The Traditional Hiring Process Is Dead

The traditional hiring process, once considered the gold standard for selecting candidates, has lost its effectiveness in today's modern job market. 

This shift can be attributed to various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which has completely altered power dynamics, expectations and possibilities. Candidates now have more autonomy and prioritise a better work-life balance, challenging the traditional notion of employer dominance.

The traditional approach itself is being dismantled. Lengthy and unrealistic job descriptions, interview processes that drag out for months, and rigid practices that lack flexibility are simply no longer appealing to candidates. 

Now let’s jump into what it actually takes to succeed in the most competitive recruitment market that we’ve ever seen. We spoke with a fantastic panel of experts to bring you insights on how to stay ahead of the curve.

Our panel: 

Molly Johnson-Jones - CEO & Co-Founder at Flexa

Tom Fairey - Founder & Head Coach at Stakester 

Katrina Collier - Recruitment & Candidate experience expert

Fredrik Mellander - Head of Partnerships at Teamtailor

How the job and hiring market has shifted

Hiring has undergone a complete transformation. Gone are the days when candidates had to sift through local newspapers for job opportunities, constrained by limited options. 

Now, in the era of technology and connectivity, everything we need is conveniently accessible at our fingertips. This shift has not only revolutionised the way we work but has also opened up a world of possibilities and flexibility that was previously unimaginable.

Katrina Collier - Recruitment & Candidate experience expert 

“People have had to become more technology savvy and use it for things like interviews, it’s completely changed to how it was 30 years ago. I’ve never seen the market so candidate owned and companies need to appreciate the fact that candidates want to work for them.”

Molly Johnson-Jones - CEO & Co-Founder at Flexa

“Generally people are consuming more information before applying to a company than they ever have done before, they only want to apply to a company that meets their expectations. Instead of just searching by job title people are now searching using a secondary filter i.e. I have a dog that I want to bring to the office and I also want to be able to work from home 3 days a week.”

Fredrik Mellander - Head of Partnerships at Teamtailor

Top advice for people teams 

Listen up, Hiring Managers, HR managers, Talent Acquisition and People teams, we’ve summarised advice from our panel of experts on how to succeed in the hiring market. 

Tom Fairey - Founder & Head Coach at Stakester 

“Create a culture you want to shout about and where your employees shout about it, if they're not doing it already then are you really that great? Your employees talking about how amazing it is working for you in an authentic way, that's the best advert. 

Secondly, you have to have more on the table than other companies, you have to genuinely offer something different. We have a 7 day work week, that doesn’t mean working 7 days a week it means working whatever days you want, I don’t care how you do it as long as the job gets done. Find a way to innovate and differentiate. The best way to do this is by giving people freedom”.

Fredrik Mellander - Head of Partnerships at Teamtailor 

“Number 1, do the groundwork, know the job, know the type of person you're looking for and the skills needed. And setup processes to make sure everyone who applies gets some sort of feedback. 

Number 2, be transparent and authentic. Get your employees to advocate for you, the smallest of comments make the biggest difference, for example, a comment on a post saying “i love my job”. 

Katrina Collier - Recruitment & Candidate experience expert 

“Firstly, demand those strategy sessions, be able to comfortably say, I'm not working on this role until you give me this information up front so i’m able to find the right person for the role. You need to be supported by your leaders with this so you have the ability to push back and say no until you get that information. 

Secondly, if you work at a company that doesn’t offer a hybrid way of working and doesn’t plan on it then, leave. There are lots of other companies out there offering flexibility, this is the future. We didn't have the internet back when I was looking for my first role. We had the newspaper and some employers don't understand that the world has changed. They need this explaining to them, they need to see examples of what they can do.”

Molly Johnson-Jones - CEO & Co-Founder at Flexa

“Give people the information they need to self-select, don't hide everything until the last minute. Don't pretend to be something you’re not”.

To secure and retain top talent that aligns with your company's mission and culture, your recruitment process needs to continue to evolve, placing greater emphasis on Flexibility, Marketing and Employer Branding.

The traditional hiring platforms are ill-equipped to address this. Job searching based solely on job title or location has rapidly lost relevance. Job seekers are now driven by a desire to work for companies they admire and aspire to be part of, seeking environments that complement their lifestyle and values.