The world — and by extension, the way we do business — looks a bit different than it did a few short years ago. 

The massive disruption to the status quo caused by COVID-19 has reframed everything from where we do business (so long skyscrapers; hello home office!) to how we recruit and hire new team members. 

Some organizations have kept an ear to the ground and leaned on hiring experts to build a new framework when considering how to find employees. 

But most companies are still trying to adjust and adapt to the “new normal,” finding themselves unable to discover and attract top-performing employees with their tried-and-true methods. 

Let’s take a look at the best tactics and strategies for companies to consistently find high-performing candidates in 2022.

Why Finding Good Employees in 2022 Is Challenging

So, what’s so difficult about finding qualified candidates in 2022? The answer is multi-faceted, but can generally be linked back to workers shifting desires when it comes to their careers, employers, and lifestyle.

Competition Is Fierce

If you have a hand in hiring, you’re probably aware of the Great Resignation. Almost 50 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs, for reasons ranging from ongoing coronavirus concerns to early retirement. 

But one of the largest drivers behind the Great Resignation is an en masse reevaluation of the qualities employees look for in employers. 

Employees suffered record levels of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading millions of workers to ditch previous roles in favor of positions that provide higher compensation, more autonomy, and less stress. 

With an estimated 2.5 million-person loss in the workforce, this exodus has forced employers to compete for new hires in a talent pool that is both smaller and more selective than ever before. 

Freelance Is Booming

Organizations aren’t just competing against other companies for talent — they’re also competing against a fast-growing freelancing market. 

59 million American workers completed a professional freelance project in 2021, meaning over one-third of the workforce is dipping their toes into self-employment waters. 

The most educated workers are trading in managerial and C-Suite roles for freelancing at even higher rates, with a shocking 51% of post-grad workers freelancing in 2021. 

This rise in freelancing popularity has also enticed workers who haven’t made the jump from full-time employment to try their hand at freelancing, with 56% of non-freelance workers stating they are likely to freelance in the future. 

Employees’ Expectations About the Workplace Have Shifted 

The final driver behind the new and more competitive hiring market is a serious shift in employees’ must-haves for new positions. In 2021, 86% of job-seekers read employee reviews and evaluated company websites before filling out an application.

For example, remote work has skyrocketed in popularity since the pandemic shifted office work to home offices and coffee shops across the country, and many workers aren’t ready to give up the time, freedom, and autonomy they’ve gained during the switch. 

Nearly 40% of workers have stated a forced return to the office would make them consider quitting their job in favor of a WFH position, while a full third of employees reported returning to the office had a negative impact on their mental health. 50% of employed Americans would leave their current job for better benefits alone.

So, what’s the best way to find employees for your company? Let’s find out.

5 Ways To Find Employees in 2022

Here are five modern, sure-fire strategies to consider when addressing how to find new employees in 2022. 

1. Build a Social Media Presence

Employers have been reviewing prospective employees’ social media accounts for years. But did you know prospective employees have begun doing the same when weighing employment offers? 

79% of job seekers use social media during their job search and roughly 70% of hiring managers report greater success and shorter time-to-fill using social media recruiting. 

Savvy companies are leaning into this new trend and using social media sites to put their winning workplace cultures on full display, show off the successes of their team, and connect with top-performing workers in their field. And it’s working.

73% of millennials report finding their current role on social media and 80% of companies that use social media report more success recruiting passive candidates for job openings. 

2. Cast a Wide Net with Job Boards

Stuck on how to search for employees? Digital job boards like Indeed, Monster, and Glassdoor all allow organizations to reach candidates from across the country, significantly widening recruiters’ pool of prospective employees. 

Almost 50% of job applications come from job sites, edging out company site applications by 15%. And 60% of workers turn to digital job boards before any other channel when looking for a new position. 

While there are some drawbacks to having an extra-large audience, utilizing these job boards can help your company secure talented remote employees that currently live and work outside the geographical range of your typical recruitment efforts. 

