What does the future of recruitment look like?

The world of work has changed for good. It’s now not enough for recruiters to simply match roles to resumes, we need to be more strategic, adaptable and aware of what our clients need and what our candidates want than ever before. A recent report from LinkedIn Talent Solutions found that 87% of recruiting professionals feel talent acquisition has become a more strategic function over the past year. And this strategic approach is definitely needed, as rising inflation and the cost of living crisis continue to impact workers’ pockets.

Only 45% of recruiting professionals say that their company has increased salaries enough to keep pace with inflation.

When approaching great talent, recruiters must have the emotional intelligence and softer skills to balance what they want and what the company is prepared to give. This all comes down to relationship-building and replacing the hard, transactional approach of years gone by, with a softer, people focused view. Fractional hiring is also an emerging trend.

According to LinkedIn, communication and relationship building are still the most important skills that recruiters need, but adaptability, problem-solving and business acumen are becoming more important. We demonstrate this every day from drilling down what our clients need to quickly helping to integrate new starters in their teams.

What do candidates really want?

We know that people want work to work for them. Every month, LinkedIn surveys over 20,000 members about the most important factors to them when considering a new job. The latest results show that pay is still the number one priority, but that work-life balance and flexible working arrangements are also key.

The priorities of Gen Z — professionals born later than 1996 – value career advancement and gaining new skills, and want to be part of an inclusive working environment. We’ve worked hard to build a community where our talent can engage in meaningful work, create value for our clients and develop their career at the same time. For our clients, this translates to receiving a highly connected, invested and engaged talent community.

Powering the upskilling and reskilling revolution

Skills are slowly becoming more important than experience and employers are starting to embrace skills-first hiring. This means moving away from the traditional requirement for degrees for some roles. Today’s marketing teams need different skills, and with technology moving so fast, pure length of experience doesn’t necessarily mean a person has kept pace.

75% of recruiting professionals predict skills-first hiring will be a priority for their company in the next 18 months.

Where does AI fit in?

Generative AI (GAI) like ChatGPT does present opportunities to take on manual tasks for recruiters like drafting job descriptions and personalizing messages to candidates.

74% of talent acquisition professionals would like to see GAI help to automate repetitive tasks so they can focus on strategic work.

However, we have never moved away from focusing on those softer skills and taking a human approach to ensure we build lasting relationships with our clients and talent community. We understand that values matter.

Finding great talent and matching great roles to great people gives us a genuine buzz. That’s why we take it seriously, with a flexible approach to marketing and creative staffing that focuses on quality. We understand the importance of that human connection and being able to adjust quickly and easily to our clients’ needs, so we can match marketing, creative and technology talent exceptionally well to meet them.


HelloKindred is the modern staffing solution for innovative businesses. Our range of digital marketing recruitment solutions can be delivered to suit your needs, whether that’s remote, hybrid, full-time or temp. We make it simple and flexible for you to access talented people who can deliver real value, now. Find out more about our services or schedule a call with us today!

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