What matters to job seeker during the application and interview process? According to the survey, 55.80% of U.S job seekers stated that it’s important to include salary range, benefits, and company perks in job descriptions. What are the other priorities of job seekers? Keep on reading to find it out.
Job seekers market 2021: How it’s different
After a year of crisis, uncertainty, and searching for stability, people have a clear idea of what they're looking for in a job and won't take risks. If employers do not analyze the job seekers market and don’t know what matters during the job-seekers interviews, they will be unable to source qualified talent and grow their company. So here is what modern employees are looking for.
Work/life balance and remote work
According to the Randstad job seeker nation report, work-life balance was the top driver when seeking a new employer for 65% and has even outperformed salary.
In some respects, the profound changes in many people’s jobs have clearly brought the benefits of flexible working to the surface. Our data suggests there are two groups of workers who want to see a more balanced lifestyle here. For many, remote working has increased the number of hours they are connected to their employers, reflecting the need for a better lifestyle balance. At the same time, some have benefitted from working at home by being able to carry out tasks or juggle personal responsibilities around a more flexible work schedule
Victoria Short, CEO atRandstad UK
What to take to a job seekers interview? Companies need to understand what the candidate wants during the job seeker’s interview and know how to show the value proposition that is not only about showing salary and job requirements. So how to show that your company is offering work/life balance conditions? First of all, it’s to indicate that they have a flexible schedule and no requirement to work for a specific number of hours. Nowadays, after job seekers remote work, candidates look for companies that appreciate the end result, not the number of tracked working hours.
Shared values
Shared values are another important aspect job seekers are looking for in a job offer. Having shared values at work is what drives employees to achieve more and feel motivated to become better. Having shared values at work means employees share common work attitudes and principles with their colleagues, which results in effective teamwork.
Business leaders need to think about how to make shared values a part of their hiring process. Whenever there is a job opening, all things being equal, companies have to try to hire a person who’s committed to the values they share.
Career growth
During the interview, candidates often ask questions about their possible future position. They need more information about development paths that will be available to them, including higher-ranking jobs or professional training. That’s why companies need to create a career growth plan for each employee according to their qualification and career goals.
Responding and adapting to the current job seeker market
In order to always stay on top of changes on the market, job seekers need to adapt in the following ways:
- Keep an eye on trends
To never miss a thing, you should always monitor job market news and business trends, subscribe to the newsletters of the companies you like, and pay attention to what requirements companies are posting on job boards.
- Adjust your job search
The job market is changing so should your job search and resume. Try to apply to the positions you’ve never applied to before on a job seekers website, try new possibilities, and find new ways to develop your creative skills. If you have a job seekers allowance 2021 in your country, you can also seek to claim it.
- Communicate your goals and intentions
Companies are looking for highly skilled consultants or freelance professionals who offer specialized abilities and expertise. Talk to people in the industry you’re targeting to understand the trends and identify which skills will be most important to potential employers. Also, don’t miss the chance to network, attend virtual conferences, join networking organizations, and be part of discussions that interest you.
Job seeker today: Their main requirements and habits
According to Glassdoor data, the following factors are most likely to get applicants to complete their application process:
- Convenient, easy commute (48%)
- Good work-life balance (47%)
- Company culture (35%)
- Healthy company financial performance (25%)
- Familiarity with the brand (24%)
When it comes to frustrations, job seekers’ biggest frustrations include companies canceling or postponing interviews, not having enough information about job responsibilities, and recruiters not responding promptly.
Because of the pandemic, people started to rethink what matters most to them: from salary size and their overall career path to questions of where and how they work.
For now, there’s no doubt that most people are keeping their options open. Our data show that even those who aren’t looking actively for new roles would be open to the right opportunity.
While compensation, benefits, and career growth matter, flexibility and virtual work options are top of mind for many job seekers, particularly women. Over half of all job seekers would likely move if they secured a remote role, and Gen Z workers are especially drawn to job seekers’ benefit — mobility.
A willingness to offer flexibility or remote work arrangements can provide a significant edge in talent attraction for employers. The future of work arrived faster than we expected — and today’s job seekers are excited for what comes next.
What is important in 2021 for job seeker
The pandemic has changed how people want to work and what they expect from their employer, as exemplified by the recent boost in wages and benefits offered by large fast-food chains
Mathieu Stevenson, CEO of Snagajob, a Richmond-based platform for finding and hiring for hourly work
Candidates in 2021 don’t care too much about meeting hiring managers, HR representatives and senior management during the recruiting process than they were in 2019. Also, due to the pandemic, 65% of candidates now expect a video interview, up from 43% in 2019. Interestingly, in 2019 candidates said that a recruiter’s knowledge about the job role was third on their list of factors that kept them engaged.
More than half (57%) of candidates said they would consider another job offer if the employer did not contact them between the time of offer and their first day on the job, an increase of 13 percentage points over 2019. More than two-thirds (67%) of candidates expect the total time from applying for a job to receiving a job offer to be two weeks or less.
If your company wants to optimize the recruiting experience, try to educate each talent acquisition team member about the importance of praising and recognizing positive behaviors among all candidates. Also, one way to reduce your time-to-hire is to level up your recruitment team’s capabilities by using an AI-driven recruiting assistant, such as Employa.
Employa can expand the capabilities of your existing ATS with its MatchMaster and MatchMiner tools or be used as full service recruiting agency that combines human recruitment talent and AI-powered insight.