influence in talent acquisition and candidate recruitment, and those conversations are only going to continue in 2016. Companies have already begun exploring ideas on how to let candidates use their mobile devices to participate in as much of the hiring process as possible, and using text messaging to communicate with candidates on the status of their application.
   
   Additionally, your talent is looking for opportunities in real time - they want to apply to the positions they like as soon as they’re posted because they believe it gives them an advantage, and they want to search for those positions from wherever they are. It’s not just about catering to the latest technology in an attempt to seem “cutting edge,” it’s a matter of reaching the best candidates where they’re looking hardest. 
   
   
2. Work at Home Will Continue to Rise: The benefits of a work at home workforce model is undeniable - from happier employees who stay with the organization longer, to lower overhead costs - but now work at home is becoming a social expectation as well. Employees want to have the opportunity to work at home at least some of the time, and as newer generations start to enter the workforce they’ll be evaluating work at home opportunities when making their decisions. Many companies will start to evaluate how work at home models can give them a competitive advantage in talent acquisition this coming year.
   
   
3. Your Candidates Will Talk (More Than Ever Before): The candidate experience is a very real, important aspect to your recruiting that can affect your organization brand and be a deciding factor with whether or not a candidate will apply to a position at your company. With so many different ways a candidate can share their hiring stories (from word of mouth, to social media and message boards) monitoring your candidate experience - and adjusting it accordingly - will be crucial in 2016. 
   
   
4. Talent Analytics is Growing - Fast: Analytics is nothing new, especially when it comes to the hiring process. But despite how important it is, 2015 saw many organizations recognizing the importance of talent analytics without having a solid idea on where to start with this type of strategy. In 2016, companies will be looking to educate themselves further and start implementing strategies that revolve around understanding, defining, and leveraging the data they get. And one of the best places to start doing that is with the hiring process.