What do job seekers want? What matters enough to candidates that they accept your job over one from a competitor? The 2021 Exelare Jobvite survey sheds some light on what matters to candidates. This blog will help you understand what will give you a competitive edge.
What Matters to Job Candidates?
Each year, Jobvite surveys the American workforce to find out what matters to them. It’s a helpful tool for hiring teams to discern what factors influence a candidate’s decision-making process. This year’s survey showed some of the top influences on the decision to accept a job. The survey found:
- 38% listed compensation as the number one factor.
- The location of the company, including convenience for the commute and accessibility was most important to 34% of the survey participants.
- 29% reported company culture and values were the most important factor in their decision-making process.
- 26% said job security was number one.
- An increasing number shared it was some of the intangibles that make the job more “livable” that influenced their decision. For example, 24% said it was the work-life balance, 23% said COVID-19 safety measures, and 21% said the quality of the work itself.
- Another 22% cited benefits as the number one factor influencing their job hunt decision.
Some of the least important factors included:
- 4% belief in the company mission.
- 4% opportunities to perform community service.
- 2% strong parental leave policies.
- 2% continued education opportunities.
Organizations seeking to improve their candidate acceptance rate should focus on communicating the information that matters to candidates as quickly and efficiently as possible. This includes sharing job details such as what the candidate will do, who they report to, and what the salary range is. Every job posting should also be written from the candidate’s perspective of how they fit in the organization. Job titles should be clear but also easily searchable on job boards by using keywords. Company culture should also be addressed along with the company mission.
Hiring teams should do their best to transparently communicate all of these relevant details to candidates. However, social media posts and other types of call outs should focus on the areas that the survey showed were the most important to candidates. For example, given that parental leave policies is listed as least important to candidates, it might make more sense to talk about other types of benefits, such as vacation, remote work, or flex time.
Recruiters should have this information at their fingertips and actively “sell” candidates on why they might be a good fit for their team. Companies can use social media to engage with potential candidates and cultivate long-term relationships with passive recruits. Making use of video to improve the candidate experience while also communicating quickly with good follow-up are two areas that companies can work to improve.
Recruiting Teams make more placements with Exelare!
Exelare is a state-of-the-art applicant tracking system designed to give candidates the information they want when they want it the most. We use our software to give companies a competitive edge when sourcing candidates. Talk with us today about how our tools can help you give candidates exactly what they want.
