A recent report on reed.co.uk talks about the UK labour market being on the cusp of, if not in the midst of - The Great Resignation.
It’s an attention-grabbing headline that’s for sure! But what does it actually mean in reality?
Workers are on the move…
Because of those that have stayed in jobs longer than they had perhaps planned to because of the pandemic, also, those who simply don’t enjoy their jobs or aren’t happy with their compensation and perhaps the biggest culprit - because of the record-breaking number of vacancies across the UK.
In 2020 we saw huge numbers of applicants for limited jobs. In 2022 we start the year at the polar opposite. Businesses are facing the very real reality of losing their top talent and finding it near impossible to fill much needed roles.
The result? Increased pressure on recruiting teams to leave a [positive] lasting impression on all candidates and applicants.
In the height of the pandemic, research found that poor recruitment practices were in operation:
- ‘Ghosting’ unfortunately appears to be a common trend; almost a quarter (24%) of those that have applied for jobs since the start of the pandemic say they had no response to their application. Of those that have had responses, almost a fifth (19%) mentioned a wait of more than two weeks for feedback after an application.
- Of those that made it through the application to the interview stage, 16% received no feedback or communication from the business after their first interview.
- Of those that did make it through to later rounds of the interview process, over a quarter (17%) were made to wait more than two weeks between interviews.
We’re confident that as a recruitment agency, Aspire Jobs did not succumb to these poor practices during this time, in fact, we went the extra mile to support people at a time of extreme anxiety. We’re aware of others including in-house teams that did and it was a sad time for the industry. It's completely unnaceptable in a jobs rich/candidate short market to adpot these practices. Candidates deserve respect for taking the initiative and the time to apply . They deserve to receive feedback from recruiters, positive or negative.
Why does it matter?
31% of workers say... "I am unlikley to apply to a company again after a negative application experience"
30% of workers say ..."I am unlikely to recommend a company to a friend after a negative application experience"
23% of workers say... "I make perceptions of the company based on my experience with a recruiter"
That’s why…
What needs to be done?
- Timely acknowledgement and feedback
- Streamlined hiring process
- Transparency and honesty
For the full article and to read more about putting these best practices into action, click here.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any help, advice or support with your recruitment practices.
Wishing you a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year.
Helen
PS: I would love to ask for your help!
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