New Type of Job Candidate Emerges

March 2, 2016

By John Yurkschatt, IT Director, DCA

Today’s job seekers are savvier about their searches and available resources including how to use a number of social media platforms to enhance their success rate.

Moreover, in 2016, the power has shifted back to the job seeker. It’s definitely a candidate-driven market. That means candidates can afford to be picky and many are being down-right demanding.  What else should you know about today’s job seekers?

-Always looking for their next opportunity. Career exploration has become the norm. In fact, candidates in their 20’s, will have a dozen or more jobs by the time they hit their 30’s.  They don’t like staying in one place too long. They not only change jobs, but often changes industries as well.  They believe there’s always something better out there.

-Want more purpose in their work. Today’s candidates are looking for meaningful work, something that is bigger than themselves or the job. There are not necessarily accepting a job based on the size of a paycheck but rather a worthwhile mission and promising team to join.

-Attracted to companies having a great social media reputation. Candidates are more apt to accept a job offer from a company that has positive social media practices, beliefs and reviews. In fact, a study cited by Fortune Magazine showed that 72% of job candidates trust what they read about employers on Facebook.

-Interviewing the company as much as the company is interviewing them. During interviews, candidates are evaluating the company and whether they really want to work for you. Therefore, an interviewer needs to be mindful that someone with the right qualifications, experience and attitude may have other offers to consider.

-Want a shorter hiring process.  The most in-demand people usually have other offers.  Great candidates won’t wait around or put up with a long hiring process. Many employers land the best people simply by interviewing them quickly rather than making them wait weeks before setting up a meeting or second interview.

-Want to be contacted through mobile platforms. After referrals, no recruiting channel is more important than the mobile platform. Prospects and candidates must be able to do everything from applying to accepting jobs directly and seamlessly from their mobile devices including smartphones, iPads, etc. Because it has the highest message response rate, all recruiting communications and messaging must migrate to the mobile platform.

-Thinking about starting own business. Today’s candidates have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and may consider dabbling in an outside endeavor such as app development or graphic design.  While most companies still frown upon “working on the side”, it is not stopping them from researching if there’s a need in the market for their product or service and acting on it.

If you’re in the job market, can you relate to the bullet points?  Are there any candidate expectations that we missed?

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