Talent Scouting Trends to Watch

​The work of talent scouts is to identify, source, and acquire talented and suitable individuals for companies or organizations. All kinds of industries and groups looking to fill positions rely upon their services. The hiring process is faster for employers when they go through talent scouts, as they receive a shortlist of only the most suitable candidates.

Talent scouts may be office-based or travel to various locations as they search for new talent. Regardless, talent scouts who intend to keep up with a fast, challenging hiring environment must stay abreast of the latest trends and practices driving the recruiting market and process.

Today, many everyday objects and gadgets work through the Internet, making the world more connected than ever before. For recruiters and talent scouts, this means that many in-demand jobs are changing rapidly, as are the candidates needed to fill them. It also means that candidates are increasingly expecting more work to be done online.

As automation and artificial intelligence (AI) become more widely used in many industries, talent scouts too must adapt their sourcing techniques to find suitable candidates who can work in this changing environment. They can, for example, deploy automation and AI to streamline their searches by using algorithms capable of quickly scanning and analyzing large volumes of data.

Talent scouts can use AI to sort through a long list of resumes and narrow it to the top three to five candidates. Some advanced AI programs can use facial recognition and voice analysis technology during phone or video interviews to assess candidates’ truthfulness and emotional intelligence.

Virtual assistants (VAs) like Cortana, Siri, and Alexa have grown popular in the hiring process. During a talent search or recruitment, it’s now possible to use VAs to feed candidate information into the system. Soon, it will be possible to hold interviews between a candidate and a tool like Alexa without even using a phone or attending a live interview. This will free up time for talent scouts and recruiters to concentrate on the late stages of the recruiting process, such as crafting a job offer letter.

Predictive analytics tools can help recruiters gain insight into the future. The technology has greatly impacted customer relationship management, and the potential for further use is huge.

For example, some hospitals use predictive analytics to optimize staffing based on projected patient demand. Talent scouts can also use these tools to analyze and statistically review previously collected information within their data bank to make predictions about the suitability of candidates for specific jobs.

By employing predictive analytics during a search, talent scouts can pass on insights about how a particular candidate is likely to perform in the future. This will be based on previous job performance by looking at factors such as sales numbers, duration of service with a company, or accident-free driving.

Employers in the business world are increasingly recognizing the benefits of having a diverse workforce. This trend has prompted more attention to diversity issues, and companies are asking talent scouts to find suitable candidates from a broader range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For talent scouts to thrive and succeed in this changing environment, they must include diversity as an important criterion during their searches.