The HR and recruitment industry has seen multiple changes in recent years, requiring HR professionals to remain adaptable. In 2023, there are several areas which recruiters should be focusing on to maximise talent acquisition and retention, from adopting AI technology to prioritising the recruitment of A-players for better business results.  

Anyone working in HR or recruitment will know that the industry has seen some dramatic changes in recent years, changing how we work and hire. From remote and hybrid working to the ‘Great Resignation’, strikes and staff shortages, HR teams have had a lot to deal with. With a new year upon us, now is the time to change how we approach recruitment — here’s how to deal with talent acquisition with these changes in mind. 

Focus on employee wellbeing 

It’s a well-known fact that employee wellbeing contributes to talent retention rates and morale in the workplace. And in today’s employee-driven market, companies need to focus on staff wellbeing and offer flexibility for a better work-life balance to be in the best possible position for recruiting and retaining top talent. 

Focusing on wellbeing in the workplace can help you attract candidates in a competitive landscape, so HR teams need to find ways to enhance communication among employees, encourage a healthier work-life balance, and promote mental health awareness to destigmatise these issues at work.  

Build a team of A-players

Many companies have a few great people, but few can say that they have the very best talent throughout the entire organisation, and while leaders will say that they’re great at selecting top talent, the data proves otherwise. In 2023, it’s never been more important to understand how well your staff are performing and building a team of A-players that will elevate your business and bring in more success. 

“A-players are employees who consistently meet your productivity requirements (performance standards) and consistently live your company’s core values”, explains Howard Shore, Founder and CEO of Activate Group, “Regardless of the role, strong performers can produce two to three times the output of their peers. But many organisations label the wrong people as their A-players”. Hiring top talent, and investing in their development within the company, can have a huge impact on the success of the business overall, and it creates a culture of high performers and a desire to do more which filters down throughout the organisation. 

Don’t neglect AI technology

Recruiters no longer need to seek out their hires. Now, it’s more about finding ways for applicants to come to you. Artificial Intelligence is an effective way to do this, and while it may sound too technological for some, it’s a tool that can automate so much of recruitment to speed up the process but also make it more efficient to find those key people for your business. 

AI can automate entire workflows that recruiters deal with regularly, reducing the need to work on those high volume but repetitive tasks that are essential to the industry but take up a considerable amount of time. It frees up recruiters and HR professionals to focus more on strategy and bigger-picture projects that help grow the business. In particular, AI can be used to identify the best candidates for a role and make it easier for candidates to apply. 

Embrace workers from the Great Resignation

More workers who quit during the Great Resignation, as it’s been termed, are returning to the workforce. In fact, a report in the USA found that one in five professionals who quit as part of this movement now regret doing so, indicating a likely influx of workers seeking work in 2023. This emerging reality could result in talent teams having their pick of more qualified job seekers to engage with, and point to good news for industries where labour shortages are a problem. 

However, just because there are more active candidates doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be easy for recruiters to find those applicants. The important thing for HR professionals and recruitment teams to remember is that the language used in ads is critical. From job listings and social media posts to career pages on their site, it’s important that recruiters humanise their ads and showcase the company culture in order to attract these candidates. Taking a more empathetic approach is the way to drive connection and loyalty from hires. 

Enhance Diversity and Inclusion initiatives

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives vary from company to company, but they are one way to set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry while also improving your workplace.  From embracing employee resource groups to give people a chance to foster a culture of inclusivity, to prioritising gender imbalances to encourage underrepresented candidates to apply, there are several ways that HR professionals can do more within this area of their work. 

When running a successful DEI programme, it’s important to hire a dedicated DEI practitioner to run it and ensure that hiring teams have unconscious bias training to prevent issues in the hiring process, as well as having diverse interview panels when speaking with candidates. 

Build company reputation for talent acquisition 

You want to recruit the best possible person for every open position, but many HR professionals don’t appreciate the value that their company reputation offers in terms of attracting qualified candidates. Employer branding is an essential component of the hiring process, yet often overlooked when the primary focus is on the candidate rather than the business. But it makes sense, when you consider that candidates want to work for a business that shares their values and where they can develop their career, rather than simply being hired for just any job. 

In an article for Everyone Social, Todd Kunsman states that “when you have a company with a solid reputation, genuinely showcasing employee stories online, and keep a unique work culture, you’ll have no problem attracting the best people”. Employer branding may be viewed as an advantage rather than a necessity, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, at a time when the cost of recruitment and the record-high requirements are putting recruiters under pressure, having a stronger foundation in the form of a positive reputation makes all the difference. 

2023 offers so many opportunities for recruiters, and whether it’s looking to technology to streamline workflows, making diversity a focus or widening the talent pool to create better performing teams, these are the areas where HR teams and recruitment professionals should be focusing in the year ahead.