It’s no secret that we are in a candidate-short employment market. Globally, employers are reporting significant difficulty finding the talent for their most crucial openings. With the employment market stronger than it has been in quite some time, more employees are open to new career opportunities. In fact, 45% of SATISFIED workers say they would consider a career change. Anecdotally, our member recruiters are reporting more counteroffer and multiple-offer situations than they have for a number of years. Great candidates have an increasingly short shelf-life and are typically off the market in a matter of a few days or less.
How does the candidate experience factor into this recruiting reality? For one thing, great candidates don’t have to sit around and wait through a slow and disorganized hiring process. For another, they have access to more information than ever about potential employers and have become more consumer-like in their behavior. This also means that even if your client is really well-known and a desirable place to work, your candidates may not accept offers if they’ve had an unpleasant experience during the hiring process.
In today’s competitive landscape, there are still too many recruiters who subscribe to a “post and pray” methodology or otherwise contribute to a poor candidate experience. A recent infographic from Qualigence outlines some of these issues and offers some tips for improvement.
Some of the points that I found most relevant were:
- More than 90% of employers made ZERO contact with a candidate beyond an auto-responder acknowledging receipt of a resume/application
- More than 80% of candidates received no salary information
- 86% of candidates report never receiving confirmation emails
- 83% of candidates were not notified when the position was filled
To improve the candidate experience, job seekers offered these suggestions:
- 34% would like more communications
- 28% would like notification when they will NOT be receiving an offer
- 14% want more human interaction
There is also a disconnect between recruiters and employers. Eighty percent of recruiters reporting that they understand the roles for which they are recruiting, but 60% of hiring managers disagree with that statement. While some recruiters may be submitting candidates who have not been properly qualified, I believe there is also a good chance that employers are not exactly sure what they are looking for. Clearly there is room for improvement on both sides.
What are you doing to ensure a terrific candidate experience? Comment below!
Being based in South Africa, dealing with candidates who are spread all across the African continent we conduct most of our interviews telephonically. This means that our Africa Recruiters have to be able to get all the relevant information from each candidate that they speak to. An essential element in the candidate receiving a terrific experience is the Recruiters knowledge and industry expertise. Our Recruiters are Africa Recruitment Specialists; not only knowledgeable in the Africa Recruitment market, but also in the particular fields that they recruit in. (for example, Africa Finance Recruiters are dedicated to Recruiting Finance jobs in Africa only)
In liaising with Finance professionals on all levels and in various countries in Africa, on a daily basis, they are able to advise clients about what to expect from the job market in Finance. Communication is also vital! That is communication with the client as well as keeping the candidate up to date. Speaking to industry professionals and networking with these professionals helps to build our Africa Recruiters’ knowledge even further. Managing the expectations of both the client and candidates is also important.