The New Year is a time to reflect on the past and look to the future. While there are many lessons to learn from 2008, thinking about the past year doesn’t leave many of us with that warm fuzzy feeling we hope for during the holiday season. Focusing on the future provides companies with a sense of direction and allows them to be cautiously optimistic about their strategies. In this spirit, I think I’ll weigh in on my top five predictions for 2009 in the world of recruiting and sourcing...

1. Social media exploded in 2008 and I mean EXPLODED. Companies such as Whole Foods Market, Verizon, and JetBlue can’t seem to get enough of these tools to interact with both employees and customers. According to a Nielsen Online report, Twitter grew by 343%, Ning sites grew by 251%, and Facebook grew by 116%. Even LinkedIn, which increased by 193%, abandoned its professional networking persona in favor of social networking features such as profile pictures and direct communication. As more and more companies join the social media phenomenon, a new crop of social media sites emerged including Dodgeball, Konnects, iKarma, and Kaneva. These sites will continue to gain steam in the upcoming year as companies look for ways to better engage job candidates.
2. Demand for innovation will exist. Companies will continue to look for new ways to hire better, faster, and smarter. The solution provider community has responded by providing products that aim to replace the resume including companies such as VisualCV and RealMatch. When the economy is unstable and budgets get slashed, these tools promise a way to save money, improve the candidate experience and help companies improve hiring techniques. No small task and it remains to be seen what solution providers will dominate the next year.
3. Despite massive layoffs, companies will continue to suffer from talent shortages in technical and managerial positions. According to Bersin & Associates’ TalentWatch report published in Fall 2008, the greatest talent shortages exist in the areas of:
   • Line managers (43 percent of organizations cite severe or major shortages);
   • Executive positions (34 percent of organizations cite severe or major shortages);
   • Engineering and technical professionals (cited by 42 percent of organizations, with 14 percent stating their shortages are urgent).
4. Companies' talent management programs will focus on the long-term. Most companies will learn from past mistakes and the dangers of a short-term, reactionary recruiting process. As a result, workforce planning will be a focus for many companies looking to gain competitive advantage. We are currently conducting a survey on the current state of maturity of workforce planning. Keep an eye out for this study in March 2008.
5. As companies look to attract younger generations and save costs, flexible workplaces will be a critical recruiting tool for attracting top talent. Companies will entice candidates with options to work from home, work shorter work weeks and include options that will allow a greater work-life balance.

The future does seem bright but 2009 will not be smooth sailing. Companies will need to stay focused, re-examine their talent needs and align these needs with the overall needs of the company. Stay tuned as we will follow the top trends and best practices in talent acquisition.