Candidates are asking more questions about mental-health benefits, accommodations for working parents and Covid-19 safety protocols, recruiters say. In addition, a third of recruiters report they’re receiving more questions about diversity and inclusion initiatives than they did last year.
According to Jobvite’s 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey, 71% of recruiters said priorities on the employer side have changed, as well. Greater emphasis is being given to quality of hires at the expense of growing talent pipelines and improving time to hire.
Survey: Candidates want mental-health benefits, employers want quality hires and recruiters (surprise) are stressed. @Jobvite#HR #HRTech Click To TweetNot surprisingly, 61% of recruiters said their stress level has increased since the pandemic began, with 1 in 5 reporting a drastic increase. Covid-19 has also led to diminished headcount and cutbacks on hiring for about one-third of organizations.
Jobvite CMO Jeffrey K. Rohrs said the company believes many of the shifts scene during 2020 “will be here to stay.”
Quality Over Culture
Changes to the workplace—especially the increase of remote work—has led employers to change their approach to evaluating candidates, as well, the survey found. For example, in 2017 some 83% of organizations prioritized “cultural add.” This year, however, only 27% gave such weight to cultural considerations.
About 58% of recruiters said a lack of skilled/qualified candidates was their biggest hiring challenge, while 20% said they were faced with too many candidates. Forty percent believe virtual interviews will be the default going forward, even though 77% said in-person interviews is their most effective form of interview.
Social media channels continue to grow in use, the survey found, with 78% of recruiters saying social media is the most likely area to see increased financial investment over the next 12 months. Nearly three-quarters, or 72%, use LinkedIn, down 20 percentage points since 2017. About 37% user Instagram for recruiting, up from 18%.
Most companies have set specific diversity goals for their hiring efforts, about 63% for race/ethnicity and 54% gender. Thirty-seven percent have set goals for age, 33% for veterans, 29% for LGBTQ+ and 28% for immigrants.
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