RecruitRank Research Reveals Loyalty Is Alive and Kicking amongst UK Recruiters

According to new research conducted by Jobsite RecruitRank across a range of UK recruiters, building loyalty amongst job seekers is a key business priority both now and in the future. Casting aside traditional assumptions that recruitment is all about short term placements and profit, the research reveals that recruiters are focusing more and more on cultivating word of mouth recommendations, referrals and repeat business in the hope of building longer term candidate loyalty.

When asked what they currently considered to be most important to them, 30% of recruiters prioritised encouraging word of mouth recommendations and peer-to-peer referrals amongst active and passive job seekers as their most important objectives, taking the largest overall share of vote. This was placed significantly ahead of making the job placement which attracted just 15% of recruiters. Interestingly, the second-highest priority of those surveyed was providing a great candidate experience regardless of making the actual placement, which attracted 25% of the vote.

The overall findings illustrate an increasing longer term view by the industry and increasing support for growing businesses organically through loyalty and a great customer experience. For example, 10% of recruiters surveyed believe that repeat job seeker business now accounts for over 50% of their business income. Whilst over a quarter of recruiters (27%) said that repeat business accounted for between 30% - 50% of their business, whilst for 14% of recruiters it represented between 10 ñ 20% of their business.

Another interesting trend revealed in the survey is that recruiters are able to place candidates in roles other than the ones they originally applied for, if they failed to get the target role. In the survey, 23% said they placed 20-30% of candidates in roles other than those they originally applied for, illustrating an additional commitment to candidates including gaining a thorough understanding of their requirements and being proactive in helping them to realise their goals.

Commenting on the research findings, Keith Potts, CEO of Jobsite said ìIn the past the recruitment industry has been seen as transactional and not always very good at building relationships with people. However what our research illustrates is that the tide has turned and both customer loyalty and customer experience are becoming as important as in the next industry if not more so, particularly in an increasingly competitive and tight employment market.

ìEvery day through RecruitRank we see the direct relationship between those who provide a great candidate experience and those who are doing well. At the very simplest level, if you are providing a great experience candidates are going to rate your services well and through recommendation and referral ñ whether on RecruitRank or through word of mouth - increase your visibility. Weíre delighted to see from our latest research that loyalty is on the up and the industry should be able to benefit from a more positive image as a result.î

RecruitRank is the candidate feedback tool on Jobsite which provides recruiters with valuable market research on the experience that candidates had with them. The second annual RecruitRank Awards are taking place on 8th November in London.