What Potential Employees Look for in the Recruitment Process

Even as technology and the awareness of new tools continues to rapidly advance, the tried, but true methods of in-person and phone interviews, and more frequent, personalized interactions with hiring managers or recruiters remain the clear preference of job seekers across generations. Organizations should evaluate their talent acquisition strategy and customize job seekers’ experiences based on their preferences, according to Jim McCoy, vice president ManpowerGroup Solutions and North America RPO practice lead.

U.S. job seekers representing a cross section of ages, incomes, career levels and industries, were asked about their use of and preferences for technology, social media and online platforms when researching and interviewing for jobs. Study results show that the nature and frequency of employer-candidate interactions should be driven by the type of talent employers wish to attract.

Key survey findings include:

• 86% explore employers’ websites when researching positions online
• 36% report employers’ websites and career sites lack clear and relevant information
• 52% use search engine results, and 45% use peer recommendations to gather information about prospective employers and positions
• Indeed, CareerBuilder and Monster top the list of most frequently used online job sites
• 30% use social media to get more information about open positions or employers; of these, more than 70% use Facebook, 43% each use Google+ or LinkedIn
• 72% prefer traditional, in-person interviews; 15% choose telephone interviews

“The impact that high-touch – or human contact – has on a candidate’s recruiting experience cannot be overstated,” McCoy said. “A negative experience with a hiring manager or a recruiter may result in the right candidate rejecting a job offer.

Meanwhile, “the content and functionality of employers’ websites and career sites matter. Since nine in 10 candidates use them as primary sources of information about employers, making them relevant, compelling and user-friendly should be a priority of employers. By maximizing their presence on, and engagement with, carefully selected social media, employers can attract and engage the right candidates faster and more efficiently.”

 As the talent shortage continues, human resources leaders are challenged to ensure sustainable talent pipelines for their organizations. A one-size-fits-all approach to engaging prospective employees does not work. Employers must evaluate their talent acquisition strategy and customize job seekers’ experiences based on the talent they want to hire. Only when employers consider the total value of candidate-centered experiences, will they be able to efficiently and effectively attract and acquire top talent to achieve their business objectives.