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3 data-driven HR hiring and recruiting trends for 2018

The rise of LinkedIn and other web-based recruitment tools has been a blessing for the modern recruiter, giving employers more resource choices to build the right organizational culture.

But over the past several years, it’s become more difficult for recruiters to balance present-day hiring expectations against an increasingly selective and competitive talent pool.

With the rapid rise of freelancers and contractors in the gig economy, workers can enjoy newfound flexibility and control over their careers. Now, if a company’s goals and culture do not sufficiently impress talented applicants, they won’t hesitate to walk away.

In 2018, HR professionals will need to embrace modern, digital solutions to meet these challenges. As technology becomes part and parcel of recruitment, employers can expect the following hiring trends to emerge in the new year.

AI comes to recruitment

For recruiting purposes, companies have traditionally only used artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools to narrow the initial applicant pool. But today’s smartest companies are now using AI to inform the hiring process itself.

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Programmers work at the Maluuba Inc. office in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. Several leading Canadian researchers and professors have defected to U.S. tech companies such as Google. Already members of the country's AI community are trying to protect what they helped build. A startup called Maluuba, which makes technology that helps computers talk, is opening a research office in Montreal; the University of Toronto has opened a startup accelerator and this fall launched a program dedicated to AI research. Photographer: James MacDonald/Bloomberg

In fact, it’s quickly becoming the industry standard to use AI to dissect candidate resumes and backgrounds to help determine qualities that indicate a workplace culture fit and a high-potential of post-hire success. Once candidates have been selected, many companies use AI to strategically help retain those top performers, often by identifying their ideal learning and development opportunities or even analyzing work correspondence for perceived flight risk.

Companies that can maximize their AI solutions beyond resume parsing will have a leg up on the competition in 2018, particularly as workplace relations reach a new level of importance.

Addressing diversity in new ways

Stories of workplace misconduct dominated national headlines in the latter half of 2017, leaving a clear message for HR experts: now is the time to modernize recruitment and eliminate bias from candidate selection.

In 2018, companies will look to digital tools to help scrutinize everything from job descriptions to interview questions, with the goal of eliminating exclusivity from their hiring equation. AI can even determine which word on a job board post is deterring the best candidates, or which office perks could win over a unique applicant during the interview process.

Those new perspectives often become catalysts for new innovations and improvements, helping create the culture of opportunity and accountability where employees can thrive.

Amongst all the data, compliance will remain key

A turbulent political cycle has left many employers struggling with how to prepare for potential new regulations. The U.S. recently signed new tax reform into law, and employers can expect other significant legislative moves soon as Congress tries to act before the looming 2018 midterm elections.

New laws regarding hot-button issues — immigration, sexual harassment and the minimum wage — could be on the docket this year. Automating key hiring necessities such as resume screening and demographic tracking will keep recruiters from feeling overwhelmed by any new compliance permutations. Executives would be wise to design contingency plans and empower HR teams to stay flexible.

Above all, the modern workplace will require companies to stay on top of new developments instead of passively enforcing old standards. By choosing new technologies to efficiently recruit and hire talent, recruiters can maximize their operations for a better 2018.

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Recruiting Recruiting tools HR Technology Artificial intelligence Workforce management Workplace management
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