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A quarter of workers receive no response to job applications

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31% of candidates have a negative application experience

Despite the war of talent challenging the recruitment market, new research commissioned by Reed.co.uk, has found that almost a quarter (24%) of workers that have applied for jobs since the start of the pandemic have had no response to their applications.

Long wait times were reported by those who did receive a response and transitioned through the hiring process, with 17% of workers made to wait more than two weeks between interviews.

Poor candidate experiences raise concerns for businesses

There were over 300,000 jobs live on Reed.co.uk at the end of September. This is a 158% year-on-year increase. In stark contrast to the hiring freezes at the start of the pandemic, the shift from a buyers’ to a sellers’ market has led more than one in ten (13%) workers to report receiving contact from companies they had previously applied to.

Reed.co.uk looks at how a poor candidate experience affects businesses:

  • 31% of workers are unlikely to apply to a company again after a negative application experience
  • 30% of workers are unlikely to recommend a company to a friend after a negative application experience
  • 23% of workers make perceptions of the company based on their experience with the recruiter

Reed.co.uk’s research also suggests ways to improve:

  • Streamlined hiring processes
    • 29% of workers are put off by the length of an application and interview process
    • 31% of workers are put off by the complexity of an application and interview process
  • Salary transparency
    • 50% of workers believe it’s important that employers list the salary in the job description.
  • Company culture transparency
    • 31% of workers believe it’s important for recruiters to give an impression of the company culture
    • 27% of workers believe it’s important for recruiters to provide information on development pathways in the company

Simon Wingate, Managing Director of Reed.co.uk, commented on the research: “The labour market has drastically changed since the start of the pandemic, with the shift in power transferring from employers to workers due to the sheer volume of job opportunities available. It’s therefore a concern that candidates are reporting negative experiences during the hiring process, especially for those businesses for which candidates are also potential customers.

“In the fast-moving world we live in, we’ve all become accustomed to high quality consumer experiences, instant access to goods and services, alongside seamless communication channels – and candidates’ expectations during their job search are no different. Therefore, businesses should prioritise delivering quality, timely feedback during all stages of the hiring process.”

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