Recruitment trends come and go but for the lucky few they stick around and make a big difference in the industry. After a rocky 2016 for many companies and for culture in general (is it too early to remind you of Trump, Brexit, and Bowie?), we look forward to the recruitment trends of 2017.

Brand Identity

With more recruitment companies popping up every year – nearly 3,000 in the first half of 2016- strong visual identity is vital. Having an identifiable brand will separate the weak from the strong. Poorly designed logos, an inconsistent tone of voice, badly designed website; they are all indicators of quality. In fact, LinkedIn found that, if budgets were unlimited, 53% of leaders would focus on their employer branding this year. But with only 31% of UK companies noting an increase in their 2017 budget, will recruitment agencies have the courage to spend out of their brand equity?

‘Boomerang’ Candidates

Recruiters are always facing more applicants and higher demand for jobs. Unfortunately, a whopping 65% of CVs received for high-volume roles are ignored. The CV is usually ignored once it’s entered into the ATS. However, new technology has meant talent rediscovery is easier and, with the increase of contractors, means candidates can come back around. We’ve seen it happen in the US, but will the boomerang culture recruitment trends move to the UK in 2017?

Brexit, Brexit, Brexit

We haven’t heard the last of the UK leaving the EU. Article 50 is currently expected to be triggered in March. The result of such will have a huge impact of hires across the UK and internationally. Nothing is set in stone yet for the UK and whether we should expect a hard or soft Brexit, which for some can lead to hesitation on new hires. We could see leaders making their businesses leaner; getting rid of extra expenses and flooding the market with new candidates. Whatever the fate of Brexit, make sure you gain an understanding of your clients’ future plans. It will help you plan for your future too.

New Job Titles

Say goodbye to old job titles like Change Managers and hello to the new job title, a Masters of Disasters. While the role is virtually the same a renewed title can stimulate interest and demand in the role. Plus, it gives your company a tone of voice that’ll set the role apart from all the others out there. Get ready to see a rise in Social Media Gurus, Accounting Ninjas, and Directors of Fun in 2017 recruitment trends.

Diversity

There has been a surge in team diversity and inclusion and we don’t see the recruitment trend stopping anytime soon. In fact, LinkedIn found that 37% are expected to recruit more diverse candidates. Diversity doesn’t just mean race, it also means gender, sexuality, mental and physical disability, the list goes on. We’re likely to see recruiters offer more inclusive methods to source diverse candidates. After all, increasing the diversity in teams has a number of benefits including improved problem-solving and higher financial returns!

Candidates Focusing on Workplace Culture

Company culture continues to prevail. Candidates are attracted to companies with a strong culture and it is likely to affect how hiring managers approach recruitment. Younger generations don’t want formulaic business environments, they want fun, perks, and benefits. Forbes identified the trend of companies enforcing less strict office attire requirements this year too. It means that recruiters no longer need to focus on company reputation and instead illustrate the culture to candidates. It’s what the candidate wants!

So there it is, the recruitment trends of 2017! Of course, that’s not an extensive list but we have a good gut feeling about these trends. Want to get ahead of the recruitment trends? Give us a call. We can help you future-proof your business with quality hires

This article originally appeared on our own blog back in January and was written by Alistair Reyland. You can read the original here.