Throughout the UK, demand for talent remains strong and shows few signs of slowing. It’s more vital than ever to remove all obstacles in your hiring process and to start listening to candidates in order to improve the candidate experience. Luckily, we’re here to help.
A new survey from Glassdoor (1) reveals that canceling or postponing interviews is among the biggest frustrations for UK workers and job seekers during the hiring process. People applying to your open jobs expect clear, quick communication, and in this tough labour market, disorganisation can cost you the perfect candidate.
The online survey, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Glassdoor in May 2018 among 715 UK adults who are either currently employed or not employed but looking for work, revealed that while 44 percent were most frustrated by cancelled or postponed interviews, an equal amount are also frustrated by a lack of information on job responsibilities. Coming in at a close third, 43 percent of respondents said that recruiters and hiring managers not responding in a timely manner was their biggest grievance.
“Recruiters have a challenging task coordinating multiple interviews and UK job seekers clearly feel they don’t like interviews being moved or cancelled,” said Julie Coucoules, Glassdoor’s Global Head of Talent Acquisition.
Glassdoor’s survey also dug into what would make candidates pull out of the recruitment process — here’s what respondents said:
- Employer announcing redundancies (40 percent)
- A poor first interaction with a recruiter or hiring manager (34 percent)
- Reading negative reviews from employees (34 percent)
- Reading negative news coverage about the company (30 percent)
Alas, the survey did not reveal all doom and gloom for recruiters.“The good news is that [the] top five frustrations that job seekers have with the recruitment process can all be improved by any employer of any size. Recruiters that want to create an informative and organised process can use this feedback to make their interview process more effective and positive.”
How Can Employers Turn Candidates Into Advocates?
While finding qualified job candidates for hard-to-fill positions is no easy task, staying aware of how candidates perceive your business and the hiring process will help you stay ahead of the game and lock in the talented hires you are pursuing. In addition to having an active employer brand on Glassdoor, there are a few free resources we suggest to help recruiters create a positive interview experience:
A Guide to the Ultimate Candidate Experience
How to Get the Most Out of a Candidate’s First Interview
How to Communicate With Your Candidates
Learn More:
How Small- to Medium-Sized Businesses Use Glassdoor to Recruit
Methodology
1. This survey was conducted online within the UK by The Harris Poll on behalf of Glassdoor between May 7-9, 2018 among 715 UK adults ages 18+ who are employed full-time/part-time/self-employed, or not employed but looking for work. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Joe Wiggins at pr@glassdoor.com.