Category: Blog

One could say that 2021 has been one of the most unpredictable years. It has been unpredictable in every way possible, which had even affected the hiring market – we will admit that we couldn’t have predicted the great resignation movement. That being said, our team has some ideas on what we think will happen in the hiring market in 2022. Please read the SingleSprout team’s thoughts on the future hiring market, and how you can prepare.

I think we will see more hiring for most companies. I think that some of the larger companies will have layoffs (eg Better) and it will be interesting to see what will happen with companies that IPOed recently. High growth has been the goal for many companies but I’m not sure how many scaled effectively so we may see some repercussions there. In general, not all companies were able to scale the way they’d like this year due to market constraints so it’ll be interesting to see how that impacts budgets, benefits, and interview processes to get talent on board. – Sophie

I think the remote/flexible WFH trend will continue into 2022. Most companies have proven their teams can be just as productive or more productive at home! – Amanda Hoffer

I predict companies will create virtual workspaces in the metaverse for all employees. – Zach Fleischman

I think companies that quickly adapted to a system of remote working will see drastic increases in hiring relative to other companies.- Josh Elbahrawy

I predict, to stay competitive in the tech recruitment market companies will start getting creative with their benefits. I see companies with benefits like extended parental leave, 4-day work week, better healthcare, flexible work-days, more mental health benefits, and benefits for working mothers – Katie Weiss

I think that more companies will shift from coding tests to live technical interviews to stay competitive and make their processes easier to navigate.- Eric Scheuch

I predict that there will be growth in both the technical and legal recruitment market. Demand will increase. – Sydney Austin

I believe the technical market is going to continue to soar and evolve in the remote space. Engineers want more options and flexibility. The workforce is evolving and is reflecting on the wants and needs of employees! – Angela Peterson

I’m anticipating job seekers to continue looking for primarily remote opportunities. I think a lot of job seekers have already moved away from those major tech hubs and don’t want to give up the flexibility. – Dean Rabinowitz

In 2022, I anticipate the technical and legal recruitment market will continue to skyrocket. To the moon SingleSprout! – Alexis Perez

I think more and more people will continue to leave their jobs in search of better. However, I’m not sure that the bulk of US employers are going to catch on and increase pay or benefits. Startups/companies that naturally embrace change will be more open to doing just that, but larger institutions with more bureaucratic systems in place will most likely continue with a slow adaption of changes or continue to resist change that their most highly paid employees ask for. – Alie Borowsky

I predict that we will discover a new planet (like this), a ton of new tech companies will start up due to this, and the tech recruitment market will be in even more demand than it already is – Corey Grant

I think hybrid work models will gain more popularity! After so long with remote work, employees might be looking for opportunities to have facetime with co-workers in person, while still emphasizing a mostly remote set-up. – Leo Calentti

I predict that there is going to be an influx on both the candidate side and company side as everyone is either hiring or looking for a new job! I think it will be one of the biggest years in recruitment – Emily Pizza

We’ll see a bigger need and rise in feedback tools in the workplace. Specifically, the need for the ability of the employee to report discrimination, harassment, misconduct, and more. It’s no longer okay to say “Go to HR,” or “Please bring this up to your manager,” in the digital remote workplace. – Natan, Cofounder

I predict that during 2022 we are going to see salaries once again increase by 10-20% due to a shortage of talent – David Saad

It has many names – The Global resignation movement. The Big Quit. The Great Reshuffling. No matter what you call it, it is affecting every business across the globe.  In August, there were 8.6 million unemployed people in the U.S. and 10 million job openings. Since then the number of jobs has grown and there are now 1.2 jobs per unemployed person. 

So how do you hire in this market? How do you find the right people? And just as importantly how do you keep your current employees happy? 

Here are a few suggestions from our team. 

• Empowering your team. No matter a team member’s position, everyone has something to add outside of their core role. If someone shows interest in growing, it is good to ask them to lead training, or lead discussions. 
• Remember that in a remote workplace it is sometimes difficult to maintain a work-life balance. We like to encourage our employees to turn off their screens when needed. We also allow our team to build their own schedule. Lastly, we respect non-working hours for our team, to allow them time to rest and reset.  
• Don’t forget about your companies/team’s wellness and mental health.  We use a service called Boon Health to provide free coaching to our entire team. 
• While interviewing timing is key! Make sure when interviewing candidates, to keep the entire process under 3 weeks. Anything longer than this will decrease your chances of the candidate signing an offer. 
• Get clear on values, and share them!  We have seen that candidates respond well to companies who are upfront about company values, and how it impacts the company culture. We encourage companies to post these values online, so candidates can see them before taking an interview. 
• Don’t forget to talk to your team. Skip interviews and anonymous surveys can be a powerful tool. To understand what is going on in your organization, including cultural feedback. 

We always love input from our partners and clients. Please feel free to email our team if you have any additional suggestions that we should share!

Hey Everyone,

In a recent publication of The MorningBrew, Talent Acquisition and HR jobs are up 52% since last year. We have also observed that in 2021, the fastest-growing position at venture capital funds has been Head of Talent. The question is – why have we seen so much growth in the HR space?

Our assumption is, teams are finally realizing how important the impact HR/People teams can have on a growing startup. We have observed anecdotally that many startups wait until they have 50+ employees before making their first HR team hire, but those who break this trend have a strong infrastructure. Instead of having the founding team distracted by tasks that are easy to delegate, they are able to focus on building their company.

