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In today’’s competitive job market, candidates have quickly become more demanding than ever before, setting off on their job hunt with a strict set of criteria in mind. In fact, new research has found that over three quarters (79.2%) of UK workers are not willing to compromise on certain areas when looking for a job, with 18.2% revealing that a low advertised salary would put them off a role entirely.

The research, which was conducted by the UK’s leading independent job site, CV-Library, surveyed 1,000 UK workers and found that candidates are growing increasingly impatient with their job hunt, with many refusing to settle for anything less than the best opportunities. In fact, according to those surveyed, the following aspects would most likely put them off a job altogether:

  • One fifth (20%) would be put off by unclear job descriptions
  • One in 10 (10.2%) said that long recruitment processes would be a turn-off
  • …and 7.8% revealed that poor communication throughout the recruitment process would drive them away from a company

lee biggins-headshot [299939]Lee Biggins (pictured right), founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments: ““Getting the recruitment process right is highly important for start-ups, especially for those that may be looking to bring their first employees on board. Finessing this process is essential; from ensuring that your job adverts accurately portray the role in question, to making sure that you communicate well with potential candidates, listening to what job hunters want is the only way to stay ahead.

““The good news is that some organisations are recognising that they must adapt to workers’ needs. Just recently KPMG revealed that they had shortened their recruitment process to accommodate future working generations, and start-up companies should be prepared to follow suit. Having a lengthy recruitment process is becoming less and less acceptable, and it could mean that start-ups miss out on the best talent because they have already been snapped up by savvier businesses elsewhere. Keeping up to date with recruitment trends and changes is extremely important for businesses of all sizes, but it should be a priority for new businesses.””

According to the research, other key factors deterring candidates away from companies are poor traits about the businesses themselves, including a bad reputation (9.5%), a high staff turnover (7.1%) and poor management (6.1%).

Biggins continues: “”Candidates can glean a first impression of a company within minutes and there are a range of platforms out there which job hunters can use to find out exactly what it’s like to work in a certain organisation. This can make or break a startup: social media is a great branding tool for showing off what it’s like to work within a company, but can also be a platform for individuals to speak negatively about their experiences. Avoiding this by ensuring you have a strong, positive, employer brand, which is reflected throughout the recruitment process, is vital if you want to stay ahead in the hiring game.””

Least important to candidates was long working hours (2.9%), unfriendly colleagues (2.8%), lack of flexible work opportunities (1.6%) and poor brand awareness (1.4%), suggesting that the real challenge is keeping candidates happy throughout the recruitment process.