Website trends for the recruitment industry in 2021

Carerix works together with various website partners. Every day they immerse themselves in everything that has to do with (recruitment) websites and can now call themselves experts in the field of recruitment websites. The website partners of Carerix each have their own specialism and fit well with the services of Carerix, so that we can offer everyone a suitable solution. Time for a tour of the partners to discover which trends they predict for 2021. We spoke to Nick Broekman (Booston), Arjan Elbers (Getnoticed), Sven Versluijs (Secure Design) and Ricardo Risamasu (Talmark).

Trends from 2020 that will continue into 2021

Data-driven
2020 was a strange year for everyone, a year that we probably don’t look back on too positively. However, this restrictive corona period also brought new insights, especially in the world of data. Ricardo Risamasu, for example, explains that data-driven working will become even more important in 2020.

“Clients are looking for solutions where data provides support in making investment decisions and conversion optimization. They especially need flexibility and security. In short, recruitment sites and (linked) recruitment systems are also playing an increasingly important role in offering integrated data solutions. ”

Nick Broekman also agrees: “Switching quickly is more important than ever. During the lockdown, we noticed that various industries were dropping out. It became necessary to be able to quickly adjust your proposition based on the market. ”

Websites based on storytelling
The tension arc of an average visitor to a website is getting shorter and shorter. In order to appeal to visitors directly, we are seeing the rise of storytelling within recruitment. Sven Versluijs saw this increase in 2020 and expects it to be even more important in 2021.

“The visitor wants to be included in the story through images. The texts on the website are short and concise and the call to action elements are emphatically present. In this way, it is immediately clear to the visitor which message is being conveyed and optimal use is made of a visitor’s more limited tension. This significantly increases the conversion rate.”

The rise of Google
In addition to data-driven websites and storytelling, Google’s products are also increasingly prominent in the recruitment industry. Niche markets are growing and recruitment websites are being adapted accordingly. Websites alone no longer deliver what you need and are linked “out of the box” with platforms such as Google for Jobs – something that all website partners have spent a lot of time on.

“We saw in 2020 that a vacancy website increasingly has to take into account the source where someone comes from. If someone comes from a certain vacancy bank, you will have to respond to that with your website, ”says Nick Broekman.

Arjan Elbers was one of the first Google Cloud Talent Solutions to integrate on various career sites in 2020. A service that adds machine learning to job search, delivering high-quality results to job seekers. “We can now search for vacancies and match them with the brainpower of Google. The results are really impressive, conversion rates are getting higher. This makes you happy – a trend that will continue to develop in 2021. ”

The 7 new website trends in 2021

According to our website partners, 2021 will primarily be a year in which existing trends really mature and leave their mark on the digital world. Each partner takes a look at the trends of 2021 and tells us what to expect.

Trend 1 – Renewed attention to mobile
“In the meantime, it is clear to many recruitment organizations and recruitment marketers that the majority of visits to the website take place via a smartphone,” says Ricardo. The websites and apps are re-examined to see if they still contribute sufficiently to an optimal candidate experience and are optimized for mobile search, orientation, application, registration, registration, and tracking. “That mobile-first idea will certainly be in the spotlight again in 2021.”

Trend 2 – Agility and guidance on sprints
Despite corona, the tension on the labor market will increase further in the coming years for various reasons, especially in technology, ICT, and healthcare. Competitive employers become more visible, findable, and recognizable. All the more reason for employers and intermediaries to be at the forefront of development and to work on a strong employer brand.

“We can hardly foresee what will be needed in a few years’ time, so being able to react quickly and link with the tools of that moment is essential. Know what you stand for as an agency or employer, what distinguishes you and what makes you attractive, and work with short development cycles (sprints) so that you can continuously adapt and your recruitment site grows dynamically, ”continues Ricardo.

Trend 3 – Targeted content from careers websites
Due to the changing economy and the increasing mismatch of supply and demand on the Dutch labor market, the content of careers websites will next year focus more on the switch from job A to job B.

“Training programs and career developments will therefore be more central than now, which will also have a direct effect on both the functionalities of the career website and the provision of other types of labor market communication that fits this mismatch,” says Arjan.

Trend 4 – Progressive Web Apps
“In 2021 I expect the first serious PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) in the field of online recruitment. A hybrid between careers website and a native app” continues Arjan. A PWA shows data without a candidate being online, this is done on the basis of cashing in the browser so that push notifications can be sent directly to a smartphone. “In this way, new vacancies are immediately visible to candidates, which is a great development for the recruitment world.”

Trend 5 – Focus on recruitment campaigns
Distinguishing yourself through a good story in the field of labor market communication will also become a new standard. Recruitment campaigns and specific careers sites become essential here. “Intermediaries will have to distinguish themselves towards the end customer. Telling your story becomes important. The target audience must be targeted at the right time with this compelling story. It is more important than ever to automate marketing in such a way that this process becomes more effective, ”says Nick.

Trend 6 – Out of the box recruitment websites
To solve international issues and the recruitment of foreign staff, recruitment websites will have to be made more out of the box in 2021. Think not only of multilingualism but also integration with international platforms. “Technology never stands still, I see that in 2021 it will only continue to grow,” continues Nick. “The professionalism of websites will grow, you will make a difference with this.”

Trend 7 – Intelligent websites
Gone are the days when a website only shows static information. By allowing elements in the website to move with the behavior of the visitor, they feel more at home and the chance of conversion is increased.

“When you apply this in the websites you develop, you see a significantly improved visitor experience as a result,” says Sven. “This way, only suitable vacancies can be shown to your visitor that directly match his interests. By recording visitor behavior you create a profile of your visitor. This data is stored so that personalized content can be displayed immediately during the current website visit or next visit. ”

Trend 8 – Easy to apply and respond
The simpler the ways of submitting data, the greater the chance that a person will leave information behind. The cliché application form with the name and email fields is outdated. More and more techniques are used to collect data from the potential candidate or client. “This can be done in many places on the website,” says Sven.

“As soon as the information has been left somewhere on the website by the visitor, for example by filling in search profiles or downloading white papers, this information is immediately stored in your ATS and the first contact is made. Then the automation starts that will approach this person at appropriate times. All these communications contain tracking links. This means that the file is constantly being supplemented to a complete file.