To quickly understand why these hires are so important, it is important to know that HR/People teams tend to own culture, headcount, learning and development, recruitment planning, DEI initiatives, employee education, onboarding and so much more. Even when you compare what most internal recruiters are in charge of, it is very different from those who work at recruitment firms. While external recruiters are hyper-focused on connecting and engaging candidates with the right roles at the right companies, internal recruiters typically focus on hiring planning, talent strategy, recruitment process and efficiency, and getting candidates excited about joining the team.

So as we write this we wonder – how are you building your HR/Talent team?  Please let us know by answering the poll below.

Truly,
Natan & David

To celebrate all our team’s amazing work, we planned a night of fun with the team. SingleSprout sure ate like Champions after a recent Zoom with Chef Andre Fowles, CEC,Food Network 3xCHOPPED CHAMP, 🇯🇲AMB, 3-time Food Network Chopped Champion! Thanks, Chef Fowles!

“I don’t know about all of you but I can’t stop thinking about the delicious food last night 🥘 🥑 🦐 🍹 Super fun and tasty!” –Hawa Ruth Bello, SingleSprout #food #health #wellness

Hey Everyone,

Since 2004, April has been called, “Celebrate Diversity Month,” and last month we spent our time honoring that mission. It’s a time to recognize, honor, and support our differences and similarities. The goal is to help people gain a deeper understanding of each other.  After spending the last month focused on how we can support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we uncovered some interesting facts.

Since we work with companies on hiring talent, a common theme is “diversity.” The truth is each company defines diversity slightly differently, but diversity means having a range of people with various racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, cultural backgrounds, various lifestyles, experiences, and/or interests. By this definition, it is clear that an individual can not be diverse, but a group of people can be diverse (friendly reminder, it is time to stop referring to a person as diverse). For this reason, when talking about an individual role, we encourage the use of the phrase searching for under-represented talent, instead of diverse talent. (Link)

When talking to companies, we have a list of suggestions we’ve learned (around attracting and recruiting underrepresented talent from the AllVoices’s event we moderated last month, linked below):

• Employer branding. Be conscious of what your social media, website, public profiles show. Candidates are curious about your initiatives, and your benefits (not just medical, but for flexibility, childcare, learning and development, and more). If you’re unsure or looking for feedback, ask those that you are looking to attract, for their feedback. If you’re not where you want to be, own it, and speak openly on your vision or goals when it comes to DEI. Most of all, be transparent and be authentic.

• Inclusive job descriptions. Make sure you are using inclusive language in your job descriptions, and emails. We recommend using tools like dei.ai to monitor inclusive language. But, do not just change your language. Educate your team as to why, so they learn and can educate others.

• Consider adjusting your job requirements. Only recruiting from certain cities, universities, and/or companies can dramatically limit under-represented talent.

• Educate the team. Interviewing and hiring candidates from different backgrounds is the first step, but doesn’t always ensure a safe and equitable environment for those individuals. Make sure that your entire team is familiar with DEI best practices. DEI training isn’t something that you want to have your team train on once a year, but something that should be discussed and invested in throughout the year. Have conversations and educational initiatives on Unconscious Bias, Awareness, Microaggressions, Belonging and Skill-Acquisition (Inclusive Management, Allyship, Inclusive Interview and Hiring). If you don’t have the capital, there are free programs, book clubs, and panels to send your team to.

• Diverse interview committee. If possible, avoid a homogenous group of employees to represent your company when conducting interviews. If you are working on your DEI strategy, speak about your vision and goals when it comes to DEI.

• Search for Inclusive Job Boards. Diversity.com, Black Career Network, Fairygodboss, Career Contessa, Pink Jobs, WorkForce50, VetJobs, 70 Million Jobs, BlackRemoteShe,  and so many more.

• Encourage DEI initiatives that focus on internal and external goals. Give your employees a voice and eventually goals to make an impact in the community and at your company.

• DEI-focused pulse survey. Ask your team members, if they feel that the work environment supports Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. What else can the team be doing?

As this is always fresh on our minds, we would love to hear what your organization does to celebrate and support diversity in your workplace.

Truly,

Natan & David

Every week we talk to founders about ways to attract talent, and a common question we get is how to support employee mental health. In fact, Gen Z (76%), Millennials (73%), Gen X (75%), Baby Boomer (56%) all want companies to prioritize mental health over other causes (Forbes).  When it comes to wellness in the workplace, many companies are introducing simple solutions like health and wellness apps, but during this remote work environment, employees are also seeking a remedy for loneliness, and ways to connect with the people they work with.

There are various ways to create a great work environment in a remote world that supports your employees’ mental health.

• Have check-ins with your employees, beyond KPIs. One way is to ask effective 1-1 questions, like those listed from LifeLabs.

• Setup virtual water coolers, happy hours, or lunches to help your team bond.

• Mandate mental health days. At SingleSprout, we give at least one mental health day per month called, “ReSprout Days.”

• Block time for no meetings or mandate company-wide no meeting time.

• Leadership and Management should encourage an open dialogue about mental health and wellness resources. At SingleSprout, we are reimbursing for certain wellness expenses and often talk openly about therapy.

• Tools:  Talkspace, Coa, Big Health, Spring Health, Joon, and Goodly

• Allow flexible hours to allow employees to prioritize mental and physical health.

Your employees are the biggest advocate of your brand, and we know the focus on mental health will help you both keep and attract new talent. We’d love to hear more ideas (hello@singlesprout.com).

Truly,

Natan & David