Dive Brief:

• Diversity, employer branding and AI will remain among the top evolving trends in recruiting in 2018, according to Ceridian. Passive hiring is likely to increase in the coming year, as well, the company says.
• Talent acquisition will focus more on diversity initiatives, with companies looking to eliminate bias in the hiring process. Recruiters are looking to AI that screens out exclusionary language to extend their reach to under-represented talent pools.
• Employer branding is also on the rise as companies look to increase their visibility and profile to attract top talent, Ceridian says. Business will shift the hiring process to a “marketing approach” to meet the needs of a candidate pool that wants to take pride in their work and their company.

Dive Insight:

Ceridian's predictions make sense in light of the shifts HR saw in 2017. With increased pressure on recruiters to hire from an ever-shrinking talent pool, employers have tried to increase diversity and remove bias from the hiring process in a variety of ways — from moving away from the “culture fit” model to removing language in job descriptions that tends to exclude. Updating job descriptions each year has never been as business-critical as in today’s candidate market. Not sure what language is objectionable? AI has shown up to help.

And as employers have begun to realize that their brand in the marketplace has a direct impact on their ability to attract top talent, more and more have taken steps to hone their image, including managing online reviews. Survey data shows that only a small percentage of job seekers will accept an offer from a company with a bad online profile (few will even apply, too). It makes sense then that experts believe the next task for HR will be adopting a brand-based marketing model in 2018.