It’s hard to believe, but the first employment agency in the United Kingdom opened its doors almost a century ago.

It appears to be a long time – and it is. Unlike certain businesses, which can spend 100 years without altering much in terms of structure and processing, the recruitment industry has had to adapt and develop dramatically.

If you compare the industry just as short as 10 years ago to how things are now, you’ll notice a significant difference. Not only are there differences in practice methods, but also in tools and strategy.

So, what’s behind this massive shift in the recruitment industry? The development of the digital age as well as the parallel revolution in mobile technology and social media, has been perhaps the most notable. 

Let’s have a look at how the Digital Age has affected the recruitment industry and HR in more detail below: 

Recruiting Is More Efficient

Everything is instantaneous and available on the Internet, so it’s no wonder that the introduction and growth during the digital age technology have streamlined and accelerated the recruitment process. Whereas in the past, a candidate would’ve had to wait for publications and job applications to arrive in the mail, and then send mail-outs or make deliveries to hiring organisations, the Internet has made the entire process much easier to manage. You can now email an applicant and receive a response in seconds. The same goes for submitting a job application, job applicants can now see a job opening on Job Boards and submit their application instantly.  It used to take days or weeks for anything to appear in a publication; now it may be seen by the entire world in minutes.

There Is A Larger Scale Of Recruitment Opportunities

Recruiters can now work on a much greater scale than before thanks to the Internet. How as a recruiter with Internet access, you may publish several job adverts for a variety of tasks and manage all of your conversations from a single location—whether it’s your inbox, on Job Boards, on LinkedIn, on social media,  It implies you can do more work, employ more people, and post more job ads, which is, of course, the goal of any recruiter. 

It Has Simplified Recruitment Research

Google and other search engines have made the research aspect of recruitment considerably easier and more thorough. Previously, a recruiter might have had to make numerous phone calls and set up multiple appointments to get all of the information they required about a candidate. The same as Job Seekers needing to phone around or mail out just to see if there any job openings were available.  Now, it appears that a fast Google search can provide the majority of the required information—or at the very least, a decent place to start. Recruiters can also obtain references swiftly and unobtrusively via email, whereas formerly they would have had to be obtained over the phone or via traditional mail.

International And Remote Recruiting Is Considerably More Affordable And Simple

If someone had described a Skype interview twenty years ago, you would have had no idea what they’re talking about. Interviews via Skype, Zoom and other online portals appear to be widespread now, and they frequently replace traditional face-to-face appointments. If you’re looking to hire for an overseas office but are based in the UK, you can now use the Internet to contact people. The same applies to job seekers, they can now apply for remote positions all across the globe, opening up opportunities.  It doesn’t cost you anything, and it saves you a lot of time when it comes to booking flights and hotels for the job seeker. Rather than needing to book flights and hotels, they can now turn up to an interview fresh-faced and more prepared. 

It’s Easier Than Ever To Find And Recruit People

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the Internet has greatly simplified working in the sector! With extremely useful digital media and social media platforms designed expressly for job seekers and persons seeking a career move, finding candidates is easier than ever before. As a recruiter, you can use these websites to look for candidates based on their experience, talents, and geography (among many other filters) This means you can screen candidates before making contact with them, making the process much easier and more efficient.

As you can see the digital age and social media has significantly transformed the recruitment marketplace. It doesn’t seem to be slowing down either, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for recruitment and the way that both HR and Job Seekers use it to their advantage.