We’ve got a lot of lovely statistics this week from from UK job board giant Indeed. With roles being added to their portal at a staggering rate of 8.2 jobs posted per second, we’ve got trends about what your ideal candidate may and may not respond to when it comes to browsing your ad.
See below our top five takeaways:
1. Innovative or funny job titles flop over standard titles: Indeed reported that there was a 328% increase in job titles using the word “Jedi” to coincide with the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens release. However these did not perform as well as standard titles. Additionally job titles under 80 characters also outperformed quirky alternatives.
2. Benefits Matter: A paid day off on your birthday, bonuses, paid breaks and health insurance all proved very popular with candidates browsing ads.
3. Salary Sidelines: This point was interesting as it impacted a major issue in the recruitment space that has been making headlines – the gender pay gap. As an employer you can start to address this in your organisation simply by putting “salary negotiable” on your job ad as by including this, research shows the gender pay gap is naturally narrowed. In addition, salary does matter – so an abundance of perks with a low salary is less likely to be noticed by candidates. Lastly, the research shows salaries have dropped by 2% in the last year so, so offering a strong salary could bring multiple benefits.
4. Flexible Working is still the most coveted perk: We’ve mentioned it a lot on our blog! And it keeps gathering pace with employees wanting it above all else in a lot of instances. Additionally, two thirds of the happiest workers enjoy perks that involve time off. In short… we love a little R&R to make sure we keep performing at our best at work.
5. Pay Overtime? You’re onto a winner: Twenty percent of employees are working 8 or more hours per week of unpaid overtime. And your job ad is a great place to promote paid overtime perks. Additionally, research shows a lot of overtime is worked due to a high workload – so a realistic view of job and candidate expectations can help prevent stress further down the line.
What we think:
We agree with all the above, particularly the point on flexible working. We wrote just last week about how online recruitment is placed perfectly to make the most of flexible working, and with today’s technology available, we believe this can be your strongest offering to candidates as an employer.
Castle Hill House