Use of interview chatbots

• It is a trend that involves the use of chatbots designed to engage with job applicants during the pre-screening and early assessments of the recruiting process. These chatbots can mimic human conversational abilities with the use of natural language processing technology.
• This method has increased the efficiency of the recruiting process as many can be interviewed at once from any channel they are using to communicate with the chatbot, and it also makes unbiased selections so that candidates can be selected based on an analytical approach.
• This trend makes an impact as it can automate up to 80% of top-of-funnel recruiting activities, which reduces both the cost of hire and time to hire. It also has impacted the regular face to face interview process as most candidates are now comfortable interacting with AI and recruitment chatbots.
• U.S. Army provides a recruitment chatbot called Sgt Star for applicants to answer questions about their recruitment process, and Sutherland, which is an IT company uses a chatbot for their initial screening process called Tasha.

Resume screening with the use of AI-based technology

• This trend involves the use of AI technology in the screening process as it screens resumes accurately in a fraction of the time, taken for manual screening, which is around 23 hours on average per hire. Approximately 52% of recruiters find resume screening to be the hardest part of the staffing process, and AI screening tools are used to transform these recruitment functions.
• This trend impacts the recruitment process by reducing or even removing time-consuming administrative activities, and according to experts, the use of AI in resume screening will transform the recruiting function of the whole HR space. Companies that have adopted this trend have increased their recruiting performance by 20%, and their turnover has decreased by 35%
•  Microsoft and Coca Cola are two of the leaders in this trend as the companies are large employers, who use resume screening tools in their recruitment process, which are named Proprietary and Workday, respectively.

Research Strategy

The Recruiting Software and Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

• Job recruiters are increasingly adopting recruitment software, which helps them increase the efficiency of the recruitment process. On the other hand, about 70% of companies recruiting new employees are using some form of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
• There are several benefits of using recruiting software and ATS with the most notable being their ubiquity when it comes to talent acquisition. For Instance, once the job seekers have submitted their resumes through an online form, the recruiter or hiring managers have the ability to search for the resumes based on keywords or through a system filter that automatically ranks the applicants rather than reviewing each resume manually.
• ATS helps Employers and recruiters with the documentation of employee records and the involved recruitment history and activity. More importantly, ATS enables employers and recruiters to ensure compliance under different state laws, which govern talent recruitment and other relevant on-boarding processes. 
• With the help of ATS, employers and recruiters are able to sort through thousands of applications in their online portals. Furthermore, through recruitment software, employers and recruiters are better positioned to manage, engage and nurture potential employees when the need arises.
• A survey by Jobscan indicates that in 2019 at least 494 Fortune 500 companies, which translate to 98.8%, used an Applicant Tracking System. In 2018, over 98% of the Fortune 500 companies used Applicant Tracking System.

•  Starbucks and Nike are the leaders using this trend to collect and organize large volumes of applicants.

The Increased Use of Video Interviews

• A recent survey by the Office Team established that 63% of human resource managers use or have used video interviewing in the hiring process. The survey further established that 13% of hiring managers plan to use video interviews even more in the future.
• Video interviews offer both the recruiters and job applicants with flexible options since they significantly eliminate the chances of delays attributed to lengthy hours used to prepare for face-to-face interviews.
• Research shows that more than 60% of companies are now using video interviews for their recruitment exercise. The advantage of this trend is that it helps the hiring managers to save time and money, and this is besides the ability to screen their candidates using less time and money compared to phone or face-to-face interviews that take upwards of 30 minutes.
• With the help of video interviews, hiring managers can ask job candidates a series of relevant questions that can easily be answered in video form. One way that this is done is through teleconferencing, a technology that enables and encourages telecommuting.
• Teleconferencing software such as Montage, Zoom, Jobvite, and Interview4 are able to record a video interview, which makes it easier for other hiring managers to review the job candidates.
• Leaders using this trend include Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Unilever and Atlanta Public Schools.

Research Strategy

Social Media Recruiting

• Social media recruiting was selected as a top technology trend in US recruiting given that a preponderance of credible resources are currently discussing this staffing trend (e.g., PC World, Newton, UrbanBound, Yoh).
• US recruiters are increasingly leveraging social media to attract top talent by establishing a strong and attractive employer brand through these online, corporate-owned channels.
• In particular, companies are using social media to share key philanthropy initiatives, highlight exciting new products and share employee stories, giving potential candidates an opportunity to identify shared values and build a connection with the organization.
• Additionally, some recruiters are even using social media to proactively target potential hires, by launching ads on social media to niche audiences.
• Overall, these social media strategies have enabled US companies to attract talent at a lower cost as well as to more easily reach potential candidates on a worldwide basis.
• Meanwhile, Marriott, Dell, Taco Bell and UPS are among the US companies that have "nailed social media recruiting."

Recruitment CRM

• Recruitment CRMs were chosen as another technology trend in US recruiting based on the fact that numerous industry experts are highlighting this theme as a major staffing trend in the industry (e.g., Staffing Future, Recruiting Daily, UrbanBound).
• Recruitment CRMs are essentially an automated retention system for "all relevant hiring engagement information," that helps capture recruitment team interactions with prospective new hires, match known candidates with available positions, facilitate strategic recruiting analytics and provide a myriad of other helpful staffing functions.
• These technology tools are having a significant impact on US recruiting, given that they enable staffing departments to "work faster" and in a "more coordinated fashion" as they manage talent pipelines and engage with candidates.
• Notably, industry experts including Smart Recruiters emphasize the benefits of having both recruitment CRMs and ATS systems (a separate technology trend in staffing) given that ATS systems workflow only current applicants, while CRMs more broadly manage a company's entire pool of former, passive and active candidates.
• Additionally, while there are many competitors offering recruitment CRM tools, providers are increasingly offering enhanced candidate relationship management systems that us artificial intelligence to automatically scour the internet for candidate updates or more efficiently make candidate/position recommendations.
• Two leaders in this emerging space of AI-enhanced recruitment CRMs are Gr8 and Phenom People, which have released AI-driven recruitment CRMs to high profile US companies including Microsoft, Hershey's, Burton and Talbots.