Today’s job market creates an unprecedented level of competition for strong candidates. Recruiters vying for top talent alongside many other businesses need every advantage.

icimsWhile no single professional is flawless, it’s possible for recruiters to attract, screen and hire candidates with great precision — even in a high-pressure recruiting environment — with smart technology-based recruiting strategies and tools. All too often, recruiters settle for the wrong candidate because they are not leveraging all of the tools available to effectively match a position to the candidate with the right hard and soft skills.

Recent research from talent acquisition solutions provider iCIMS reveals attitudes and behaviors of more than 450 recruiters that can inform a recruitment strategy designed for today’s formidable job market challenges.

A universal best practice is the use of social and digital media to laser in on talent that’s as close to perfect-for-the-job as possible.

3 Job Market Trends Every Recruiter Needs To Know

Key insights from the survey include:

  • The competition is getting social. More than half of all available jobs are not being actively advertised, and iCIMS’ research indicates where recruiters are shopping those “secret openings”: LinkedIn. It’s the overwhelmingly preferred social channel for recruiters filling specific positions: 59 percent of recruiters are using the LinkedIn network to source and contact candidates for business positions, and 53 percent for technology positions. Social media optimization is an added measure recruiters can take to easily and efficiently publish and share jobs to contacts on personal and corporate LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter accounts.
  • Businesses value the intangibles. Soft skills, such as communication and teamwork skills, are the most difficult skills to easily identify and find according to 36 percent of recruiters surveyed.  However, recruiters can use technology to gain a competitive advantage in this regard. Video Screening technology can help recruiters identify if candidates have quality communication skills or if they are a good cultural fit for an organization. Recruiters are able to quickly identify high quality candidates who take the time to effectively present themselves at the top of the recruitment process. The best video screening submissions can also be passed along to hiring managers to review, expediting the next stage in the evaluation process while saving considerable time and money.
  • Other recruiters might know something you don’t. That is, if you’re not conducting basic Google searches on candidates. According to 76 percent of surveyed recruiters, they “always” or “sometimes” perform a Google search on candidates before hiring them. Furthermore, more than 40 percent of recruiters report finding online information that disqualified the candidate from consideration. While every organization has its own policies on looking into candidates outside of a formal background check or drug screening, many recruiters are conducting web searches to learn a bit more about a candidate’s online presence.

Targeted technology tools and tactics turn a candidate’s market into a recruiter’s market, and allow hiring businesses to thrive under pressure.

For more information on iCIMS, click here and download the free eBook, “Start a Successful Job Hunt & Set Yourself Apart,” for even more findings from this study.

susan_vitaleAbout the Author: Susan Vitale joined iCIMS in 2005 and serves as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.

As CMO, Susan oversees direct marketing efforts as well as business development across a network of strategic alliances around the globe. Susan also plays an active role in portfolio strategy, helping to ensure iCIMS’ products, power-ups and services remain on the pulse of the ever-changing HR technology landscape.

Follow Susan on Twitter @Susan_Vitale or connect with her on LinkedIn.



By Susan Vitale

Susan Vitale joined iCIMS in 2005 and serves as the company's Chief Marketing Officer. As CMO, Susan oversees direct marketing efforts as well as business development across a network of strategic alliances around the globe. Susan also plays an active role in portfolio strategy, helping to ensure iCIMS’ products, power-ups and services remain on the pulse of the ever-changing HR technology landscape.