Australian businesses, like their counterparts around the world, are missing out on top talent because they are alienating candidates with poor communication and long hiring practices, new independent research reveals.
According to global recruitment firm Robert Half, its latest poll of jobseekers in Australia found that the biggest frustration with job applications is slow feedback from prospective employers about progress through the application process.
This was cited by more than half (53%) of candidates.
And, Robert Half warns that, in a climate where 97% of Australian managers say they find it challenging to source skilled talent, the findings highlight the need for companies to act fast, or risk losing their preferred candidate.
{loadposition peter}According to the research, the other biggest frustrations about the recruitment process when applying for a new role experienced by candidates included delayed decision-making (46%), poor communication about the required steps in the recruitment process (44%) and doing multiple job interviews with the same employer (40%).
“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 jobseekers 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.”
According to Robert Half, when professionals are looking for a new job, they do so actively with 47% of jobseekers applying for 10 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, cautions Robert Half.
According to the research, more than seven in 10 jobseekers (73%) regularly receive multiple job offers when searching for work, with 38% “often” or “always” getting more than one offer.
Disappointment with contractual terms caused the least frustration, listed by just 17% of survey respondents.
Robert Half notes that with slow feedback and poor communication being top frustrations for Australian jobseekers, 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.
The recruitment firm warns that companies need to be wary that the implications of slow communication and the lack of feedback can be far-reaching with 43% of jobseekers 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 David 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."