Employers now expected to 'surprise and delight candidates throughout job search journey'

According to LinkedIn research, job interviews are becoming increasingly important to candidates in terms of forming an opinion on potential employers.

The growth of new sectors such as digital, big data, user experience design, social and mobile are driving the demand for strong job opportunities – but as any HR professionals who have tried to hire tech staff lately would know, not all of this talent is actively looking.

LinkedIn’s annual Talent Trends research revealed that 69% of Australian professionals are currently passive but are interested in hearing from a recruiter even if they are satisfied with their current roles.

Monetary gain less important

Although financial compensation is still very important and cited by 41% of survey respondents as the number one factor when considering a new role, other elements of a new job prospect are increasingly becoming key considerations.

A better work-life balance is now considered the second most important element for candidates at 36% and a good company culture is third at 29%.

“In order to attract and retain the best talent, recruiters need to think like marketers, aligning their company brand to their talent brand and ensuring the sense of company culture is evident when pursuing new talent,” said Jason Laufer, LinkedIn’s director of talent solutions for Australia and New Zealand.

Interviewee is becoming the interviewer

Researchers also found that candidates are using the interview process to size up their potential employers as much as companies are using interviews to vet potential employees.

“Interviewees expressed that they predominantly wanted to meet their prospective manager during interviewing, with over two-thirds of professionals wanting to meet their future manager during an interview and 57% saying a post-interview follow-up made for a great interview experience,” Laufer said.

The report revealed that the interview is also viewed as an opportunity to assess the new role, culture, and management team, with 76% of candidates reporting that the interview experience was a major factor in deciding whether to join a company.

Post-interview impressions are equally as important to get right; 52% of survey respondents used the time to get business questions answered and 46% used it to make a decision about the company’s culture.

“I see this as an opportunity for companies to provide more information prior to the interview process via their social channels so candidates can come in with a better idea of the company culture rather than having to form an opinion during the interview,” Laufer told HRD magazine.

“Organisations need to adopt a candidate-first philosophy,” he advised.

“A strong first impression followed by subtle levels of attentiveness will make a difference.

“The organisations that win top talent today are the ones that know how to surprise and delight their candidates throughout their job search journey.”

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