- A lengthy process with too many requirements was the main reason given (72%) for a below average experience applying through an employer website
- Almost two-thirds (63%) of applicants have been deterred from completing an application due to a poor applicant experience
- 31% have had a below average experience as a website was not mobile optimised
The majority (71%) of applicants say they would abandon an online job application process if it took 15 minutes or longer to complete, according to a new report published by Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people. Almost one in ten would consider abandoning an application after just five minutes.
The report found that 49% of candidates would consider applying for a role instantly if the process appeared to be simple and easy, suggesting employers could be missing out on quality candidates as a result.
The Hays What Workers Want Report 2018, which surveyed 14,600 employers and employees, found that the majority of employers are failing to prioritise the online application process as part of their talent attraction strategies.
According to the report, many employer recruitment websites are undermining their own efforts on a number of different fronts. 50% of applicants gave a neutral to very poor rating of their experience when applying for a role directly on an employer’s website or online jobs portal. The majority (72%) of those who gave these ratings blamed a lengthy process with too many requirements as the main contributing factor.
Surprisingly, while over a third of employers (41%) are aware that they may offer a neutral to poor application experience via their career websites, over half of employers (54%) are still not prioritising improved user functionality as part of their recruitment strategy.
When applying online, today’s applicants expect to be able to edit and submit their CV easily (90%), save job searches (80%) and receive job alerts (76%). Despite the emphasis applicants place on a simple and streamlined online process, the report suggests that they still value personal interaction as part of the process.
Over 69% of applicants say it is important to them to have a contact person who can provide status updates on their individual application. This need for clear communication was a recurring theme emerging from the report. For example, 57% said it was important to receive confirmation of moving to the interview stage within a week of applying, but over a third of employers (36%) said this process typically takes in excess of a week.
Following the final job interview, 58% percent of applicants expect to hear within three days whether they have been successful, but 33% of employers failed to work to this timeline and typically took a week or more to respond to the applicant.
Positively, having two rounds of interviews was seen as the optimum by both employers and employees.
According to Simon Winfield, Managing Director Hays UK & Ireland: “Today’s candidates are more digitally fluent than ever before. They have become accustomed to doing everything online, from communicating with friends and catching up on news to managing their finances and booking their holidays. As a result, they have come to expect a very slick and intuitive user experience regardless of service or function. Not unreasonably, they expect the same ease of use when applying for a new role.
“Our What Workers Want Report suggests today’s applicants are easily deterred by lengthy and inefficient processes, cumbersome technology, and a failure by employers to adhere to agreed timelines. Too many employers have been very slow to recognise the applicant’s user experience as a key tenet of their recruitment strategy, and by extension, the potential it has to paint either a very positive or negative first impression of the company. In neglecting to invest in the applicant’s user experience, many employers may be undermining their ability to compete for the best talent.”
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For further information, interviews or a press copy of the report contact:
Kathryn Iacono
Hays
[email protected]
About the report
Survey findings are based on a survey of 14,600 people carried out in February 2018. The survey was sent to people on the Hays database (not limited to current jobseekers) allowing us to gain the perspective of both professionals and employers. All respondents were required to have either applied for a job or recruited for employees in the past two years, in order to provide up-to-date insight into the applicant experience and employer offering.
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2018 the Group employed 10,978 staff operating from 257 offices in 33 markets across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2018:
– the Group reported net fees of £1.072 billion and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £243.4 million;
– the Group placed around 77,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 244,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 19% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 24% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 31% in Rest of World (RoW);
– the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mainland China, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA