CANDIDATE PERCEPTIONS
A Report by Intelligent People
August 2020
Perceptions of the job market
We asked 50 candidates about their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions on the current market, and the changes COVID-19 has brought with it.
What follows is 6 questions and the average answer, taken from the 50 respondents. We have drawn some simple insights on what this might mean for you and your hiring strategy in an ever-changing market.
What does this tell us?
Candidates are feeling semi optimistic amongst turbulent times and it is not as bleak as some would say. This is encouraging and shows that market confidence is returning. The average figure is also somewhat misleading as candidates tended to feel either very optimistic or very pessimistic, depending on their own success level; this tells us that the most sought after candidates are still able to attract multiple opportunities.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 Poor > 10 Excellent) : for all roles you have interviewed for, how would you rate your ‘candidate experience’ over the last 3 months?
What does this tell us?
Clearly a number of companies aren’t communicating with candidates as effectively as they should, which will impact their general Brand perception and lead to candidates withdrawing from interviews and rejecting offers. Good practice should always include setting out a clear process at the start, providing candidates interview feedback within a timely period (48 hours is good) and having a clear and transparent interview roadmap in place. We also advise building in time to allow candidates to ask questions and do their due diligence; it’s a great opportunity for you to showcase your role and could be the deciding factor at offer stage.
How easy has it been to adapt to fullyremote interviewing?
(1 Difficult > 10 Easy)
What does this tell us?
Need is the mother of invention and candidates are embracing it. Though there is no choice in the matter, it is clear remote video or telephone interviewing is valuable, pretty frictionless and candidates have no issues with it. Could we see 70-80% of processes remain remote to maintain pace, with one final face to face meeting at the end perhaps? And what does this mean for the future of remote working?
How many active processes are you involved with right now?
What does this tell us?
This tells us that there are still roles out there and that we can safely assume almost every candidate you’re speaking with is going to be interviewing at almost 2 other companies. The knock on effect is that every interaction counts and that the candidate experience is highly relevant. Think about what you need to do to set yourselves apart (and no, we’re talking about how much funding you have…think about your process, show empathy, manage expectations and let them interview you).
How many roles have you rejected in the last 3 months?
What does this tell us?
Despite high unemployment rates and furlough numbers, candidates are not taking any old job. You can bet they will be picky, and it is up to you to really understand what they’re looking for and potentially mould parts of a role around that person. Now is the time to listen more than ever. The good candidates are still hard to find and the best have multiple opportunities on the go.
How comfortable are you accepting an offer for a new role without meeting any of your new colleagues face to face?
(1 Not Confident > 10 Very Confident)
What does this tell us?
Candidates are comfortable committing to a new role without any face to face meetings. We see this as a huge step in the right direction and brings a lot of potential to the way people hire, and where they hire from. Will this encourage you to think more about hiring the absolute best person, as opposed to the best/most convenient?
