Job seekers are constantly looking out for the best available jobs through multiple online job portals such as LinkedIn, JobStreet and so forth. Covid-19 has created a major impact on the lives of individuals, communities, and corporations. As a result, employees have begun to telecommute from their homes and embrace a digitally-powered working style as a result of travel limitations around the world. Eventually, this has led to employers hiring people remotely and employees communicating online. Without the advancement and convenience of the use of technology today, people would not be able to communicate or find jobs from online platforms as compared to 30 years ago. This makes the recruitment process easier and convenient for both employers and candidates who are actively seeking job placement.
So how can employers further improve themselves and take job seekers factors into consideration during the recruitment process? Let’s talk about how we can help you improve your recruitment and secure the best candidate for the position.
The Hiring Process
Hiring during this time may appear to be quite different from the norm. Due to mobility limits, recruiters must increasingly explore hiring methods that are fully based online. Additionally, businesses will want experienced employees who are best-suited to steer them through times of crisis and give strategic support. Businesses and industries with a higher need for IT, digital, and online skills will be more likely to employ appropriately. Since Malaysia’s Budget 2022 was announced, the Malaysian government is encouraging employers to provide employment opportunities based under the Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia (Jamin Kerja) initiative.
Uncertainties between job seekers and employers
Uncertainties often arise when both employers and job seekers are actively recruiting and seeking job opportunities. Such uncertainties may include whether the candidate is suitable for the job position of the company, whether the company that they could potentially work for will benefit their work growth and the list goes on. These thoughts may influence the candidate’s decision making in whether they would want to proceed with the job offer based on the package that the company has to offer for them. Furthermore, many job seekers would want to be able to work flexibly and have a work-life balance in their next job role. Even though employers are able to offer them the best packages but the job scope is not as appealing to candidates, job seekers will mostly lookout for other positions from other companies with more flexibility.
According to JobStreet Malaysia, with this information at your fingertips, you can make smarter recruiting decisions, such as designing successful job advertisements, asking candidates relevant questions during the interview process, and putting together the right remuneration and engagement package. For instance, the majority of job seekers often search for their next role by going to job portals such as LinkedIn and JobStreet Malaysia to see which company is actively recruiting. Employers must understand that candidates are more likely to be interested to know what the company does, what are the job requirements for the opening position and what the company has to offer for them.
A recent survey on job-seeking was conducted to see what were the important factors for job seekers when searching for their next role. A total of 50 respondents were 64% Malaysians while 36% were non-Malaysians. As for their ages, 58% were between 18-24, 30% were between 25-33, 8% were between 34-41 and 4% were between 42-59 years old. About 66% of the respondents' forte was on non-technical skills (Marketing, Public Relations, Human Resources, Finance, etc) while 34% of the respondents' forte was on technical skills (Information Technology, Engineering, etc). Out of the 50 respondents, more than 66% of them were employed whereas 10% have been unemployed between 1 to 3 months, 6% have been unemployed between 4 to 6 months, 2% have been unemployed for 7-9 months, 8% have been unemployed for more than a year and 8% are currently university students.
As shown in the data, when asked how satisfied they were in their current or previous job placement, 42% were somewhat satisfied, 26% were satisfied, 16% were not satisfied, 12% were very satisfied and 4% were very unsatisfied.
The following steps are derived from an article by FlexJobs and data collected from the respondents where employers should take these factors into consideration for job seekers
for recruitment:
The Company’s Stability
According to the survey, 24% of the respondents considered the company’s stability as the most important factor for them when seeking job opportunities. There is no doubt that one of the most important aspects for job seekers while searching for a job is to know how stable the company that they are working for is. Moreover, they would want to know how long the company will last in the job market and whether there is room for growth in the long run.
Other than that, many employees would rather work in a more established or financially secured company rather than a company who underdelivers their promises. If a candidate wants to commit to working for an employer, they would rather want to know how long the business will be able to sustain for.
