When I spent time job hunting (during Covid) it was a bit of nightmare. Yes, the world had turned upside down, and rapid adaptations were taking place. A lot of good changes were prompted by Covid though. Employers have positively embraced flexible/hybrid working into the workplace and I know it’s still being recalibrated but I’m sure everyone would agree it’s a welcome change.
Other aspects haven’t changed much, but I feel recruitment industry reform is needed, in order to be efficient and effective for employers, and equitable and positive for employees. Although there’s no magic wand to create jobs the economy can’t support, job seekers need to sustain their energy and keep their self-esteem intact for when they do eventually secure a role.
When you’ve accepted a job offer, you enter the Promised Land which is full of riches – good on boarding experiences, buddying up, Employee Assistance Programs, training, support groups, welcome gifts etc. etc. Across the border is the pre-offer experience – which is a minefield.
Why recruitment industry reform is overdue: what I experienced
Here are some observations about recruitment practices and candidate experience, including graduate recruitment and how this impacts early-career wellbeing.
1. Extensive use of Job boards
Is it good to receive 100+ applications? Are choice and ease always good things for an employer or applicant? What would it look like to limit applications from each job board (i.e. you can only submit two applications maximum each week on each job board?). I know the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) do the heavy lifting on the employer side, so would that just make it harder for the applicant? Embarking on a job is the start of a relationship though. Shouldn’t the applicant be discerning and consider an organisation fully, cultural fit, shared values etc. If you were on a dating site you wouldn’t swipe right on everyone and hope someone, anyone, contacts you? Job networking is the way to go, but it’s not an option for everyone, and at the start of your career, you may have a very limited network.
2. Lack of response to applications
Applications can take a fair amount of time to compile. Even if an application doesn’t lead to an interview, it should always be good practice to trigger a simple automated email. Corporates always tend to do this when you apply direct, but applications through job boards seem to be routed to somewhere else in the matrix.
3. Response communication message and style
If you do receive a rejection, how does it make you feel? I’d be happy with a simple ‘…thank you for applying, you haven’t been successful on this occasion. We wish you well with your search’ and not ‘… sorry, you don’t have the skills for this role’.
Graduate Mentor, a social enterprise, have a really nice initiative for putting a constructive spin on an unsuccessful application. They have compiled some suggested text to encourage graduate applicants to consider finding a mentor and this text is added to an organisation’s rejection letter. If employers are interested in supporting this initiative, contact Dan Hawes at d.hawes@grb.uk.com to get on board.
4. Ghosting by recruitment agencies
I’m aware this simply happens as a result of the volumes they receive and urgency to fill spaces and earn a commission. I know that no response means ‘not interested’, but do young people know this, or is this the unspoken rule of engagement now? Hmm, another parallel with the dating industry.
5. Questionable practices
I’ve not experienced this myself, but I’ve heard about it and don’t know if there’s any truth here. It’s the idea of ‘Ghost jobs’. Companies putting out jobs that don’t exist. Not the same as prospective positions, which might come to something. A ghost job is advertising with the sole intent of keeping your brand profile high, even though the job doesn’t exist – interesting strategy I know.
I’ve also seen instances of jobs still being advertised even though the recruitment has closed – could this be due to how the job board process works i.e. they only refresh in cycles?
During Covid, I was searching for a job with a bit of flexibility on account of the need to ‘manage’ home schooling. When I received a job offer, I asked what flexibility could be considered and was told none – the conversation wasn’t even entertained, even though flexibility was specified on the job ad. It was take it or leave it. I left it and jumped straight back on the hamster wheel. I did wonder when I should have had that important conversation though. Practices like this make no sense and are a waste of time for all parties.
6. Reasonable expectations
Is it fair to require experience of a new graduate and does working in a coffee shop count? If it doesn’t, why not? I know the answer, if you get 200 applications you have to filter. How do you know they’re not a superstar in the making? How will you ever recruit on future potential if you only look at what they’ve done in the past?
7. The extensive selection criteria for even the most junior role
For instance, three interviews, a presentation and assessment centre. Are these all necessary? Is the selection criteria adapted for each job? Again, it might need to be rigorous, because the candidate might eventually end up being the CEO one day, but it’s a big barrier at the beginning of a career.
8. Recruitment tools used intentionally
Video recordings are great for salespeople and extrovert performers. But they don’t enable everyone to shine.
A recent graduate I spoke to was half way through his screening video when the Wi-Fi faltered and he couldn’t re-record. Why not? Unless you’re recruiting for Tess Daly’s replacement, why does someone need to be a faultless presenter on the first go if they are applying to be a Finance Analyst for example?
I know these kind of skills are beneficial for everyone but it’s not as if we get an automatic download of soft skills when we turn 21. They are developed and enhanced as you go and a good place to learn them is the actual workplace.
9. It’s good to see lots more employers are making provisions for those with disabilities and additional needs
A lot of forward thinking employers are also offering assistance at application stage, not just when you make it through to interview. Someone with social anxiety should be able to bypass the screening video presentation for example!
10. How do we support younger people and new graduates?
It’s well known there is a falling number of graduate jobs, anxiety over student loans, and concern about the role of AI. According to NICE, In 2023/2024, 5.6% of UK students disclosed a mental health condition to their higher education institutions and that’s a seven fold increase from 2010. However, this is lower than figures obtained from anonymous surveys (the key word is ‘disclosed’).
Employers want to secure new graduates when they are excited, optimistic and full of enthusiasm, not when they are dejected and limping after they’ve made it through the recruitment Hunger Games. Being unemployed as a young adult, even on a short-term basis, can significantly hinder the likelihood of individuals being able to achieve a leadership position later in their careers, according to research from Durham University Business School. The researcher’s referred to this as “early-career unemployment scarring”.
11. The use of ATS systems to filter CVs and more recently the use of AI to compose CVs
This is helpful I know, but it feels like applicants are being commoditised and it must make it difficult for a recruiter when everyone’s CV starts to look the same. Sure, job hunting builds resilience and I know personalisation is key. This feels more like gamification though. After the need to bend, shape, shift, mask, and contort to fit into the ideal applicant template, you might just get that job offer.
Congratulations, you are now invited to please bring your authentic self to work. If your authentic self fled your body when the starting pistol sounded, you’ll need to raise the white flag and gently coax it back to safety. And by the time a perfect job match is found, the new joiner may well be mentally exhausted. Let’s hope they don’t change their mind about a particular job. Instead of leaving, they may just stay put, which then adds to the presenteeism problem some organisations are experiencing.
What now
I haven’t mentioned anything here that will surprise anyone, but I wonder if this is a symptom of how everything’s speeding up. If we’re all just too busy to question it, we therefore accept this as the norm? It would be interesting to see research on the effects of the job hunting experience.
Insight doesn’t guarantee change, but it’s a start. According to LinkedIn, the top human skills that are now needed are:
- 1. Communication
- 2. Critical thinking
- 3. Creativity and innovation
- 4. Emotional intelligence
- 5. Adaptability
- 6. Decision-making
Does the existing model accommodate finding those skills before candidates are filtered out, or are we relying on simple self-identification on your CV?
Final thought – If Amazon or Apple were to devise a job search model from scratch, what would it look like?
