If you think your recruiting is outdated, you’ve come to the right place. Trends are hard to keep up with, especially when you’re busy running a company. But because your recruiting strategy determines who ends up working for you, recruiting trends are one area where you need to be informed. So if you think you’re falling behind, we’ve got a few areas of recruiting you might want to give a second look to keep your hiring up-to-date and effective.

Become a Compelling Employer Brand

One of the most dominant recruitment trends companies are taking advantage of are employer branding. Employer branding deals with how a company sells itself to candidates; everything from the look of their career site, the frequency and tone with which they communicate with candidates and the general working culture of the company sends your candidates a message, and good employer branding gives candidates the message that you’re the company for them.

So if you’re looking to attract candidates, get on board with employer branding. This year, 56% of talent leaders believe cultivating their employer brand is a top priority for their company. Because every step of your recruiting process can tell a candidate whether or not you’re a good fit for them, employer branding will continue to pay a vital role in your recruiting, making it one of the most important recruiting trends to invest in.

Cultivating Retirement Plans

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 3.4 million people will turn 65 in 2015, putting them in a prime position to retire. This should get many companies thinking about how they’ll hire the employees to replace these long-time veterans. But there’s also hope that veteran employees will stick around past the standard retirement age, albeit in a more limited capacity.

This leads to semi-retirement, where an employee who might otherwise leave a company instead chooses to work a reduced number of hours. According to a recent study, 20% of workers between the ages of 65 and 67 are partially retired— a percentage double what it was in 1960. This benefits both the employer and employee: the employee can reduce their hours and stress while still receiving a steady income, while the employer can have the older worker train new ones, preparing them for when the older worker eventually retires completely.

Prepare for the Freelancer’s World

Perhaps the older generation veering towards fewer hours is a sign of an increasingly fragmented workforce. Employment costs are rising and employees want greater freedom, and freelance work accommodates both interests. In 2013, 34% of U.S. worked as freelancers.

If companies want to attract more freelance workers, they need to focus their interview discussion on business and make a more compelling offer. Writing for People Per Hour, Pilar Nalwimba (@pilarofsociety) talks about how companies need to negotiate with freelance writers as an example:

“Experienced writers know what they’re worth, and they’ve worked with many other organizations that have been willing to pay their preferred rate. Do a little research and talk to your colleagues about their work with media agencies. Expect to pay between $150-$300 for a well written, socially shareable, interesting piece and between $15-$45 for a 400 word SEO blog post. Remember that the best freelancers do a fair amount of research to familiarize themselves with your brand, audience, and the topic at hand, so you may end up paying slightly more if you opt for an hourly rate of pay.”

Whether you want to create more loyal employees who will stick with you for years or want to encourage contract workers to work with you, you’ll need to keep up with recruiting trends and create better retirement packages, negotiate better offers, and put it all together as part of a more compelling employer brand. It’s hard for even the most knowledgeable businesses to stay on top of trends. The Olson Group is here to help. Contact us today to see how we can assist in the ongoing management of employee benefits and retirement planning.

Bio: Tim Olson

Tim Olson, CEBS, CMFC and Managing Partner of the Olson Group, has been working with Nebraska employers for over 33 years and has been in the employee benefits industry since 1980. Presently, Tim works with employers assisting them with self-funded and fully insured medical and dental programs, consumer-driven health strategies, term life, long term disability insurance, section 125 flexible benefit programs, voluntary benefits, retirement programs, and executive compensation plans.  Tim currently works with more than 200 employers participating in 500 employee benefit plans, and covering more than 30,000 employees throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. You can read more about Tim and his insight on employee benefits needs on The Olson Group Blog.