Just as the labor market is always changing, so are hiring and acquisition trends. From diversity and inclusion, to soft skills and benefits expansion, hiring practices have changed significantly in the past 5 years for Houston employers and Houston employees.  

In this article, we’ll discuss the top trends for recruiting in Houston thus far in 2023—and how they’ll impact your hiring process: 

Remote Interviewing

Working from home emerged as a significant trend in talent acquisition and recruitment in 2021 due to COVID and has remained a common practice in 2023. Remote interviewing became a necessity for hiring during the pandemic and should remain relevant as businesses continue to include it in their operating strategy. From initial screening phone interviews to video interviews, there are several options that allow companies and potential employees to save time (and therefore money) by opting for remote interviews prior to final in-person interviews and a hiring meeting. Additionally technology facilitates collaborative hiring by making it easier for other departments, as well as people in various cities outside of Houston, to participate in the interview and selection process. When hiring, be sure to include all parties who should have a say in the person who is hired. Including them in the interview process is now easier than ever!

Employee Hiring Process Experience

Potential employees are more likely to favor websites that are easy to use and can help them quickly and easily set up a profile, search for jobs and apply. If these processes are not straightforward, candidates may navigate to career sites that have been optimized in these ways. Candidates are also unlikely to recommend career platforms they find to be awkward, slow and complicated. Ensure that the resources your company is putting online for potential hires fits the bill for this year’s expectations regarding recruiting in Houston.

Pre-Hiring Communication

The way that companies communicate with candidates, organize and conduct interviews and execute follow-up processes shows candidates how professional an organization is and whether they would want to work there. In an already competitive labor market that is being disrupted by the “great resignation” and inflationary pressures, the overall experience is crucial to not only attracting the best talent available but winning over that talent from competitors and building a strong employer brand. Ensure that potential candidates have the opportunity to communicate with the hiring manager in a variety of ways, such as email, phone, website forms, and LinkedIn messaging.

Artificial Intelligence

AI is changing the way that most people work, and it hasn’t stopped at Talent Acquisition. AI is currently being used to improve the ways in which employers source, identify and engage talent. AI is also used to minimize bias in candidate identification, selection and hiring. If your hiring process can be streamlined by AI, consider taking advantage of the option.

Skill Assessments

Assessing skills, and using them to source, screen and match candidates to open vacancies, is becoming more powerful as a result of AI use. Although skills and competencies have been used in talent management for quite some time, particularly for identifying and matching successors to key positions or identifying career paths, they haven’t always been used effectively in talent acquisition. Some HR software vendors are now including other attributes, such as interpersonal skills, aspirations and motivations in their systems. The importance of company culture is ever present, so including personality traits, careers goals, and aspirations in addition to hard skills is vital as part of the hiring process.

Staff Solve continues to provide high-quality candidates and jobs in diverse markets for over 27 years. Let us assist with the hiring process so that you can focus on your business. If you are looking for employment in Houston or surrounding areas, please visit our job seeker page and check out our job board for current positions. If you would like more information about the services we offer in regard to staffing in Houston, visit our employer page or contact us today.