5 Australian Recruiting Trends Your Company Shouldn't Miss in 2016

What should Australian recruiters look forward to in 2016? A recent report from LinkedIn based on a survey of 3,894 recruiters and HR generalists makes it clear that while some recruiting trends that blossomed during recent years will fade, others will only gain strength and become more prominent as 2016 unfolds. Here are 5 key recruiting trends your company shouldn’t miss out on in 2016.

1. The value of employer branding

For the last couple of years, organisations of different sizes have been focusing on growing their employer brand. At this point, the employer brand is no longer the responsibility of just a few people. In fact, today Australian talent acquisition teams are working very closely with their cross-functional teams to deliver the best branding possible.

Naturally, teams responsible for employer branding partner with marketing departments to ensure that their efforts bring real effects in boosting employer brand excellence.

But the area isn’t without challenges. Employer branding might be a priority, but organisations still experience problems in this area – even if they adopt a proactive employer brand strategy. While the role of online professional networks in employer branding will be expanding, more traditional channels are now in decline. 

2. Employee retention is more important than ever

In 2016, Australian recruiters will be thinking not only about recruiting skilled talent, but also retaining it once hired. Internal hiring might not be an immediate priority, but it’s, in fact an integral part of every company’s source of quality hires. 39% of respondents considered internal hiring to serve as an essential part of their recruiting strategy.

3. Quality is a top metric

Quality of hire is a metric which won’t lose on value in 2016 – it’s by far the most valuable performance metric used by recruiters in measuring the outcomes of their hiring strategy. The vast majority of organisations measure quality of hire using long-term indicators, for instance, employee retention or a bit vaguer hiring manager satisfaction.

Even though hiring managers pay such close attention to this metric, they still find it difficult to properly measure it. On the global scale, only 33% of recruiters have considered their measurement methods effective. Only 5% thought their approach was top-notch. Looking from this perspective at the Australian market, it’s clear that most hiring managers position themselves below the global average. In 2016, this metric will become a central focus for general practice improvement.

4. Professional social networks gain prominence

Sure, Internet job boards are still around, but their importance in attracting talent is gradually weaning. In their place rise professional social networks – platforms like LinkedIn are considered to be optimal sources for quality hires.

Talent acquisition teams like to consider social networks as a trend that has yet to fully unfold. Together with their role in employer branding, professional social networks are excellent for building closer relationships between the employer and talented candidates searching for exciting job opportunities.

5. Improvements to internal recruiting

Internal recruiting is a problematic matter, and it’s likely that many Australian recruiters will turn their attention to this issue. Some respondents claimed that internal recruiting is an integral part of their hiring strategy. But other sources clearly point out that internal hiring is still a matter of one case following the other – a relatively small number of companies have well-defined internal hiring programs in place.

In 2016, Australian organisations will strive to develop a range of formal procedures for internal recruiting processes and take a closer look at lateral movement and the opportunities it might bring forward.

2016 is going to be an interesting year for Australian hiring managers and organisations that will strive to boost their employer branding and improve specific hiring processes while ensuring that top talent is constantly kept in the loop and able to benefit from valuable improvements.

About the author: Simone Smith is a writer at Online Courses Australia, where she shares her knowledge and stories pertaining to business development and personal growth. In her free time, she is usually found listening to podcasts for entrepreneurs.