As the job market changes, so do candidate expectations. SMART HR is interested in the latest research and shares recommendations on this topic.

In order to highlight the most important aspects of candidate expectations, let's start with the Lithuanian employer identity company. "DID MOONS surveys results (557 respondents), which appeared in the spring of this year.

The study highlights the following key points:

  • The freedom to plan your own workplace and time is a key benefit for an employer.
  • Stricter requirements than competitors for work organization – risk of losing some candidates.
  • The most important aspect when choosing an employer is the opportunity to grow and learn (75.4%).
  • Health insurance is still desirable, as is a nice office and environment.
  • The most common reasons for changing one's current job would be a disrespectful environment and conflicting values (42.91%), excessive workload (40.22%), and psychological violence and harassment at work (36.27%).
  • GenZ wants to be associated with well-known brands, so as the proportion of GenZ generation in the job market increases, it is important to ensure your brand awareness as an employer.

We see, that Mr.trust and recognition at work – these are the biggest values that can help attract your candidates and retain your employees. Companies that do not proactively create a psychologically safe work environment will likely face employee retention challenges.

When analyzing candidates' expectations for the selection process itself on a global scale, we also noticed the need for psychological safety. In the "CRONOFY" published net 12 thousand respondents in the study, very strong accent  Ghosting phenomenon. It is the sudden and unexpected cessation of communication with someone (i.e., disappearance) that emerged around the mid-2010s, when social media and dating apps became popular. Merriam Webster added this new-age definition of “ghosting” to its dictionary in 2017. In the job market, this phenomenon is particularly frustrating for candidates, both due to the long wait times and the lack of communication. According to the study, there has been a dramatic shift this year, with candidates increasingly saying they have to wait a month or more for a scheduled interview.

First impressions are the last. While this is a philosophical question, recruiters and hiring managers are the window to the business. They are the people who ensure successful representation of the company, a positive candidate experience, and successful hiring.

The news that even 42 % of candidates say they withdraw from the selection process when interview scheduling takes too long and compared to 49 % last year, shows that candidates feel less secure in the job market and are becoming more accustomed to disappointment.

Interestingly, 38 % of candidates believe that well-managed selection and recruitment processes show that companies care about their employees, and more 33 % believes that this means that the company culture is positive. 61 % of respondents believe that more attention should be paid to recruitment to reveal the candidate as a personality, their uniqueness, not just finding the right point of view that the company expects.

Almost half (48%) of candidates would be less likely to recommend or work with an employer in the future if the selection process was ineffective and would hesitate to tell their fellow job seekers about it. This can have a significant impact on the employer’s future talent pool and brand.

According to the research results, Poorly organized job interviews jeopardize candidate retention and has a negative impact on the company's brand. On average, about a third of candidates expressed negative experiences related to ineffective interviews. Given these red flags, it is especially important to ensure that candidates are treated with respect, that targeted questions are asked (job-related, position-related, non-discriminatory, etc.), that the candidate's time is saved, and that automated candidate outreach tools are included where possible.

Looking at research and recommendations, the best starting points in the process remain not only knowledge of employee expectation trends, but also continuous implementation of a more efficient, transparent selection processSince highly qualified professionals – selection specialists, hiring managers, significantly contribute not only to employee retention, development, but also to the creation and implementation of a psychologically safe selection process, the competence of these employees becomes a key HR priority with the aim of increasing efficiency and creating not only the right first impression on your candidates, but also ensuring that your company's recruitment processes reflect the environment that is created internally and at the same time encourages the spread of employee uniqueness.