3. Use Predictive Analytics 

Predictive analytics blends data mining, machine learning, and complex statistical modeling to create data-driven forecasts. 

Predictive analytics has been leveraged for decades in industries like marketing, insurance, and travel, but now organizations are using the power of predictive analytics to improve their hiring process and identify ideal candidates for their job openings. 

Predictive analytics has been employed by multinational titans like Mercedes-Benz and leading investment companies like Dymon Asia Capital to reliably build high-performance sales teams that improve turnover rates and support D.E.I. efforts.

4. Take a Look at Your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts

Diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the workplace aren’t just good for performance — they also increase your appeal as an employer. 

Between 30 and 40% of all job seekers state they wouldn’t apply to a job opening at an organization with poor workforce diversity. 

Even more job seekers — over two-thirds — consider diversity, equity, and inclusivity to be important factors when fielding offers from potential employers, so you may need to boost your DEI progress if you’re looking to find more qualified candidates. 

5. Refresh Your Job Descriptions

Job descriptions impact recruitment successes more than you might think. 

Research has found job descriptions with gendered language can drive away potential candidates and going overboard with desired qualifications can cause a sharp slump in applications from women. Embrace soft skills over hard qualifications.

Your Applicant Tracking System may also be hindering your efforts to find qualified employees. Research indicates that ATS is blocking more and more applications from qualified candidates due to an overemphasis on keywords and similar scanning metrics. 

While automating time-intensive aspects of the hiring process can increase HR productivity, it can also prevent hiring managers from getting eyes on ideal candidates’ resumes, ultimately lowering the success of your hiring process. 

5 Tips To Keep In Mind When Recruiting Employees

Organizations can stand out from the crowd and attract more applicants by implementing these five simple recruitment tips. 

1. Automate Applying and Review Resumes As Often As Possible

You need to move fast in such a competitive employment market. 

66% of applicants state they will move on to another opportunity if they don’t hear back within two weeks of applying, and 30–50% of job seekers won’t even apply to a job opening that doesn’t accept applications 24/7. 

2. Support Remote Work

Remote work was an unexpected transition for most of the workforce, but workers are increasingly reluctant to return to the office now that they’re accustomed to working from home. 

The case of remote working is strong. 77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when working from home, and 87% say they enjoy working from home. 

This combination of improved performance and higher satisfaction has led 83% of workers to state they would be more likely to apply to a job with remote working options. 

By adapting to remote work and supporting employees that choose to work from home, your company can significantly boost the number of qualified applicants inquiring about open positions. 

3. Ask Employees for Referrals

Despite a host of digital job boards and recruitment channels, referrals remain the most common way job openings get filled. 

Asking top-performing employees for leads on qualified professionals that are actively or passively open to a new opportunity may be the fastest way to bring a new team member on board. 

4. Niche Down on Job Boards

Job boards like Indeed and Monster get your job description out there, but this may lead to an influx of underqualified applicants. 

Niche job boards dedicated to recruiting professionals in a single industry, like AngelList for start-up recruiting and Stack Overflow for tech positions, can help you find applicants with the skills and experience you need. 

5. Optimize Your Applicant Experience 

Did you know 50% of qualified applicants will bail on an online application if it takes more than ten minutes to complete? 

Additionally, over half of all job seekers report the quality of the job description influences their interest in sending in an application. 

Companies that take the time to create a speedy, intuitive, and communicative application process can expect to receive more applications from high-performing workers than competitors with drawn-out, time-intensive processes. 

Find The Best Employees Using Predictive Analysis Technology

If you and your hiring managers have been saying to yourselves, “I need to find employees,” consider Perception Predict. The unique, predictive analysis-powered recruitment tools empower organizations to make strategic hiring decisions with strong forecasts of success. If your company is looking to revolutionize your hiring process and consistently secure excellent hires in 2022, book a demo with one of our experts. Our Performance Fingerprints have optimized hiring processes for global leaders like CrowdStrike and Mercedes-Benz.