The biggest mistake an employer can make is assuming the large number of resumes they have received is a sign that their seasonal hiring process is going well.
Employers who make this mistake simply don’t understand how Gen Z job hunters operate.
Creating beautiful resumes is now very simple thanks to AI. Customising them for specific jobs is just as easy. And the more tech savvy kids are using AI to distribute their resumes far and wide. Scraping thousands of email address from websites and social media pages is starting to become more common, and this practices will become widespread in a matter of months not years. Tip, you might want to get rid of email addresses that start with the terms jobs, recruitment, staff, and HR.
The huge number of resumes an employer receives is often just the result of technology (and hiring managers) making it very easy to send them, and Gen Z’s willingness to cast a very wide net when job hunting. If you have something seasonal workers need such as employee housing in a ski town with a housing crisis, attracting large numbers of candidates with a social media ad is very easy. Most of the candidates don’t care about the job, they just want the housing, and the hiring manager has to deal with a mountain of resumes and endless follow up calls from desperate poor quality candidates.
Apart from the huge numbers of resumes getting sent, here are some more trends we are seeing during the hiring process.
- The increased use of AI to deal with huge numbers of resumes. This can be a blessing and a curse.
- Hiring managers will become more likely to request candidates do more than just send in a resume. SEE YOU NEXT SEASON gets employees to fill out a detailed form with all the information employers need. If they are unwilling to spend 10-15 minutes doing this, we don’t want them on our database. A great way to identify quality candidates is to get people to send in a two minute video of them performing work-related tasks. eg a cafe manager looking for a barista gets candidates to film themselves making coffees. A ski shop owner looking for a rental tech requests a minute long video of the candidate setting ski bindings. etc. The fake-it-until-you-make-it crowd won’t apply saving the hiring manager a huge amount of time.
- Cover letters are just as easy to generate so they will become less worthwhile.
- More “candidate essentials” in job ads to dissuade unsuitable candidates from applying.
- Gen Z candidates are accepting multiple positions and not telling employers they have taken other roles. This leads to a record number of “no-shows”. It also creates a situation where candidates leave soon after starting a job when they get offered roles at other companies.
- Young candidates will continue to interview very well. They are doing plenty of them, and practice makes perfect!
- The increased use of end-of-season bonuses to encourage loyalty.
- Employers who use social media as a recruitment platform will continue to attract very poor and unreliable candidates.
- The high cost of living will continue to limit the number of candidates who are financially able to move to expensive resort towns.
Good luck to all the employers recruiting for the northern hemisphere winter. It’s going to be another difficult year so asking yourself the following questions can massively help your hiring strategy.
- Am I advertising on platforms that attract quality or quantity?
- Am I advertising early enough so candidates have enough time to get visas, get housing, and get to work on Day 1?
- Am I making it too easy for candidates to apply?
- Does my job ad attract a large number of poor quality candidates, and does it need re-drafting?
- Should I call in professional to help improve our hiring strategies?
If this article has been helpful, please consider joining SEE YOU NEXT SEASON and putting up a free ad on our site. We limit the number of times seasonal workers can send their profiles so you will get much better matches using our site than social media. Registered employers can also access more articles like this one.
Yours in Adventure.
Iain and Matt from SEE YOU NEXT SEASON.