Inside the mind of a job seeker

Stuart Miles @freedigitalphotos.net

Making the right hire can be a difficult and time-consuming process but it can help if employers understand what a candidate is looking for. According to a survey carried out by Monster, the information below helps to give an insight into what employees are looking for and what really drives them to look for a new job.

• Two in three women still feel that they have fewer opportunities in the workplace than men do

• Banking has become a more popular career choice amongst teenagers than being an actor or sports personality

• 42% of respondents over the age of 30 say that they wish they had followed their childhood ambitions

• A staggering 73% of people surveyed said that they are unhappy in their current job. 20% of those won’t do anything about it however because they fear that they won’t be able to find a new job.

• 43% of job seekers complained that interviewers are unprepared when interviewing them for a job

• One third of candidates who are looking for a new job say that they are doing so because they feel unappreciated by their current employer

Job search statistics

There are many different ways of looking for a job nowadays but job boards remain a firm favourite amongst candidates and Monster’s figures alone show just how popular this method is.

• Nearly 18,000 job searches are made every hour

• 164 job postings are viewed every minute

• There are more than 2,000 new job postings every single day

• 3,200 CVs are viewed by employers every hour

• Nearly 13,000 graduate positions are searched for every week

• 52% of job seekers have a bachelors degree and 24% have a masters or doctorate degree

• Tuesday and Wednesday are the most popular days for job hunting

Job hunting at work

Employers will be disappointed to hear that 28% of job seekers spend more than three hours per week looking for jobs at work. 16% spend more than five hours per week doing this and 7% spend more than 10 hours per week looking for a new role whilst sitting at their desk.

The demographics of job seekers

• 53% of those looking for a new job are male and 47% are female

• Those aged between 24 and 34 are the most likely to be looking for a new job and make up 27% of all job seekers. This is closely followed by the 45-54 year age range (25%) and then those aged between 15-24 (18%) and 25-44 (18%). Candidates aged 55+ are the least likely to be looking for a new role and make up just 11% of all job seekers