Do employers need to do more to impress candidates?

According to new research which has been published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), companies are making basic mistakes in how they are engaging with job applicants and are therefore losing out on attracting the best talent.

The report looked into the changing relationship between jobseekers and employers and argues that businesses need to do more to compete for candidates. A couple of years ago when jobs were in short supply, companies had their pick of applicants but thanks to a high number of job vacancies currently being advertised, it’s now the employers who need to put in the hard work.

When it comes to impressing jobseekers the survey found that:

• 34% of workers say that providing feedback to unsuccessful candidates is the single most improvement that employers could make

• 51% of workers who have had a bad experience with a potential employer have discussed it with friends and family

• 80% of candidates were not asked for any feedback on the recruitment process

• 93% of workers who described their last candidate experience as ‘bad’ were not asked for feedback from the employer

CEO of the REC, Kevin Green commented:

“It’s getting harder for businesses to find the people they need but despite this, the way employers recruit candidates is getting worse. We spoke to candidates directly to find out what works and what doesn’t and it’s clear that many businesses are making mistakes which can have implications for an organisation’s reputation and ultimately, for their bottom line.”

Green also emphasises that employers need to wake up to the fact that jobseekers communicate their experience to others. Social media makes this even more dangerous because people can reach out to hundreds of people at the simple click of a button. Whilst businesses are spending huge amounts of money on their branding and reputation, they seem oblivious to the conversations that are happening amongst potential employees via professional networks and social media sites.

The Chief Executive of BogScreen Group, Wilson Cochrane also commented:

“Negative experiences go beyond the interview process. Candidates are very vocal about their feelings and will share them with family and friends within social and professional networks so it’s vital that they are saying good things regardless of whether or not they get hired. A strong employer brand can halve the cost per hire and reduce employee turnover by 30% which underlines the importance of getting this right.”

If you need assistance with any stage of your recruitment process, please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to help.