17 Hot (and Getting Hotter) Trends in Recruiting and Talent Management - Part 4

KCI Perspectives | August 2008

by Dr. John Sullivan, Professor of Management, San Francisco State University

14: Emerging new technology arrives.

Vendors have finally begun to realize that the current generation of technology has only made a minimal impact on recruiting. Expect new technologies and approaches that will finally begin to meet their initial promise of revolutionizing recruiting. Recruiting managers must demand technology that's smart and that learns from its successes and mistakes. They should also expect new breakthroughs in Internet search engines, candidate assessment, strategic metrics, and resume sorting technology.

15: A focus on leadership positions.

As more senior leaders retire, there will be increased emphasis on recruiting "potential leaders" from top firms both within and outside your industry. Expect firms to target companies like GE, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Ikea, SC Johnson, Pepsi, American Express, FedEx, Southwest Air, IBM, McKinsey, Toyota, and even the military.

16: Strategic metrics become king.

This will be the breakthrough year when the focus will finally shift away from distracting and low impact "tactical" metrics (cost per hire, time to fill, number of hires, etc.) and toward more strategic metrics like quality of hire, hiring from competitors, ROI, and workforce productivity.

17: Corporate websites reawaken?

After too many years of boring, ineffective, and often embarrassing corporate websites...expect nothing to happen. This is unfortunately remains true, because until one firm creates a breakthrough website, no one else will have the courage to act in this follow-the-leader field.