Have you ever wondered how pundits make far-off predictions about technology? Future thinkers get clues on what might happen tomorrow by looking at the combination of problems faced by the majority today and how trendsetters are solving them. At SmartRecruiters, we’re constantly observing the marketplace and customer needs to develop hypotheses on where recruiting is headed. 

Hiring Without Boundaries™ is our tagline for a future that involves breaking down barriers in recruiting systems and recruiting teams for boundless hiring outcomes. At the core of this promise are usable, flexible, and connected systems. We’ve identified the following trends for a recruiting future that will arrive faster than you think.

1. Boundless talent pools

Finding skilled candidates has always been a challenge, but more so in years of low unemployment. Recruiting specs generally involve years of experience, titles, and educational qualifications. With rapidly evolving skill sets, companies are focusing not just on reskilling and upskilling, but on finding better ways to source skilled talent. This broadens talent pools across borders, age, gender, ethnicity, and educational background, causing a shift in how candidates are sourced and interviewed.

Additionally, both companies and talent are beginning to seek shorter-term engagements. Talent wants shorter-term commitments, and companies want project help, not necessarily permanent help. Combine this with remote work, and you have a global marketplace for talent, the literal definition of hiring without boundaries.

2. Predictive analytics for real-time optimization

Reports and dashboards are windows into the past, and a recruiting leader might not find out about a problem until they go looking for it. Nudges from predictive analytics tools identify problems before you go searching for them, allowing you to optimize in real time, instead of making incremental improvements after each reporting cycle. In the future, we see teams being able to be much more proactive with data, enabling them to anticipate trends and make adjustments that keep them ahead of the competition.

3. Intelligent task automation with AI

Automation is essential to freeing up recruiting teams from the burden of manual tasks. For example, Deloitte Netherlands eliminated nearly 200 tasks for recruiters when it automated processes in SmartRecruiters. Intelligent automation with AI takes workflow configuration a step further, freeing up teams to work smarter by providing faster feedback, cleaner talent pipelines, and a better candidate experience.

4. Free-range user experiences

User adoption can be a challenge with any technology. When you’ve spent the money, implemented the technology, and reconfigured all the processes, people might still not want to change their behavior. Part of that might be simply logging into a different system. 

Free-range user experiences meet them where they are, in tools they use every day. For example, hiring managers could receive notifications of interviews, read candidate profiles, and provide candidate feedback all within the tool they use most every day: Slack or Teams. Already other apps like Zoom integrate with these essential workplace tools and we believe hiring tools are next.

5. Adaptive workflows

Over the years HR systems have evolved from extensive configurations of on-premises software to cloud-based tech that enables greater flexibility in configuration. However, these configurations still require manual setup. In the future, we will see self-building, adaptive workflows that enable boundless flexibility and require less upfront investment.

6. Recruiting app stores

Recruiting tools are constantly evolving, leaving teams with complex tech stacks to manage across regions. Companies want to pilot new tools for point solutions instead of going all in with company-wide installations. An app-store-like experience will help them be adaptable, flexible, and quick, allowing them to out-recruit the competition and hire the right talent faster with the most cutting-edge tools. 

The future is boundless

Flexible talent pools, better predictive analytics, AI-driven automation, free-range user experiences, adaptive workflows, and recruiting app stores are just a few of the ways we see hiring evolving over the next several years. A hiring platform based on usability, flexibility, and connectivity will facilitate these developments and help teams hire more efficiently, provide great candidate experiences, and offer ease of use to each hiring team member–whether they’re a recruiter, hiring manager, leader, or administrator. Get in touch with us today and let us show you how we can help you lead your recruiting team into 2025 and beyond.