What Do The Biggest Recruiting Breakthroughs of 2013 Mean for 2014?

It has been a big year for recruiting and employer branding. Employer are now reaching job-seekers through "SoMoClo" -- social media, mobile device, and the cloud. New technology, new services, and new philosophies are re-shaping the recruiting world.

So how will the breakthroughs of 2013 shape recruiting in 2014? Here's a rundown of some trends you should be watching. 

Gamification
Another evolving technology is gamification, adding game mechanics to a non-game activity, like recruiting. Marriott got the ball rolling with an awareness campaign, and a few other companies have used aspects of gaming in their recruiting. The trend took another step when the French postal service created a game for orientation and onboarding: it simulated getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, and dressing for work, along with mail sorting and delivery. It's only a matter of time before a bold employer fuses all these concepts together and turns the entire hiring process into a game. Who will it be?

Mobile
A recent LinkedIn survey shows that job-seekers have moved their searches to mobile devices: 72% of active job-seekers and 62% of passive candidates say they've visited a company's mobile site to learn about careers. But the survey also found that only 13% of companies have "invested adequately in making their recruiting process mobile-friendly." If you're using social media in your recruiting campaign, keep in mind that many social sites are visited from a mobile device: according to Microsoft, 50% of Twitter users access that network through a phone or tablet. I expect all these numbers to increase in 2014. Is your company ready for mobile recruiting?

Google Glass
As I recently pointed out, Google's new wearable technology, launched this year, has the potential to revolutionize recruitment videos. There's nothing more powerful to a candidate than showing them what a day working for a company is really like; Google Glass lets them virtually experience it. But that's not all. Google Glass can show candidates the recruiter's point of view -- literally! This can greatly help them prepare for the application and interview process. CEO's can also wear the device and shoot videos of their working days, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the corner office that employees and job-seekers now only dream of.

Vine/Instagram video
Speaking of video, two new short-form services launched in 2013. Twitter introduced Vine in January; Instagram added a video component six months later. For any recruiters using social media (which is most of them), these simple formats have opened up a whole world of video possibilities. With only a few seconds, very limited editing, and no graphics or effects, even a recruiter who has never made a movie in her life can now create tiny works of art and share them with job-seekers on numerous social channels. So far, I've been inspired by Manifest Digital and Aviary on Vine, and VMware on Instagram.

These trends shaped 2013 and will certainly influence 2014. At Brandemix, we're keeping close tabs on these emerging concepts and are adding them to our campaigns. If you'd like to know more about gamification, mobile recruiting, Google Glass, or short-form videos, drop me a line.