If one thing is certain, it is that the world of talent acquisition is in a state of constant change: Economic and other external challenges, rapidly expanding and multiplying technologies to support sourcing and recruiting, and organizations forced to act and react much more rapidly than even a few years ago. Some organizations are preparing for an anticipated rebound in hiring, while others are still in the grips of hiring slowdowns or freezes. And for larger organizations, simultaneous growth in one part of the business with reduction in another will be the order of the day. The business of recruiting and sourcing has probably not ever been more complex, with the proliferation in new technologies, strategies, all having to operate effectively in a dynamic economic environment.
In the last few years the emphasis on new technologies and leveraging of social networks for sourcing and recruiting have become much more prevalent. There are now entire conferences dedicated to what is being termed “social recruiting.” Many of the dominant providers of applicant tracking systems are increasingly adding more “social” capabilities to their offerings, but in such a rapidly changing market, can any large software provider keep up? Are these “traditional” ATS tools destined to be replaced by candidate CRM platforms, talent communities, or corporate recruiting Facebook pages?
One thing is for sure: the simultaneous impact of reduced hiring, restricted organizational resources and budgets, and the emergence of social technologies as a viable, lower-cost alternative to traditional sourcing and recruiting practices have for the foreseeable future changed how companies find, attract, and incent both internal and external candidates. While qualified candidates are still seemingly more available than ever, many organizations still struggle finding top talent for many high-skill and technical positions. At the same time, companies are being forced by a fast-moving and changing marketplace and competitive environment to possess the capability to increase, reduce, redeploy, and re-train organizational talent much more rapidly and skillfully than even a few years ago. Job requirements will need to be redefined, and a more fluid mix of permanent staff augmented with contract and other contingent workers will be required. A better understanding of an organization’s entire talent community will be necessary to read and react to these complex conditions.
Many organizational leaders and professionals in the talent acquisition field are asking important questions, such as what tools, technologies, strategies, and networks can be used to try and meet these requirements, and ensure that the organization has the right talent to meet its objectives? What approaches are working? And what practices of the past need to be jettisoned?
To try and get the sense of how this rapidly changing economic, competitive, and dynamic environment is impacting the world of talent acquisition, we are pleased to announce the Third Annual ERE/Knowledge Infusion 2010 Future of Recruiting and Sourcing Survey.
Please take a few minutes to take the 2010 Knowledge Infusion & ERE Future of Recruiting and Sourcing Survey survey, and share your perspectives to help everyone in the talent acquisition community better understand and navigate this challenging environment.
