HR professionals are an impatient bunch when going for a job, expecting employers to make a hiring decision after two job interviews and for the whole process to take no more than a month.
According to a survey undertaken by recruitment consultancy, Robert Walters, some 72% of HR practitioners anticipate that the entire job application process will take a maximum of four weeks, with about the same number being put off if it takes longer – even though most hiring managers attest that it will.
Just over four out of five also feel that they should receive a response to an initial job application within six days compared with 85% of accountants, 82% of IT specialists, 76% of marketers and 79% of lawyers, while 91% think it should be more like four.
This figure compares with 89% of accountants, 86% of IT professionals, 86% of marketers and 78% of lawyers.
A further three out of five HR professionals likewise believe that employers should be able to make a recruitment decision after two interviews or less, compared to 76% of accountants, 74% of IT specialists, 67% of lawyers and 56% of marketers.
Vicky Salt, manager of HR recruitment at Robert Walters, pointed to the fact that HR practitioners did not expect employers to hang about during the recruitment process and were keen to receive “feedback swiftly at all points”.
Moreover, because 94% of them discussed their job-seeking experiences among specific employers with other people, it was clear how “poor job-seeker experiences can lead to a poor reputation in the market and, ultimately, impact an employer’s brand”, she added.
