The new world of work: We survey the opinions of 185 job hunters and present the latest exciting opportunities

This week, we want to share with you our latest insight report, exploring what’s important to job hunters when looking for a new role and during the application process. The report, conducted by Kohlrabi Consulting in September 2021 and published in full here, reveals the findings from a survey of 185 job hunters.

Searching for a new job can be a challenging and stressful process. Although there are constantly new roles for new applicants, the practicalities of appraising an advert, navigating diverse application processes, and waiting for responses and feedback, can be arduous and discouraging.

We wanted to better understand what type of adverts are going to catch an applicant’s eye and what makes someone take the time to apply. Ultimately, we wanted to provide insight into how employers can make the job application process a more positive and transparent process. We’ve put together our key findings from the survey and a list of tangible suggestions that companies may wish to incorporate for future recruiting.

Here’s our three key learnings from the report:

1. Money Matters

• A third of individuals ranked salary as the most important factor when searching for a job with another third ranking it as the second-most important factor.
• Individuals were much more likely (>95%) to apply for jobs that transparently advertised the salary, rather than job postings that described the salary as competitive (69%), market range (59%) or had no description (50%).
• Lack of salary disclosure was the most common frustration when applying for jobs.

2. Lengthy Application Processes Have a Negative Impact

Lengthy application processes with creative project-specific tasks negatively influence perceptions of the company and willingness to apply for these roles.

• Individuals were much more likely to apply if only a CV and portfolio (66%) was asked for, compared to jobs additionally requiring a cover letter (32%) or online form (19%).
• 75% of respondents thought job applications should take less than 4 hours.

1. Communication is Key

Job seekers are frustrated by the lack of communication from potential employers during the application process.

• The majority of job applicants expect to receive some sort of communication at all stages of the application process. This includes a) acknowledgement that the application was received, b) notification they were not shortlisted, c) the reason they were not shortlisted, and d) feedback after an unsuccessful interview.
• In reality, less than a third regularly received acknowledgement of their application while just 8% were regularly told they had not been shortlisted.
• Only 1% of individuals reported that they usually received feedback on why they weren’t shortlisted, rising to 9% after interviews.

Follow the link to read our recommendations for employers moving forward on the If You Could Jobs Journal.

Built by creatives, for creatives, If You Could Jobs is a quick and easy way to browse hundreds of opportunities across the industry. Whether you’re taking your first step or making your next move, from big agencies to boutique studios, full-time and freelance, our team approves every role to make sure it’s relevant.

Here’s this week’s edit of jobs posted on If You Could Jobs:

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