Employers are losing potential talent and damaging their brand reputation as an employer of choice by putting candidates through unnecessary assessments and ‘wasting their time’, according to global talent acquisition and management firm Alexander Mann Solutions.

In insight revealed at its recent Catalyst event – which featured HR and talent experts from the likes of Credit Suisse, Santander and SAP – Alexander Mann Solutions highlighted that organisations are focusing too much attention on finding as many applicants as possible, to the detriment of the candidate experience.

In light of the firm’s recent 2016 Global Recruiting Survey revealed that a staggering three quarters of those considered for a job do not even meet basic role requirements. This outlines that lengthy assessment and interview process is being required of individuals that could have been ruled out of the process earlier on.

Alexander Mann Solutions has urged employers to assess individuals more efficiently and at an earlier stage so as not to waste candidates’ time and therefore improve the applicant experience.

Jeremy Tipper, Consulting and Innovation Director at Alexander Mann Solutions comments: “It’s all too common to see large numbers of candidates subjected to lengthy assessment processes only to discover that they are not right for the role as they don’t fit with the culture or are lacking certain technical skills. Given advancements in technology it is entirely possible to quickly measure these attributes very early on in the hiring process, but it appears that very few are doing this.”

“The result is an unsatisfactory candidate experience that will put individuals off engaging with a brand both as a potential employee and as a customer in the future.”

“Added to this, the financial investment in putting such large amount of applicants through the assessment process is simply not viable. Instead, organisations need to think smarter about their approach and ensure they are implementing a quick assessment process that leaves all users with a satisfactory – or preferably exceptional experience.”

Looking ahead, there are certain trends that will continue to remain dominant, such as the rising use of social media and the importance of sourcing passive candidates. We expect the use of instant messaging in the recruiting process to become even more prominent, alongside the emerging popularity of media such as YouTube and Snapchat.

See: Where to Focus Your Employer Branding Efforts in 2016?

A Day in the Life of a Recruiter

As part of this year’s survey we wanted to get a picture of the average working day/week of a recruiter and understand their working environments. The key highlights found are:

• 56% of recruiters work an average working week of 36 – 45 hours
• 73% are provided with flexible working options by their employer such as work from home
• 43% of recruiters in US and Canada work more than 45 hours a week compared to 38% in EMEA and 11% in APAC
• 54% of respondents work on less than 10 requisitions at any one time

Those in EMEA (70%) and APAC (68%) are more likely to receive performance related pay than those in the US & Canada. Simply using online sourcing tools is never enough. It’s how effectively you use the tools that matters most. The average sourcing workflow shows us that there is significant room for improvement.

The result findings from the survey reveal that only 28% of the candidates initially identified in a search are contacted at all. Nearly three quarters of the average search result are irrelevant or inappropriate for the position.

Out of the 28% of candidates that are contacted, 72% will never respond. From this ever-narrowing funnel of candidates, only 27% will actually go through to a shortlist. The bottom line is recruiters are wasting a lot of time in their hiring efforts.

Messaging apps in recruitment

Instant messaging apps have exploded as a means of personal communication with over 1.6 billion users worldwide as of 2016. Their convenience has made them part of everyday life and recruiters agree. Nearly two-thirds of our respondents (65%) use messaging tools in the recruitment process.

There has been a massive shift in the percentage of recruiters who use messaging tools within their recruitment process, with a 40% decrease year on year in those that say they don’t use any messaging tools. More than half (55%) of recruiters use Skype as part of their recruitment process, while 25% use WhatsApp to contact and engage with candidates.

Also read: Recruiting Strategies That Most People Do Not know

Image credit: careersupport365.com