6 hot trends in IT recruiting, and 5 that are cooling down

A global pandemic, the resulting recession and nationwide calls to end racial injustice are changing the hiring landscape in ways that are likely to be lasting, tech leaders say.

A recent jobs report from the World Economic Forum described a “double disruption” for workers over the past year, with global lockdowns and economic contraction coupled with workplace changes brought about by the accelerated adoption of technology.

IT professionals are seeing their entire hiring cycle handled remotely, including all levels of onboarding. And job seekers are now asking pointed questions about companies’ diversity practices.

Here’s how the hiring landscape has shifted recently, including some trends that are on the rise and some that are falling, as well as the opportunities these rapid changes may present.

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Hot: Inclusiveness

Some tech executives report that protests against racial injustice have had an impact on hiring practices, and Rohan Amin, chief information officer at JPMorgan Chase, said some major organizations are working together to address bias and promote diversity and inclusion.

“Hiring more diverse candidates is a top priority, and that includes hiring more candidates with non-traditional technical backgrounds,” Amin said. “Employees with more diverse skills and perspectives have a clear competitive advantage, and I’m excited to see this trend continue.”

Peter Baskin, chief product officer at Modern Hire, agrees that companies that don’t change their hiring practices to promote diversity and inclusion may be criticized for doing so.

“To create a more diverse workforce, recruiters must hire a diverse workforce by reducing and eliminating unconscious bias in the hiring process,” Baskin said. “But this is easier said than done because we are so prone to unconscious biases that we often don’t realize we are making decisions based on them.”

Cold: Attracting top talent from abroad

The COVID-19 pandemic and an uncertain political climate that has made it difficult to obtain business immigration visas have created multiple challenges for companies seeking foreign talent to increase innovation and fill critical positions, said Lindsay Dagiantis, vice president of human resources at Envoy Global.

“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, even during COVID-19, there is a talent shortage in STEM fields and job demand is still growing,” Dagiantis said. “Foreign talent may be feeling anxious right now as it relates to living and working in the U.S. Because of this, it’s important for HR teams to provide these employees with additional support, such as extended office hours, transparency between HR and the law firm, and frequent check-ins with employees.”

Hot: Remote Hiring

Paul Schneider, a partner at Keystone Partners, sees demand for expertise in data analytics, artificial intelligence roles, engineering and software-as-a-service, especially as more companies shift their focus to mobile and the cloud. In other words, many of the same skills were in high demand before COVID-19.

But what has changed, he said, is the dominance of new virtual promotional methods.

“Virtual job fairs are opening new doors for job seekers as companies have expanded their hiring needs, recruiting across state lines and no longer relying on in-person and backyard recruiting,” Schneider said.

James Durago, a recruiting manager at Google, believes virtual recruiting is here to stay and will continue beyond the pandemic.

“Realistically, I think this trend will continue even as companies start to have employees work in the office for convenience and cost reasons,” Durango said.

Cold: Face-to-face onboarding, traditional metrics

Keystone Partners’ Schneider has also seen growth in online onboarding and retention technology, but he said that in terms of traditional onboarding, a lot of the things we used to expect to see are gone forever.

“The face-to-face onboarding of the past, centered around office tours, key cards, and lunch with a manager or team, is out. The focus will now be on digital orientation and cybersecurity training. “Expect to see an increase in demand for data-driven insights to measure performance, engagement, and cultural impact for new and existing remote employees,” he said.

Hot: Perks to meet pandemic stress

Durago said he’s seen additional government efforts to promote financial stability and family life during the pandemic, and those perks go beyond pay raises.

“Companies have also begun offering additional benefits like helping with student loan payments, providing leave benefits to help care for loved ones impacted by COVID, and upskilling benefits like education reimbursement or time off to receive certificates,” he said.

Cold: Office Perks

Office perks that used to attract top talent, such as free food, juice bars, beer on tap and fitness centers, are now irrelevant, Schneider said.

“What once mattered to executives is that it makes no sense to negotiate for a larger (or corner) office or management support when working remotely with a suite of digital tools,” Schneider said. “Employees are demanding new benefits packages such as flexible work arrangements, long-term remote work, relocation to other states, vacation rotation, child care, and child tutoring.”

Hot: Family allowance

Sankar Lagudu, chief operating officer of RFPIO, said his company, like others, is working to bring the office to its employees.

“We’ve provided home office equipment like desks and chairs, so working from home will be both comfortable and productive,” Lagudu said. “Virtual yoga classes and other wellness programs are also available for employees and their families to stay connected and healthy during this time.”

Andela CTO David Blair takes a similar approach.

“People miss the office and the sense of community and social engagement it provides,” Blair said. “Just like there’s a budget every year for office improvements, like replacing carpet or upgrading furniture, we have to provide similar benefits for people working remotely so they can get a good chair or a private desk. We also provide internet allowances and mobile allowances to offset these expenses for people working from home. People are also interested in part-time co-working spaces, which is something we’re doing more and more for people in the same city.”

Cold: Job aggregators

Darrell Rosenstein, founder of the Rosenstein Group, a recruiting firm focused on software development, said both hiring managers and job seekers have found job aggregator sites to be less useful than more narrowly focused sites.

"The viability of job sites like Indeed has been declining, and I expect that trend to continue," Rosenstein said. "Right now, companies that post job openings on these public forums are being inundated with resumes, many from unqualified applicants. This is likely to continue through at least 2021, as there are a limited number of open positions for people who are currently unemployed to compete for. Some companies are addressing this by automating the resume review process, but others are turning to more targeted marketplaces or other channels to fill their job openings."

Hot: Perfect job description

Faced with new challenges and rapidly changing requirements, organizations are now more focused on specific job descriptions, said Envoy Global’s Dagiantis. The recruitment and interview process has gone virtual, which also helps people communicate clearly about job requirements in advance.

“One trend we’re seeing is that HR and recruiting teams are spending more time on the front end of the hiring process to clearly articulate what skills and behaviors are needed in candidates,” Dagiantis said. “This wasn’t as prominent when looking at recruiting teams pre-pandemic. This is in part due to COVID-19 accelerating the need for new skills in candidates, such as problem-solving and critical thinking.”

Cold: Customer-facing roles

Most organizations are tightening their belts, and heading into 2021, one casualty will be customer-facing work, Dashlane's Leaf-Clark said.

"These roles are being shelved, or the responsibilities are being spread across existing teams," he said. "The focus will be more on experienced system administrators. Plans to have to expand offices or beef up desktop support or help desks due to rapid growth may be put on hold as companies either downsize offices or wait to commit to additional headcount."

Hot: Security and leadership roles

Jay Leaf Clark, IT director at Dashlane Password Manager, said there has been a predictable spike in hiring in the areas of remote security, system automation and monitoring.

"These positions often get pushed aside because most organizations think they can get by with more pressing needs," Leaf-Clark said. "But I see a high priority for system administrators who can quickly build or integrate third-party tools, whether they manage automation like Microsoft Intune, JAMF, or monitor for regulatory compliance and potential security threats, as we look to the future."

One of the more surprising trends is the buoyancy in the market for executive talent, said Tecla Palli-Sandler, chief human resources officer for Capgemini North America. “There’s a lot of hiring going on right now at the executive leadership level,” she said.

Katie Graham Shannon, global managing partner of the digital and technology officer practice at executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles, said the adoption of virtual recruiting at all levels is the biggest surprise she has seen in recruiting this year.

“We’ve seen Fortune 25 companies make end-to-end recruiting decisions, from retaining an executive search firm to hiring the candidate, without ever having an in-person meeting or interview,” Shannon said.