When people ask me how recruitment has changed these days, what comes to mind is usually “A.I.”/ChatGPT, home office, globalization, or the (perceived) shortage of qualified workers. All these changes have taken place in the last few years at a rapid pace. But what has really changed since the first recruiting agencies were founded?
Meet Edwin Miller, born in England in the 1600s, the “father of recruitment”. Miller, who apprenticed as textile merchant and worked for a shipping company, joined forces with Henry Robinson in 1650, since both shared an interest in finding skilled workers for businesses. They developed a system to check candidates’ qualifications, based on prior employment, conducting interviews, and industry knowledge.
Today, we still conduct interviews, we check references, we try to find indicators of reliability and authenticity. But as recruiters we often do not realize that a lot of processes have become automated since Miller last set his eyes on a candidate’s employment history.
Obviously, (and despite living in Germany, the home of “fax”) paperwork has been substantially reduced. Digitalization and social media have made it so much easier to access candidates, even globally. Every candidate basically has their personal ad running 24/7 for active sourcers to find on LinkedIn.
In conjunction with that, the candidate experience is being improved on a daily basis, fewer buttons, fewer steps, fewer interviews and a more condensed and transparent communication. Remote work makes hiring across borders a possibility and general access for both candidates and companies has improved incredibly. Adding to that, diversity and inclusion have become a necessary topic during hiring processes.
Additionally, purely from a recruitment perspective, the candidate experience is one of the most important factors in today’s market. Fewer interviews, condensed information, and, above all, speed are crucial factors in keeping candidates engaged.