After receiving an invite to the Global Recruiter Summit 2022, I was delighted to get out of the office and attend. Throughout the day, I listened to some extremely thought-provoking talks, indulged in some delicious complimentary treats and had fun networking with other attendees from the recruitment industry. Here are my highlights from the day:
Making your next move
The theme of the day was ‘Making Your Next Move,’ which is very appropriate considering the turbulence experienced by the recruitment industry over the last few years. Those who make up the staffing sector have experienced a very demanding time of late, and with skills shortages reaching breaking point, many hiring professionals are wondering what to expect next.
The Summit kicked off with James Osbourne, Founder and Chairman of The Recruitment Network. James’s talk was all about ‘Maximising Momentum,’ and started by assessing what trends are emerging within the marketplace before going on to look at what some of the fastest-growing recruitment organisations are currently doing to address these trends and how to best capitalise and maximise the moment.
So, what are these trends?
On the whole, recruitment firms have thrived during what has been an incredibly busy time for the recruitment industry. Yet, James points out that customer engagement took a hit as a result. Predicting an inevitable downturn ahead, he warned that a low customer engagement rate will prove detrimental in the next 18 months. On the other hand, those recruitment companies that will secure and retain top talent will be the ones that are emphasising their ‘CLV’ (customer lifetime value).
To do this, you must take a candidate first focus during the recruitment process, which will mean that customer engagement will once again become a priority for recruiters. Harnessing new tech to automate repetitive tasks will be key in freeing up the time of your recruitment agents and letting them do what they do best: building relationships. James also explained that return on investment (ROI) should always be considered when utilising new software. Be sure to take a data-driven approach when regularly reviewing your new tech and ask yourself this: What channels am I getting the most ROI from?
Building a strong recruitment brand
One talk that really stood out to me came from Sophie Hopley, Employer Brand Director of Searchability. Sophie’s presentation centred around the idea that ‘your business is your brand’ and if you hope to stand out in a competitive market, then it’s key that your recruitment organisation discovers and shapes both a unique corporate brand and employer brand. Branding goes way beyond your logo or your website, in fact, it should help communicate the essence of who you are, showcasing your personality, ultimately building on your recognition in the recruitment market.
When building up your employer brand, it’s a great idea to start by asking your current employees for their thoughts on your brand identity. This will help you get to the bottom of what makes your company unique to work for. It may even be the case that this feedback makes you realise that your company culture needs some improvements, but don’t be disheartened, take this feedback as constructive and consider what can be changed. Remote working, flexi starting times and company social events are all popular ways of creating a rich company culture and finding your unique employer brand.
Once you’ve gotten to the bottom of your employer brand, consider what your employer value proposition (EVP) tagline could be and keep in mind that this needs to capture what you’re offering people in return for their skills. Sophie gave the example of Apple’s very successful, yet simple tagline: “Join us. Be you.”
Your corporate identity will take a much more professional tone while promoting the brand name. Here are three of Sophie’s top tips for how you can do this:
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Public relations
PR opportunities are a great way of boosting your brand credibility, attracting and engaging your target market, shaping your overall brand image and establishing a point of difference from your competition.
Growing your media contacts and showcasing your expertise in a reputable publication is a great example of how this can be done.
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Award opportunities
There are multiple opportunities throughout the year to enter into industry awards and it’s a good idea to take advantage of these as winning awards or even being shortlisted can act as a great marketing tool. Winning an award will help you gain valuable industry recognition but you can also use it as a key trust signal on your website.
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Social media
Social platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram are key to communicating with your audience in real-time. But before you go ahead and start posting, it’s important to first consider which channels are right for your brand and how to slightly tweak your voice for each. After all, your LinkedIn posts are likely to look a lot different to your Instagram feed.
Equality, diversity and inclusion in recruitment
Next, Adam Tobias, Co-Founder of Inventum Group and APSCo E, D&I Partner, gave a very important talk on the state of equality, diversity and inclusion in the recruitment industry. Adam made a very good point that really stuck with me: recruiters stand as the gateway to driving change and providing opportunities for diverse and underrepresented talent with employers. However, the recruitment industry itself isn’t doing enough to be fully inclusive and representative and this is going to inevitably have a trickle-down effect on talent acquisition as a whole.
Here's how you can boost your ED&I and make a significant change:
- Hire on values and behaviours – relaxing your requirements such as by recognising soft skills is a great way of accessing a wider, more diverse talent pool.
- Utilising diversity tools – there is some great tech out there that will help get rid of bias in the talent acquisition process. Adam gave the example of Recite Me, a software which helps dyslexic and visually-impaired web users to adapt websites to fit their preferences.
- Post on a range of platforms to ensure that you are accessing a wider audience.
I had a truly inspiring time attending the Global Recruiter Summit and gained invaluable insight into emerging recruitment industry trends that I’ll be sure to share and utilise. Bring on the next big recruitment event!
Share your takeaways from recent recruitment industry events in the comments below 👇
Author: Sadie McGrath
