What do workers want when applying for jobs?

Attracting and retaining top talent remains a priority for organisations wanting to stay competitive in a skills-short market. If you want to assess your current employee experience and identify where there’s room for improvement, reviewing your job application process is a great place to start.

The application process is the first interaction a jobseeker has with your organisation, so it’s important to get it right. Applicants aren’t the only ones being judged during interviews – jobseekers are increasingly using the interview process as a way to size up potential employers and evaluate their employee value proposition (EVP). This can include company culture, career development opportunities, ways of working and commitment to wider issues like sustainability, and diversity, equity and inclusions (DE&I).

Our What Workers Want report shows that more than half (51%) of professionals have had a negative interview experience when applying for a job. Many jobseekers have been subject to poor communication, unprepared interviewers, and a general lack of clarity and structure. Older workers are more likely to have a poor interview experience than those under 50 years-old – 56% have experienced this, compared to just 28% of those aged between 18 and 24.

So, what do jobseekers want and expect from the application process? In this article, we’ll share the latest findings from our research and share actionable tips to implement in your own organisation.

Professionals want to see salaries on job adverts

Saying you offer a ‘competitive salary’ on a job advert won’t cut it anymore – professionals want to know how much money they could earn before they invest time in engaging with your application process.

85% of professionals will only consider applying to organisations that include the salary on the job advert, according to our What Workers Want report, so if you aren’t already sharing this information with jobseekers then you could be missing out on the best talent. Workers aged between 30 and 40 years-old place greater importance than other age groups on finding a job with a higher salary than their current role, meaning they’ll likely pay close attention to information about remuneration on job adverts.

If you want to make sure you’re offering a competitive salary for your advertised jobs, take a look at our Salary & Recruiting Trends guide for up-to-date information on average salaries across the UK.

Applicants want to gain a true reflection of what it’s like to work at a company

Gone are the days when it was enough to simply list the responsibilities and salary on the job advert and expect to attract the right applicants. Jobseekers want to gain an insight into what it’s like to work at your organisation during the application process and decide whether this fits with their values and career goals. An organisation’s EVP is more of a consideration for applicants than it has been previously – our latest research shows that almost two-thirds of professionals would only consider applying to an organisation with a clearly defined EVP, compared to just over half who said the same in 2018.

The key information that jobseekers want to know about a prospective employer varies among different age groups:

• Young professionals value career development, meaning they’re looking for evidence that an organisation has established career paths and invests in their employees’ personal development.
• Jobseekers in their late twenties are the most likely to positively engage with employers that make a public commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR).
• An organisation’s product and service offering is particularly important to workers aged between 40 and 50 years-old, who like to have an affinity with the brand they’re working for.
• For professionals over the age of 50, brand reputation is paramount. It’s essential that the organisation they’re applying to isn’t linked to any negative media coverage.

A mismatch of expectations between employees and employers can have significant financial implications for organisations, and it’s more common than you might imagine. In fact, almost half (44%) of professionals have left a role in the first year because it didn’t match the expectations they gained during the job application process. This is why it’s important to clearly communicate your EVP at all stages of the process, be it the opportunities for career development, your company culture, or your DE&I and sustainability commitments.

You could survey your employees to find out what they enjoy the most about working for your organisation and feature these comments on your website, making it easy for jobseekers to see why they should apply for a job with you.

Jobseekers expect a smooth and engaging application process

Jobseekers can be quick to judge an organisation by its job application process, so ensuring yours is efficient and engaging should be a priority. Younger generations have grown to expect seamless digital experiences in all aspects of their lives, and applying to jobs is no exception. A long, cumbersome recruitment process could be taken as a sign that you don’t have an employee-centric culture.

Clearly communicate to all your applicants what the recruitment process will entail: how many stages are there, what’s required of them and when can they expect to hear from you? Over a quarter (27%) of employers admit that they typically take between one week and one month to get in touch with applicants who’ve made it through to the interview stage, however most jobseekers don’t think this timeframe is acceptable.

Finally, make sure you provide feedback to all applicants, wherever possible. Letting every individual know whether they’ve been successful or not shows that you’re considerate of other people’s time and this could enhance your brand reputation, especially since less than half of organisations are doing this already.

For more insights into what people expect when applying for roles and recommendations for how to improve the job application process in your organisation, get access to our What Workers Want 2024 report today.