Firms with slow hiring processes exacerbating recruitment challenges

Recent data shows that the UK is still struggling with skills shortages and firms that have a slow hiring process are adding to the recruitment challenges.

The Sterling survey of more than 1,200 HR professionals and 3,700 recent job seekers revealed that half of the UK’s employers can’t find enough qualified candidates for the roles they have.

Interestingly, as many as 29% of these employers said that they’re being beaten in the race for top talent by their direct competitors and part of that reason might be due to slow hiring processes.

For example, 71% of the jobseekers surveyed said that they had dropped out (or considered dropping out) of their most recent recruitment experience, with the top reasons being due to the process being too long, too complicated and that there were too many touchpoints.

Steve Smith, President International at Sterling, commented on the findings, “While 2022 was a year of record-breaking vacancy numbers across the UK, the war for talent is still raging on.

“The UK still has a low level of unemployment despite the increase noted at the end of last year and skills shortages are being reported across a range of sectors and disciplines.

“In this environment, employers continue to report difficulties with recruiting the right people. But our data suggests that this issue is being exacerbated by lengthy and complex hiring processes.

“A well-thought-out candidate experience is crucial at all times, though the impact is certainly more noticeable when competition for talent is rife. A robust hiring process shouldn’t create barriers for applicants.

“It’s crucial that employers optimise the process to streamline everything from communication requirements and screening through to on-boarding. Technology does have a role to play in achieving this. The right tech helps to automate elements of the process and speed everything up.

“However, for those firms turning to tech to improve efficiencies, the candidate must be front of mind. How they interact with the technology has a direct impact on their view of your employer brand. If the software being used isn’t built with the applicant in mind, candidate dropout rates will likely remain high.”

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