The Salaries, Benefits, and Flexibility the company offers
About 34% of the respondents consider the compensation that the company has to offer as their most important factor. It is said that one of the most important factors for job seekers, when they are actively searching for their next role, is the compensation benefits. Salary, employment benefits, remote working are some of the factors that employees are most likely to consider when seeking a job. The more flexibility that the company has to offer for their candidates, the more likely the candidates would accept the job offer. Furthermore, candidates seek a range of financial add-ons, such as incentives and health benefits such as insurance, in addition to a reasonable basic monthly pay.
Other than that, flexibility is one of the key factors especially for young talents to consider as they are expecting their future employers to provide flex options to them if they are going to bring in talents into your organisation. For instance, employees would perform better if they are granted performance-based incentives or double pay during public holidays in return for their hard work. This will make them feel appreciated and increase work productivity to desire to receive more rewards.
Opportunities for Growth and Development
38% of respondents consider opportunities for growth and development as the most important factor when they are seeking a job. There is no doubt that employees would want a promotion rather than being stuck forever with their role which they applied for in the company. Many job seekers would do their research online on your organisation to see whether there will be potential growth within the company. By searching information about the organisation’s career development plan, it will influence the candidate's decision on whether they would be keen to be part of the company or not.
Employers should emphasize potential growth throughout the entire process to candidates by putting up online along with the job scope that they are offering to. This is to ensure that what package they are offering will reflect on the work that their future employees will be able to get in the future.
Values & Culture of the company
About 4% of respondents consider the company’s values and culture as the most important factor for them. Different companies have different core values and work cultures within the company. Potential candidates would want to know whether they will be a good fit in the future company that they will work for. It is important for employers to tell candidates how the work environment and culture is like in the company by further elaborating during the first few rounds of the interview. Moreover, employers should take note that candidates will listen to the interview when they are talking about the company’s work culture and how their job is going to be like on a day to day basis.
Aside from that, employers should take note that potential candidates would want to know who their leaders are and how their work ethics are. This will give an insight on how their future leader manages their employees and on how their business runs. After looking through the company’s profile on LinkedIn, some job hunters will scan through the list of employees who are working in the company. A quick scan at a few profiles can provide them insight into the types of individuals their employer hires, and it may also enable them to network with current or past employees in order to establish a healthy relationship with one another.
Company reviews and employer’s reputation
According to Jillian Einck, director of employer brand at Recruitics, ‘Your employer brand is never what you say it is. It’s what your employees and candidates say it is’. It can be seen that there are considerably a decent amount of websites that give candidates the freedom to submit their experiences in their current or previous companies. Potential applicants will look at how their future company responds to reviews in addition to reading them. Furthermore, some applicants may change their decision to proceed with the company if they see respondents who leave negative reviews about the company. There would also be a positive perception if the employers respond to the negative review online. It would be better for employers to be transparent with potential applicants from the beginning.
Aside from that, the most common factor that job seekers would want to know is their company’s reputation if they were considering a new job opportunity. It is vital for them to know who they are working for and whether their leader is capable of leading the team. Employers should make sure that their business is on the right track to uphold the company’s reputation and prioritise anything bad that happens to the company.
All in all, the data that we have collected gave us a better insight into job seekers perspectives when considering a job opportunity. Although there may be many job opportunities found in job portals, it is crucial for employers to know what factors to consider for their potential candidates. In addition, employers have to consider factors such as the company’s stability, the compensation (salaries, benefits, etc), opportunities for growth and development, value and culture of their company and company’s reviews and employers reputation in order to source the most suitable candidate for the position that they are offering.
What can you do to further improve your recruitment process?
For a startup company, employers should emphasize their company’s culture - growth centric and have the mindset of attracting candidates with similar interests and priorities of the company. It will be better to be able to employ candidates who would potentially work well together with your company. Did you know that Nairenon provides clients for Human Resource consultancy to help better improve your recruitment process? With our comprehensive HR experts, we aim to help you in talent acquisition, retention and also adherence to the Employment Act. Feel free to drop us an inquiry for your business by contacting us.