Written by Josh Musominari

There are numerous and consistently changing elements of the recruitment process that are influenced by technology, professional habits and practices. The recruitment market and industry has continued to see growth and expansion in its scope over its lifespan and innovation has been shaped by the tools and techniques used.

The advancement of the internet and computing

It goes without saying that advances in information technology and the internet have had a major impact on the industry as a whole. When job advertisements transferred their home from newspapers to online job boards, the practice evolved in effectiveness and accessibility immeasurably. As technology becomes more automated, effective, and personal there are continuous needs to advance the tools and technology available to professionals in the field. As recruitment outsourcing has become more prevalent, the expectations of candidates as service users has grown, and those in the production of recruitment tools are acutely aware of the need to apply the latest advancements in technology to ensure an effective service is available.

Market competition

As the industry has advanced and evolved there are numerous opportunities available in the field. This has made the industry more attractive and led to further levels of competition. In many capacities there are low barriers to entry, and this has fuelled the variety of tools available at varying levels of functionality and price. The increase in competition has also meant that the cost and viability of tools drives the creation of tools to further generate competitive advantage and deliver more effective tools.

Labour market conditions

As we have seen in the recent pandemic, and previous economic recessions, when there is a scarcity of job opportunities available recruitment tools become more essential than expected. It is a common assumption that higher levels of unemployment make the process of recruiting easier. In actuality, the higher levels of applications and increased competition in the labour market make it significantly more difficult and time consuming to process applications. Outsourced recruitment tends to be able to flexibly scale up capacity due to the tools they have on offer as they are early adopters of technology and tools.

Cultural factors

As the field of human resources continues to advance and become standardised across different markets and sectors, the need to adapt technology and tools to match changes to requirements and policies comes more vital. For example, adapting tools to find ways to diversify talent pools, standardise applications and assessments and make more informed hires based on multiple factors leads to new tools and requirements. Meeting the changes head on and advancing the practices employed is essential to effectively adapt to these changing needs.

In the future, we expect to see continued expansion of the functionality and use of recruitment technology and tools. As early adopters, we can clearly see the benefits and necessity as practices evolve over time. Further automation, the use of artificial intelligence and expanding the hiring process in scope will continue to take place. If you would like a better more in depth understanding of the tools available, please feel free to reach out to us.