What Recruiters 4.0 Should Focus On

The list of skills that Recruiters 4.0 need to possess and master is constantly growing – with slightly different focal points each year. In times of skilled labour shortages, one thing is clear: recruitment is becoming even more important and is a key factor in a company’s success. Therefore, it is essential that recruiters have the right set of skills.

Demonstrating Adaptability and Agility

If we have learnt one thing in recent years, it is this: we never know what the future holds. The concept of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) captures this well and presents major challenges for both companies and recruiters.

Adaptability is therefore a core competency that HR professionals must bring to the table. The market for skilled workers, effective recruitment strategies, and available technologies are all evolving faster than ever before. To remain successful, HR professionals must be able to respond to rapidly changing requirements, remain open to innovation, and see transformation as an opportunity.  

Finding New Approaches and Recruiting Strategically

What worked yesterday may no longer be effective tomorrow. New recruitment paths are in demand. The “post and pray” method is outdated – the recruitment of the future will focus much more on clearly defined strategies than on merely filling ad hoc vacancies. HR professionals must be able to anticipate needs, solve problems, and advise line managers. And with skilled professionals being so scarce, creativity in recruitment is essential. This means taking new approaches and developing target group-specific recruitment strategies – standardised processes are no longer sufficient.

In addition to performance recruiting, active sourcing continues to play a vital role in successful recruitment. Many talents are already employed and not actively looking for new opportunities. Yet it is precisely these candidates who are often most valuable to your recruitment efforts. Use active sourcing to reach out to them proactively and raise awareness of your company or a suitable job opening. HR professionals must also think outside the box and advocate internally for innovation – for example, by broadening the pool of potential future employees to include returnees or career changers, or by introducing new working models such as top sharing or job sharing.

Understanding and Applying Sales and Marketing Techniques

Recruitment is sales. As a recruiter, you generate potential “leads” (applicants), convince them of your organisation, and motivate them to apply. As in sales, building interpersonal relationships is often the deciding factor in recruitment success. Therefore, successful recruiters possess strong communication skills and pronounced sales competence. This is one of the reasons why some organisations specifically recruit individuals with a sales background and distinguish these profiles clearly from traditional HR business partners.

But recruitment is not only about sales – it is also marketing. Recruitment begins long before a vacancy is filled. What image and employer brand does the company project? In 2023, your organisation’s online presence will play a crucial role. It should be carefully tailored to the needs of your target group and make a positive, appealing impression on potential applicants. Ensure your careers page and social media presence reflect this – and are optimised for mobile use. In terms of your website, take full advantage of all available tools. With targeted landing pages, you can reach different audiences with personalised content. To do this, you will need digital knowledge and understanding – or the support of experienced service providers.

Building a Talent Pool, Networking, and Maintaining Relationships

Equally important is building a reliable talent pool. Treat applicants like valued clients through effective relationship management. Stay in contact with second-best candidates and re-engage with them easily when new roles open up. Expand your network on job platforms or social media. In the war for talent, the strength of your relationships can give you a decisive edge over competitors.

Analysing and Understanding Data

Intuition has its place – but data is more important than ever. In future, recruitment decisions will increasingly be driven by data-based insights. Given their strategic role and advisory responsibilities towards leadership, recruiters must make decisions backed by solid data. This means understanding the key recruitment metrics, interpreting them correctly, and deriving actionable insights.

Recruit Successfully in 2023 – with Refline’s E-Recruiting Software

What can reliably support you with all these challenges? Refline’s e-recruiting software. It reduces your administrative workload by 70 percent and provides powerful tools – such as the integrated talent pool – to noticeably optimise your recruitment processes. With Refline, you are well equipped for the trends, topics and opportunities that 2023 has in store. Contact us or start your live demo now to experience all the benefits of our software.