LinkedIn recently shared its 2024 Future of Recruiting Report which surveyed thousands of recruitment professionals and analysed current data to identify six key predictions that will help talent professionals navigate the current and ever evolving talent landscape.

Here, we have chosen one of those predictions to spotlight – ’quality of hire.’ This refers to employers focusing on ensuring that every hire they make is the right one in a competitive marketplace.

 Sounds obvious, right? Well, not necessarily. For a long time, the success of recruitment has been measured according to metrics such as application and acceptance rates. Traditional recruiters were so focused on filling a role quickly, they overlooked the longer-term view. Fortunately, this more holistic ‘quality of hire’ approach, whilst it isn’t a new concept, is now being adopted over the more linear methods of old.

There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to establishing what is a ‘quality hire’ as every organisation, team and role is different, but LinkedIn has identified five key areas for talent acquisition teams to consider when measuring the quality of hire:

• Job performance

• Team fit

• Culture add

• Productivity and

• Retention

It’s also really about going beyond having the qualifications and experience to ‘do’ a role and more about what LinkedIn refers to as ‘soft skills’, including alignment of values and principles from the outset. The report says:

“The definition of a “quality hire” is also changing. More companies are seeking workers with soft skills — skills that allow employees to interact effectively in the workplace. In fact, among the 10 most sought-after skills in LinkedIn’s top ten skills list, six are soft skills, including communication, leadership and analytical skills.”

 All of this is music to our ears and is one of the main differentiators between what we offer as talent research experts and recruitment agencies. We are always focused on enabling clients to get the right ‘fit’ based on both data and human insight. Each and every one of our talent acquisition services uses our tried-and-tested talent search process, supporting clients throughout the recruitment process using research and insight to go beyond the active talent pool. This process can be end-to-end or focused on one specific element where extra support or insight is needed e.g. identification or engagement.

Watch this space for trend spotlights from us on some of the other predictions coming out of LinkedIn’s report and if you need help increasing quality of hire within your organisation please get in touch.

By Lee Parker, Founding Director, Luminos