Job Candidates' Growing Expectations

 

What are you doing to recruit new workers? Is it what you did five or ten years ago? Have you made only incremental improvements? Do you use the same outlets to promote your open positions? Do your recruiters do the same thing they have done for years to promote your open positions?

If you - or your recruiters - are in fact doing essentially the same thing that was done years ago, think about something. When technology is involved, are you doing anything else the same way that you were doing it years ago? A new report out from Ultimate Software should be a kick in the seat of your pants. Candidates and employees have remarkable new expectations of employers and recruiting.

Regarding recruiting:

• A large proportion of applicants are not willing to spend more than one minute reviewing a job description.

• 43% of Millennials think they should be able to apply for a job on a tablet. A slightly smaller percentage expects to be able to apply on a smartphone.

Once you hire the best candidate, are you able to build a relationship over time with that new employee and be safe from turnover? According to the report:

• It takes about a week for a third of workers to know whether they would stay at the company long term. Basically the rest said that they had decided within one month.
  (Would you expect a project worker to be engaged, that is to go "above and beyond" in their job to be successful, if they were soon looking for their next employer?)

• Just under 3/4 of hired employees independent of generation want to know why they were selected over other candidates.
  (Not a bad idea. This information would allow them to know what is valued in the job so that can focus on the correct behaviors.)

• 42% of Millennials want weekly feedback on their performance.

• 45% of Millennials said they would quit their job if they did not see a career path that they wanted at the company.

Don't lose ground to competitors for talent. Make sure the recruiting process you use to find, hire and onboard your new workers is adapting to the expectations of the candidates. Some of these expectations are associated with Millennials now, but it won't be long until candidates from all generations have similar expectations. For example:

• Summarize the key points of your position opening in the first few sentences. Be marketing-savvy and make sure you hook the best candidates right off.

• Include in position descriptions statements that feedback on performance is provided often. It is a good hook for Millennial candidates, but you better make sure it happens.

• While you are improving position descriptions, add information that the position is part of one or more career paths in the organization, if this is true. This will be another good hook.

• Longer-term, if you do not have either of the above 2, then you should help make sure it is created or arrange feedback specific for your project.