Sirona Says

Good News! Don't believe the Media - Recruitment isn't dead !

Last year I asked for your assistance in a brief survey. It was obviously related to the credit crunch / recession / downturn (delete as appropriate!!) and how it was starting to effect companies recruitment strategies going forward.
I was getting certain feedback from my clients with regards to recruitment, and whether they were putting everything on hold or were actually still recruiting, and wanted to know if  everyone else was getting the same.
Yes, there is bad news everywhere with big job losses, that seem to be a common source of news for the doom and gloom merchants in the media!! Even the Government have become a cog in the doom machine with their shocking approach to the current job losses!!

Wasn't it great to see space aliens taking the news headlines just for one day yesterday - it did make a change!!

So the results of the survey - What did you  think are causing companies the most pain with regards to recruitment at the moment?

1. Recruiting with a reduced budget ----------------------- 56.76% - (42)
2. Demotivation in the workforce ---------------------------- 35.14% - (26)
3. There is no recruitment due to redundancies ------- 35.14% - (26)
4. Recruitment agencies are too expensive to use ----31.08% - (23)
5. Still can't find the skills needed----------------------------28.38% - (21)
6. Inundated with speculative job seekers-----------------27.01% - (20)
7. Not enough recruitment expertise------------------------16.22% - (12)
8. Higher instances of sick leave------------------------------9.50% -  (7)
9. Recruiting with no recruitment budget-------------------8.11% -  (6)
10. Staff are leaving for better salaries elsewhere----------8.11% -  (6)

Total responses - 74

I know it is only a very small survey, but the top answer does echo feedback I am getting from clients - many are still recruiting, but they are are having to be very careful with their recruiting budgets.

So the message from my "important" survey is clear - don't believe the hype and the bad news, companies are still recruiting out there. Yes they may have less money to spend on recruitment,  yes they will want value for their money and yes, they may well do some of the recruitment themselves.

BUT there is still a market out there - companies are still recruiting, so all you recruiters - corporate and agency -  don't give up just yet!!  And for all you companies out there, who have had their budgets cut, start to think about your recruitment a little better - there are ways that you can still recruit cost effectively!!

Now these results may surprise all you hardened online recruiters!

As part of a project to look at and examine the recruitment process for a large employer, we commissioned an external market research campaign based around employer brand. The survey was targeted at 1000 16-35 year olds in the UK, and was conducted by one of the UK market leaders in consumer research.

One of the questions, has provided some very interesting - and surprising - insights into how this age group looks for a new job.
When asked what medium they would use to find a job (from a list of about 12 choices) these were the top answers:

1. Job Centres - 54%
2. Online Job Boards - 47%
3. Local Newspapers - 43%
4. Company Websites (Direct) - 38%
5. Word of Mouth - 33%
6. Recruitment Agency - 32%

Has that surprised you, because I was not expecting the top answer to be the job centres! But should it be a real surprise? Maybe we do underestimate the role they can play in recruiting staff?

The only problem I have with them is the calibre (most of the time) of staff, that are in charge of the recruiting interface with clients. They usually have no experience of recruiting , and are there just to -seemingly - process numbers to interviews, whether they are right or wrong. Because of  the threat of having benefits cut, many job seekers from job centres are only interested in attending interviews to maintain benefits.

I guess that's why so many companies have had bad experiences with job centres previously. BUT is it time to revisit them and try again? Over half the survey sample of 16-35 years would go to the job centre to look for jobs - maybe it is time to reconsider?

The other surprise, is the number of people that would go direct to company websites to look for a job. This must definitely be a change in the marketplace, as more people have become more web savvy, and (maybe) less trusting of recruitment agencies?
It does highlight the need for companies to put some work into their websites, and to start to make them functional and appealing to job seekers - a good one that has just launched is the new Sky website.

So overall, job seekers between the ages of 16-35, use a mix of sources to find a job. Is that really so strange? I guess not, but the mix certainly is!!

Voting time is here again..........

As you maybe aware, December means only one thing for recruitment bloggers (and no it is not the extra shots of Tequila at the bar) - it is the UK Recruiters, UK Recruitment Blog of 2008 competition.

Of course I am not going to solicit you for your vote, but some would say I should! Last week my Sirona Says blog made it into the Top 25 Talent Management Blogs, so who knows what will happen.

Peter Gold was a worthy winner last year, but he hates losing, so help me at least beat him in the rankings by voting for me here!

 

What do you think are causing companies the most pain at the moment?

What are causing companies the most pain in regards to recruitment at the moment?

 

1. The current economic climate is making companies review their business strategies more closely.
What would you describe as their worst 'pain points' with regards to recruiting, that need the most attention currently?

(Please tick the three that most apply)

	Recruiting with a reduced recruitment budget
	Staff are leaving for better salaries elsewhere
	Demotivation in the workforce
	Higher instances of sick leave
	Recruiting with no recruitment budget
	Still struggling to recruit the skills needed
	Inundated with speculative job seekers
	Recruitment agencies are too expensive to use
	Not enough recruitment expertise
	There is no recruitment due to redundancies

50%

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