One in three candidates have rejected a job offer because of a negative experience during the hiring process, according to new research.
HireVue, the global leader in video interviewing, assessments and Artificial Intelligence (AI) recruiting tools, conducted the study which found uncovered this cause of massive talent loss for businesses desperately trying to hire in the midst of the current skills shortage.
HireVue’s Candidate Experience Report found that of the group who said they've rejected a job offer due to a poor experience, two out of three said their experience was negative specifically due to poor communication.
Other reasons for deciding not to take the role included lack of transparency (41%), a hiring process that was too complicated (40%) or a hiring process that was too lengthy (40%). It's evident that candidates are looking for a smooth hiring experience that takes up as little of their time as possible rather than jumping through complex hoops for potential employers.
The Guide to Hiring for Potential
Today’s hiring teams struggle to find candidates with the specific skills and work experiences needed for not only today’s jobs, but also tomorrow’s challenges.
According to HireVue's 2023 Global Trends Report, 40% of hiring leaders say a lack of qualified candidates is the biggest barrier to finding top talent—making it the top challenge for the third year in a row.
With birth rates declining, a tight labour market predicted to be the new normal, and the skills required to perform a job forecast to change by up to 50% (Fast Company) by 2027 - it's essential that talent acquisition leaders look at hiring through a new lens.
But at the end of the day, hiring processes should be focused on one key point: are you really hiring the most capable candidates? The ones who will adapt to tomorrow’s challenges.
Download this guide to learn:
The frustrating experiences candidates have during the interview process
How to harness the power of skills and data and hire the right person at the right time
How hiring for potential achieves multiple hiring objectives
How to help candidates see their own potential and consider more roles
How global brands are successfully hiring for potential
Anthony Reynolds, CEO at HireVue, commented: “To weather the talent shortage, businesses need to create the best possible hiring experience for candidates if they’re to eliminate the chance of candidate drop-off. This means listening to candidates about their experiences, and understanding what they want from a potential employer. Technology enables easy communication between candidate and business, and it ultimately ensures any business can hire effectively during a talent shortage.”
In HireVue’s 2022 ‘Global Trends’ survey, the research found that businesses that had filled an open position in less than four weeks, 65% used hiring automation technologies, such as chatbots. These hiring technologies allow for quicker, clearer communication than manual emails, creating a more transparent and smoother hiring process, and improving the chances of a candidate taking on a role.
Further research recently revealed more of the biggest gripes facing jobseekers, with almost half (48%) claiming that no salary or a lack of clarity on job adverts is the biggest bug bear in the recruitment process.
The survey, which was conducted by Adzuna, also found that seven in ten (69%) Brits think that organisations need to be more transparent on their job adverts, with one-third (31%) believing that salary transparency should be the top priority on job postings.
Transparency of salary was deemed to be even more important than the job role itself (18%), the location (11%), or any work benefit schemes (seven per cent) – figures which certainly for make an interesting read for HR professionals.
An industry-wide issue
A lack of salary transparency is an industry-wide problem though some sectors appear to be doing better than others in this area.
Charity and voluntary jobs (88%) are the most transparent, followed by social work (76%) and manufacturing (75%).
Creative and design-related jobs (32%) are the least transparent, while retail jobs (37%), energy jobs (39%) and IT roles (43%) also ranked among the lowest.
Growing appetite for salary transparency
Adzuna’s survey also highlighted a growing appetite for greater salary transparency.
One-third (32%) of survey respondents said they would assume that the company is hiding something by not posting the salary, while one-quarter believe it shows that the company would underpay them (24%).
Others suggested that it made the company look untrustworthy (22%), unprofessional (21%) or shows them to be biased on how they pay their employees (18%).
With this being the case, if companies are not divulging this salary information, it could prevent them from attracting top talent. In fact, data from Hays’ latest Quarterly Insights Survey revealed that more than one-quarter (26%) of employees would not consider applying for a role that didn’t have a salary listed within the job advert.
