Marketing agencies want to attract the best team members possible and retain the hard workers they have. Staying on top of hiring trends helps you understand what workers want and stay competitive, even against larger firms in the industry.

How Do You Stay Up to Date With Hiring Trends?

The United States Chamber of Commerce recently released a report showing America’s labor shortage is far from over. Workforce participation remains lower than before the pandemic. About three million fewer people are working today than in February 2020.

How can you attract and keep top candidates in the marketing industry with other companies competing for their attention? Even small brands are finding ways to attract workers, such as offering perks or allowing flexible work arrangements. Perhaps someone commented that a competitor installs employee time-tracking software that takes screenshots, and the person hates the company’s “over your shoulder” attitude.

How can you figure out what workers want so you can attract top talent? Stay up to date on hiring trends with these tactics.

1. Research Job Descriptions

One of the easiest ways to identify which job skills competitors seek is to read their publicly posted job descriptions. You can learn a lot about the type of candidates they’re looking for, but you can also figure out what those workers want by reading about the job at hand.

Many employers outline the job’s benefits. A few list salary specifications, which can help you stay competitive financially. Pay attention to unusual offers, such as an on-site childcare center, travel perks, or educational funds.

2. Embrace Digital Recruitment

The world is turning to digital solutions for nearly everything, so why not use it to recruit new hires as well? One hiring trend is using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, like AI recruiting software, to reduce the time it takes to recruit and hire new employees.

3. Attend Marketing Conferences

Go to marketing events in your area and around the globe. You’ll meet other marketing professionals and learn more about how they recruit new hires. You may also want to attend meet-and-greet events to see how they interact with potential employees and attract new hires.

Talk to job seekers and ask what they’re looking for. Go to job fairs for your industry or local companies and spend a lot of time listening to what job seekers say about the things they most want from a brand.

4. Offer Remote Options

When considering which hiring trends to embrace, consider how much the world has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic and what you might need to offer to attract a new generation of workers. Experts predict 25% of jobs will be remote by the end of the year.

In a competitive environment, you may need to offer remote options whether you want to or not. Since many marketing tasks can be done at home, there’s no need to force workers into an office if they prefer the quiet of working from home.

Offer remote options and a digital leave management system to attract workers who don’t want to spend time commuting or put themselves at risk of illness by going into an office.

Many brilliant people also work better from the comfort of their home office. The individualist is one of the most common Enneagram types in the job market, so it’s important to offer the flexibility to work remotely to attract them. Remote work also lets you hire top talent from anywhere in the world, increasing diversity and bringing new perspectives to your team. Geographically remote teams don’t have to feel detached, though. Employee resource group software from Chronus can help leadership connect workforce members with common interests and traits.

5. Check Out Social Media

Spend time looking at what recruiters and job seekers have to say on social media. You can learn a lot just by reading people’s comments on job posting sites and figuring out why some companies receive poor reviews and others excellent ones.

Sites such as Glassdoor also offer insight into what you and your competitors can do better. If you notice people saying your company culture is too cliquish, you can revamp your policies.

Perhaps someone commented that a competitor installs time-tracking software that takes screenshots, and the person hates the company’s “over your shoulder” attitude. Consider whether the aggravation over such control might become a hiring trend in the future.

Pay Attention to Current Events

What is driving the world at the moment? The hot new device, phone, or software may offer some insight into future hiring trends. If the job market is completely saturated, you’ll need to come up with unique methods of attracting employees.

Learn to put yourself in the worker’s shoes. What would you want from a company if you were job hunting? Offer the pay and perks to attract the type of workers you want to hire and keep.

Eleanor Hecks is the editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.