UK 
United States
Today’s job hunters continue to operate in a competitive market, and new research from CV-Library reveals how almost half (49.8%) have admitted to accepting multiple job roles, and using them as a platform for negotiation with potential employers. In an attempt to secure the best salary and job offer, this latest trend, which leaves candidates aptly known as ‘Job Hoarders’ has the potential to be a real HR headache.
Taking a closer look at the latest candidate behaviours trickling into the job market, we surveyed over 3,000 of the nation’s job hunters, revealing that in addition to almost half of candidates job hoarding, almost two-thirds (64%) of the UK’s professionals would accept a job they were unsure of, whilst continuing their job search. And this is likely to be concerning news for HR professionals, who could find themselves left in a very difficult situation with candidates pulling out at the last minute and leaving roles empty.
Furthermore, the research uncovered the fact that a staggering 80.8% of job hunters would accept more than one job offer for up to two weeks, while 77.2% of UK professionals believe it’s reasonable to accept more than one job offer at a time, in order to negotiate themselves a better salary package. While this figure is higher than the percentage of candidates who actually do job hoard, it’s worrying to see that such a high proportion of the nation’s job hunters believe that this behaviour is acceptable.
Though job offer negotiations were once a private matter, the new research shows that 54.8% of today’s candidates would openly reveal what another company was offering when negotiating a job offer, meaning that as the job market becomes increasingly competitive and this behaviour amplifies, HRs will find themselves having to compete even harder for the best talent.
While it’s understandable that job hunters in today’s economic climate are keeping their options open and applying to multiple roles and companies, going one step further and accepting more than one job offer puts businesses in a very difficult position.
The reality is that HR professionals must be prepared for this behaviour, and be ready to really sell the role. Whether this is through highlighting the broader job benefits, such as flexible hours, staff bonuses and other workplace perks, the fact remains that candidates value a positive company culture and job satisfaction. And while salary is important, recruiters and employers should be prepared to promote the wider package, in order to steer any counter offers and secure the best talent.
In doing this, businesses can be ready to win the talent war without having to enter into salary battles, and professionals in the industry can avoid the risk of being caught short by job hoarders.
