The riskiest part of the recruitment process is the period of time between offer and start date and the onboarding process itself, according to new research.
Employer brand specialist Chatter Communications analysed the views of over 2,000 employees on their most recent recruitment experience.
Forty one per cent said they didn’t have a positive experience during the period between accepting their new role and joining the team, which could potentially leave them vulnerable to further job offers. Forty six per cent did not feel their onboarding experience was positive either. However, 66% did say they were made to feel welcome once starting at their new employer – suggesting it is the process of bringing someone up to speed with the organisation and their role, rather than the warmth of the welcome, which is the issue.
When it came to actively looking for a new role, job advertisements and the job description were the leading influence on job hunters, with 91% of people agreeing it had influenced their decision to apply. Word of mouth came a close second (88%), and career websites were third (77%).
The research also revealed that ‘unofficial’ sources often had almost as much of an influence on candidates as official channels, such as career websites and job ads. Over two thirds (68%) were influenced by the social media of potential colleagues and three quarters (72%) felt the organisation’s general marketing efforts also influenced their thoughts on deciding to apply for or accept a role.
However, despite it being a key influence, research* found that many opportunities for advocacy from existing employees were being lost. Almost half of employees (44%) are unlikely to, or unsure if they would, recommend their company to a friend looking for a role. Only one in four (25%) had posted a review on Glassdoor, which is an influencing factor for 69% of potential candidates. The research also showed that the majority of those surveyed were more likely to post something positive than negative if encouraged to do so by their employer.
When choosing where to search for jobs, perhaps unsurprisingly, under 25s opted for social media, whilst over 45s preferred job boards. Men were more likely than women to use recruitment agencies or traditional media. Job-seekers working in different industries also had different preferences, with people working in leisure, retail and hospitality preferring job boards, those in construction and transport choosing Google search and people in engineering opting for social media.
Paul Ainley, managing director at Chatter Communications, commented: “Over a third (37%) of people are likely to leave, or are unsure about whether they will leave their current workplace in the next 12 months and we know that talent scarcity is a top concern for leaders. We wanted to find out more about the recruitment process, where the strengths and weaknesses lie, and where targeted activity might be used to best effect for organisations in different sectors or targeting different demographics. Whilst it’s still a tough market for recruiters, every available advantage is worth pursuing.”
*Research from Chatter
