Where do candidates look for their jobs? What do they expect from businesses today? How do organizations position themselves in relation to young graduates? Focus on company practices and candidate expectations in terms of recruitment, in 2022.
Faced with a world of work and candidate concerns that are evolving more and more rapidly, HelloWork has published a white paper on the expectations of future recruits in terms of recruitment as well as company practices in 2022.
With a job market that has become tense for companies, they are now faced with a major challenge: attracting talent who may have many tempting offers in their hands. To better understand the new dynamics taking place between organizations and candidates, HelloWork surveyed more than 1,700 job seekers and 355 recruiters.
Recruitment: A rather classic path to employment for candidates
Even today, and despite the attempts of many companies to recruit on TikTok and Snapchatthe job offer remains the primary recruitment vector for both candidates (91%) and recruiters (96%). Many of them also trust already well-established public services such as Apec or Pôle Emploi. 87% of recruiters use these platforms when 60% of the candidates surveyed scan the advertisements posted on these sites.
It should be noted, however, that the implementation of digital tools to recruit tomorrow’s talents has only a very weak impact. Although 26% of companies use this system, only 6% of candidates like to use this method to find their job. Dedicated trade fairs also seem to be neglected by young graduates. They are favored by 43% of companies, but only 16% of candidates.
The HelloWork survey highlights the need for organizations to update their website. In fact, 90% of applicants consult the corporate site to obtain information before an interview. 50% of them also consult the offers available on these pages. It is also important to take care of your online image: 57% of candidates read articles about the companies they want to join, 51% scan social networks. Finally, 46% of them go to specialized sites to read the opinions of employees or ex-employees.
The determining criteria for candidates in terms of recruitment
If the latest insertion survey from the Conference of Grandes Écoles indicates that the salary only arrives in 5e position of the concerns of young graduates, the HelloWork study specifies that this criterion is important for 87% of candidates. Only 30% of companies mention this data in advertisements. However, we know that specifying the salary is not necessarily a good idea.
Company culture is obviously very important for those applying for a job offer. 83% are attentive to this criterion. HelloWork’s survey highlights the fact that candidates are focusing their attention on subjects that are rarely mentioned in advertisements.
In fact, 66% want information on the recruitment process when only 20% of companies mention it. 55% of candidates also want to know more about an organization’s CSR policy, while only 9% of recruiters specify this data. The same goes for the teleworking policy, a determining criterion for 55% of applicants and for 31% of companies.
This information is all the more important as the various surveys, whether those of the CGE or HelloWork, demonstrate that candidates attach more and more importance to the quality of life at work, but also to the values of ‘a business. Applicants find out about these subjects in particular via company photos. 93% of them consult them. For 55% of them, they exert an influence on the decision to apply, but only 16% of recruiters publish them.
Recruitment process: Company practices
How do companies manage applications received during recruitment? HelloWork indicates that 66% of recruiters send a message upon receipt of the application, an important gesture for 66% of candidates. However, only 67% tell the candidate when their application has not been accepted.
On average, 56% of recruiters take one week to process an application and 28% take care of it within two weeks. 1% of them even last more than six weeks! However, young graduates indicate that, in their opinion, the reasonable processing time ranges from one to two weeks. They then expect to receive a message explaining the interview steps, an action “ very important » for 88% of them and essential to prepare as well as possible. However, almost 55% of recruiters never think about warning candidates.
What does the ideal interview look like for recent graduates? A large majority of them appreciate the discussions which last 45 minutes, compared to 1 hour for recruiters. On the other hand, the two parties agree on the perfect number of rounds in terms of recruitment and favor only two interviews. For 79% of candidates, the maximum acceptable process duration is one month, the same for recruiters (71%).
Recruitment: What lessons can be learned from the HelloWork survey?
The study carried out by HelloWork highlights several important elements, notably the balance of power between candidates and recruiters. Indeed, each of them thinks that the other has the power. Today, however, the market is more favorable to young graduates, especially if they have a bac+5.
For their part, the candidates still continue to write cover letterseven if these are consulted less and less by recruiters. Many of them also prefer advertisements that promote those who apply.
It is also important to remember that career and company sites remain decisive and that it is important to take good care of them, by providing details on the working atmosphere, the CSR or teleworking policy, but also photos. Finally, recruiters, don’t forget to communicate well with candidates, whether for a refusal or to provide details on the procedure to follow and the different stages of recruitment.
