According to stateofworkingamerica.org, the number of job openings now exceeds the number of unemployed workers. With demand for jobs outpacing the supply of those actively looking, competition for talent is fierce. Don’t believe us? Check out this Washington Post article on LinkedIn’s talent trends survey.
Our client iCIMS,Inc., a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) talent acquisition solutions, helps companies stay competitive in this market. We worked with them on a new report to determine the latest trends in the talent acquisition industry.
Our study found that job seekers are spending a lot of time researching companies. 83% spent more than an hour researching a company before applying. Almost a quarter said they spend more than 5 hours doing their homework. This makes sense, especially in today’s information economy where people research more than ever before deciding on what to buy, where to live, and who to work for.
Our findings also showed that this research matters – 60% said what they found out about a company online would influence their decision to work there.
So what do job seekers want to find when they are researching you? Our study tested for that as well. Here are the most reported categories that job seekers expected to find from potential employers.
- Competencies: 46% of potential employees want to know qualities the company is looking for in the candidate and the key qualifications for a position.
- Advancement: 45% of job seekers we polled were interested in learning about what programs the company offers employees to promote career advancement.
- Work-life Balance: 44% looked for information on how the company encourages work-life integration.
- Department Overviews: 42% of people want to know how a company is structured and what each department is focused on.
- Executive Team: 41% looked for information on the company’s leadership team.
- Culture Videos: 39% of respondents were looking for photos and videos of your offices, employee dynamic, and work spaces.
Wondering how these insights might apply to your business? Contact us at info@hanoverresearch.com to learn more.
