The 3rd Edition of Top-Consultant’s Recruitment Channel Report has produced fascinating insights into the effectiveness of a range of recruitment strategies in the modern e-world. Collecting survey data from some 1,600 candidates, the report has highlighted candidate application trends and preferences - and the results are likely to provide a wake-up call to many in the recruitment industry.
The report is the first to have quantified the tremendous decline in the management consultancy recruitment agency market during the last 2-3 years - with survey findings showing that only 50% of candidates have applied to roles via recruitment agencies in the last year, down from 84% only two years ago. However, the survey findings also show that candidates continue to value the role played by recruitment consultants - and will apply to recruitment consultancy roles in much greater numbers as the economy picks up again.
The report also demonstrates how poor the return has been for companies that have invested in the careers areas of their corporate websites. These websites still generate only 13% of all candidate applications, compared with over 40% from internet job sites. Candidate feedback from the survey suggests HR managers could dramatically increase the volume of applications generated via their careers pages, by addressing candidates’ major concerns with the channel. Prime concerns included inadequate marketing of corporate sites and a poor user experience when candidates do eventually find a suitable role - often being hampered by laborious application procedures or inadequate details about the roles.
In paper-based recruitment advertising, the Times and the Sunday Times still continue to dominate mindshare of Management Consultancy candidates. A critical finding, though, is that those surveyed are much more likely to see an advert advertised on the leading online job boards than in the Times / Sunday Times. Some ~ 57% of those polled regularly review the two leading internet job sites for career openings, compared with ~37% who regularly review the two best-performing newspapers.
Reflecting on the findings of the latest report, Top-Consultant Director Tony Restell commented:
The survey has highlighted significant areas of untapped potential for both recruitment consultants and HR managers ñ initiatives and changes in strategy that could impact the effectiveness of recruitment campaigns, both online and offline. Managers who want to remain ahead of the competition in the next 18-24 months will want to act on these findings as quickly as possible
Readers can download a copy of the 2004 Recruitment Channel Report in PDF format from:
Survey of 1,600 top candidates shows recruitment consultancies are set for a comeback.
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