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Businesses are missing out on top talent because they are alienating candidates with poor communication and long hiring practices, new research commissioned by specialist recruiter Robert Half, has revealed.
The survey of 1,000 Australian job seekers found that the biggest frustration experienced by job seekers is slow feedback from prospective employers about their progress through the application process.
Those surveyed were asked: “What are your biggest frustrations about the recruitment process when applying for a new role?” In answer to this question, 53% of Australian job seekers said: “Slow feedback to get an update about where I stand in the recruitment process.”
Other frustrations include:
- Delayed decision-making (46%)
- Poor communication about the required steps in the recruitment process (44%)
- Doing multiple job interviews with the same employer (40%)
- Keeping track of multiple job interviews/opportunities with different employers (34%)
- Lack of transparency on rewards and benefits (27%)
- Difficulties scheduling interviews (25%)
- Changing role requirements (19%)
- Disappointment with contractual terms (17%)
The research also found that when professionals are looking for a new job, they do so actively with 47% of job seekers applying for ten roles or more at the same time. However, in a market where 97% of Australian managers say they find it challenging to source skilled talent, they need to act fast or risk losing talent. The research indicates that more than seven in 10 job seekers (73%) regularly receive multiple job offers when searching for work, with 38% “often” or “always” getting more than one offer.
“With top skills in short supply recruitment today is a seller’s market, and businesses cannot afford to alienate talent with long, drawn-out interview processes,” said David Jones, Senior Managing Director at Robert Half Asia Pacific.
“A company’s recruitment process needs to be balanced against the expectations and frustrations of the job seekers themselves. Companies could well benefit from reviewing and, if necessary, streamlining their application and interview process to ensure that delays and other frustrations are not costing them the best candidates.”
With slow feedback and poor communication being top frustrations for Australian job seekers, 47% of them generally do not even receive feedback from their potential employers about their performance in interviews and 51% do not receive feedback about the reason why they were not offered the job.
Companies need to be wary that the implications of slow communication and the lack of feedback can be far-reaching with 43% of job seekers saying they would not recommend a company as a potential employer and 38% even willing to withdraw their application if they have not received a timely response about the status of their application.
“While multi-stage interviews might be unavoidable, timely communication throughout the application progress is not only key to keeping candidates interested in the role, companies cannot forget that how interviewees are treated during this process can also impact the organisation’s reputation and even business opportunities,” said Mr Jones.
“Disengaged job applicants who have had a negative experience with a company are not only likely to withdraw their application, they could potentially speak negatively of the organisation at hand, jeopardising the attractiveness of the company as an employer of choice and even potential business.”