Upgrading your recruitment strategy for the workforce of the future.

The arrival of tech-savvy, digital natives into the workforce has brought fresh perspectives to businesses all over the world. In response, many enterprises are changing the way they communicate, rethinking the technology they adopt, and even overhauling their recruitment strategies to meet the demands of the new generation.

According to the latest research from Fuze, modern collaboration preferences are becoming as diverse as the workforces they support. This diversity of working styles must also trickle down into your recruitment and retention approach, requiring new strategies for both HR teams, and recruitment agencies.

With this in mind, here are three ways that a refreshed, technology-driven approach can help to futureproof both business’ hiring strategy and the recruitment industry as a whole.

1. Streamline collaboration

At the centre of every recruitment process is the hard task of finding the most suitable candidate to fill a role, and bring the right expertise. Unfortunately, not everyone in a business has the same vision for what the ‘perfect’ candidate might look like. An effective recruitment process means collaborating with a wide variety of different decision makers, teams, and department heads. This process can take weeks or even months, particularly if teams aren’t able to work together in the office all day, every day.

There are also certain tasks that are particularly time-consuming, like reviewing CV applications, planning around notice periods, and screening people based on their skill sets. Not to mention the time needed to share feedback with internal colleagues and collaborate with the departments looking for new hires.
To make this process more efficient, it’s essential that teams streamline their collaboration approach. New technologies are making this easier than ever, allowing multiple decision makers to chat via video calls, review CVs collectively, and collaborate on written documents within a single application. Not only will using tools cut down on unnecessary meetings, it will allow those working remotely to take part in discussions, and share their views. 

2. Embrace the video interview

Once the right candidates have been screened and narrowed down to the final few, it’s time to start setting up interviews. 

Organising face-to-face meetings can be tricky. With the rise of flexible working, and companies increasingly trying to access a global pool of specialist talent, setting up a call that works for everyone can feel like an impossible task. At the same time, subtle visual cues such as attire, facial expressions, and body language are all lost when interviews are conducted over the phone. This can make it harder to accurately judge a potential candidate and make the right decision. 

Videoconferencing can bridge this gap between company and candidate, enabling a face-to-face meeting without having to travel. Better than a standard phone call, this process is far more useful for both parties. The interviewer can get a much better feel for the person and whether they’ll be a good fit for the company, and the interviewee can decide whether this job feels right for them. Smart scheduling, international dialling, and calendar access can also help to avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure that all regions can take part.

3. Use workplace culture to attract talent

Great communication isn’t just about video and voice. Bringing everyone together into one space can spark creativity and greater collaboration, encourage workers to voice their best ideas, and ultimately improve working relationships. 

Fuze research shows that digital natives value face-to-face meetings, with 69 per cent believing it’s important to meet regularly with the people you work with. While collaborative work areas, such as huddle rooms and open offices, are present in many workplaces, they’re not always shown off to prospective recruits.

HR and recruitment professionals can do more to showcase workplace cultures. Instead of shuffling candidates into an interview room, ensure they see any creative working spaces and innovative technologies.
Spark the interest of new hires early, ensure communications tools are mobile ready for digital-savvy worker, and let them see the type of innovative company that they will be joining. This will not only help to recruit young talent, but also help you retain that talent into the future.

To find out more about the demands of recruiters and future workforces, download the Fuze report: Productivity @ Work.