Almost one in ten (9%) workers last invested time in learning new skills for the workplace five years agoAlthough unemployment in Britain is currently at its lowest level since the 1970s, there are still around 1.36 million people classed as unemployed. Recruiters need to be on top of their game to ensure they attract the best possible talent for their clients in a very competitive market.
Time should be taken to build a relationship with candidates so that they stick with you throughout the course of their careers. This also involves keeping up-to-date with the needs of their candidates and to tailor each candidate’s experience.
Cheeky Munkey undertook a survey of millennials (ages 22-37) from 107 companies to discover what today’s jobseekers like and dislike about recruiters, how they conduct their job searches and how the interview process could be better improved.
The results were surprising but also key for recruiters to implement.
“Only 19% of millennials like to be cold contacted by a recruiter, yet this is an increasingly common practice in the recruitment industry”
Regarding the actual job search, industry-specific recruitment companies ranked 4th behind jobs boards, Google and company websites.
Technology now plays a big part in the search with nearly two thirds of people ranking online jobs boards as their preferred way of looking for a new job.
Online recruitment companies (44%) were stated as the preference by over twice as many people as high street recruiters (21%) when asked what form of job hunting brings the best results.
The survey also found that more people said a poor recruiter website was the top reason they would look to work with another recruitment agency.
Networking is still a vital tool – 20% of people surveyed said that word of mouth recommendations gave the best results when job hunting. Someone who can vouch for a candidate personally is advantageous for both the candidate and the company hiring.
43 per cent stated that they did not receive enough contact or support from their recruitment agency during the process, alluding to the fact that recruiters are too reliant on email and messaging in today’s recruitment industry.
“1 in 4 millennials surveyed stated receiving emails from a recruiter when they aren’t job hunting would put them off using that company in the future.”
Technology is viewed as a tool that should enhance the recruiter to candidate experience, not replace it. People still thrive on human interaction.
Many of those surveyed were dissatisfied with pre-interview techniques, perhaps feeling that they waste time, the candidate process is too lengthy or they simply become stressed jumping through so many hoops.
Other frustrations included:
- Receiving emails from a recruiter when they aren’t job hunting – this deterred over a quarter of those surveyed from using that company in the future
- Inaccurate job listings with regards to salary and location made 57% of people switch recruiters
- A lack of transparency over the office environment turned off 22% of respondents
- A lack of knowledge about a specific industry
Our survey also found that only 19% of people prefer to be cold contacted by a recruiter, yet this is an increasingly common practice in the recruitment industry, especially via mediums such as LinkedIn. Recruiters need to focus on a more targeted outreach.
When asked what would make someone leave a recruiter for another, having a poor website (63%) was surprisingly ranked above inaccurate job listings (57%) and being seen only as a source of commission (45%).
Cheeky Munkey concludes by saying: “While traditional recruitment techniques are still valuable – and often essential – in today’s market, it’s clear to see that new approaches must be adopted in order to keep pace with the ever-changing employment landscape and appeal to the largest demographic in the workforce – millennials.”
“As Generation Z begin to enter the workforce, it’s also crucial to ensure recruitment practices continually evolve to appeal to this new era who, as wholly digitally adept, are expected to be more competitive, independent and entrepreneurial than previous candidates, with a stronger focus on job security.”
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