Revamping recruitment in the UKApril 2014
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
OtherAccountancy services
Publishing / mediaLegal services
Defence / AerospaceHospitality / leisure
EngineeringUtilities / transportFinance & Banking
Manufacturing / constructionLocal government
IT / telecomsRetail / wholesale
Business / consultancy services
17%2%2%3%3%3%4%
7%7%7%
9%10%
12%17%
S4: In which of the following industries does your organisation operate predominantly? S6: How many employees are there within your organisation?
100 – 999 employees
50%
1,000 – 4,999 employees
22%
5,000 employees and over
28%
Company size Industry
Research overview
200 online interviews with line managers with hiring responsibility (March 2014)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
The Recruitment RevampRecruiting new staff is felt to be one of the most stressful experiences for line managers
Despite headcount increasing over the last year, businesses are struggling to find the right candidates with the right skills
After advertising internally, businesses rely on recruitment agencies to supply them with
appropriate candidates
Yet businesses don’t feel they have full visibility of their ideal candidates
Without visibility of the right people, the search process lengthens leaving vacancies unfilled
Managers spend less time looking after their own team
Employees feel overworked and stressed
Managers end up making a ‘less than ideal’ hire
Businesses need better information about and greater access to better candidates and the tools to give them greater control over the process
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Story stats (1)Recruitment gripes• Three quarters (66%) believe recruiting new staff is a hassle• 86% believe the recruitment process will never be completely foolproof and perfect• Over half (52%) of all hires in the last two years failed to completely meet the original
recruitment specification – 33% partially met the requirements with 19% not meeting them at all. The main reason for compromise is that the process takes too long (46%). In 48% of cases, it takes more than 2 months to recruit someone
• The biggest stresses for line managers relate to recruitment inefficiencies - managing staff who are underperforming (56%), finding staff with the relevant skills to match their business needs (41%) and managing a team which is understaffed (40%)
• Unfilled vacancies are resulting in employees becoming overworked (66%), feeling more stressed (54%) and low employee morale (42%)
• Candidates lacking necessary skills (52%), the recruitment process taking too long (52%) and overall cost (35%) are the key challenges of the recruitment process
• Over half (53%) of businesses often feel recruitment agencies are not sharing all their possible candidates with them
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Story stats (2)Time for a recruitment revamp?• Nearly half (46%) believe the popularity of LinkedIn is due to problems with more
traditional recruitment channels• Nearly half (49%) believe accessing quality candidates is a key recruitment challenge
over the next 12-18 months, followed by reducing time to hire (42%) and ensuring candidates’ skills match business needs (37%)
• Over three-quarters (77%) would like more control in searching for the right candidate• Over three-quarters (77%) feel hiring managers should have ultimate control over the
recruitment process• Three quarters (74%) think the recruitment industry could make better use of
technology to better service recruitment needs• Less ‘unwanted’ candidates (54%), more choice of ideal candidates (54%) and less time
spent searching for candidates (49%) are the perceived benefits of having an online platform which allows access to unlimited, pre-vetted candidates
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Bad recruitment experiences“Being pushed to hire staff too quickly resulted
in unsuitable person being hired.”“…We usually just have to pick the one we feel will most
likely improve from a poor bunch of applicants just to fill the position and then we end up having issues in training
and improving the successful applicant.”
“…I sometimes get frustrated when recruiters send CV's from clients totally unsuitable for
the position advertised.”“Not enough candidates and quality very low, so more time conducting extra interviews. Very time
consuming.”
“Recruitment companies do not fully understanding our needs, sending applicants without enough
experience in the working environment.”“Recruitment agencies who enthuse about
candidates and then try to fit a square peg into a round hole! Generally the high calibre candidates
are at their mercy and when they arrive for interview they tend to feel demeaned or let down if
the job is not suitable...The agencies can end up costing us more money as a result and waste a lot
of people's time.”
“While the job specifications for the candidate may have been broad based, it was quite difficult to get
the person with the right amount of experience and skills for the role.”
Small business, publishing / media
Small business, Retail
Small business, business servicesSmall business, manufacturing
Small business, manufacturing
Large business, IT
Large business, finance & banking
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
+10% differenceRecruitment gripesTotal Small
businessesLarge
businesses% agreeing recruiting new staff is a hassle 66% 69% 63%% agreeing the recruitment process will never be completely fool proof and perfect 86% 86% 85%
Met recruitment requirementsCompletelyPartiallyNot at all
48%33%19%
48%33%19%
48%33%19%
Compromise on recruitment because the process takes too long 46% 47% 45%Length of time to recruit (2 months or more) 48% 40% 55%
Most stressful experiences at workManaging staff who are underperformingFinding staff with the relevant skills to match your business needsManaging a team which is understaffed
56%41%40%
53%40%38%
59%42%41%
Impact of unfilled vacanciesEmployees becoming overworkedEmployees feeling more stressed Low employee morale
66%54%42%
59%53%40%
72%55%44%
Key challenges of the recruitment processCandidates lacking necessary skills The recruitment process takes too long Overall cost
52%52%35%
52%47%41%
51%57%28%
% agreeing recruitment agencies are not sharing all their possible candidates with them 53% 60% 46%
Small businesses: 100-999 employeesLarge businesses: 1,000+ employees
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Time for a recruitment revampTotal Small
businessesLarge
businesses
% agreeing the popularity of LinkedIn for recruitment is due to problems with more traditional recruitment channels 46% 54% 37%
Key recruitment challenge over the next 12-18 monthsAccessing quality candidatesReducing time to hireEnsuring candidates’ skills match business needs
49%42%37%
60%43%32%
38%40%41%
Would like more control in searching for the right candidate 77% 74% 80%
% agreeing hiring managers should have ultimate control over the recruitment process 77% 77% 77%
% agreeing the recruitment industry could make better use of technology to better service recruitment needs 74% 81% 67%
Benefits of having an online platform which allows access to unlimited, pre-vetted candidatesLess ‘unwanted’ candidates More choice of ideal candidates Less time spent searching for candidates
54%54%49%
52%62%55%
56%46%43%
+10% difference
Small businesses: 100-999 employeesLarge businesses: 1,000+ employees
Recruitment gripes
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of these
Other
Moving office / location
Technology not being used to streamline processes
Managing the effects of high staff churn / turnover
Change in management personnel
Meeting unrealistic personal objectives
Ensuring a staff vacancy is filled within a certain time
Personally taking on more and more roles / responsibility
Pressure to reduce costs / working to a reduced budget
IT equipment not working / underperforming
Managing a team which is understaffed
Finding staff with the relevant skills to match your business needs
Managing staff who are underperforming
5%
1%
16%
19%
21%
23%
25%
27%
34%
34%
37%
40%
41%
56%
Line manager stresses
Q1: Which of the following do you find stressful at work?
Base: Total (200)
Top 3: result of ‘recruitment inefficiency’
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Attitude towards staff recruitment
Dread it / too much hassle and stress11%
Tolerate it / it’s necessary but not something I like doing
51%
Enjoy it / I like the challenge and opportunities it may bring
39%
Q3: Which of the following best describes how you feel about recruiting staff?
Base: Total (200)
Recruitment revellers
Recruitment revilers
Recruitment tolerators
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
86% believe the recruitment process will never be completely fool proof and perfect
66% believe recruiting new staff is a hassle
Searching for ‘Mr Perfect’
52% think it is difficult to admit that they made a recruitment mistakeSmall businesses (59%), Large businesses (44%)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Meeting the recruitment requirements
Completely met the original recruit-
ment specification / requirement
48%
Partially met the original recruit-
ment specification / requirement
33%
Did not meet the original recruit-
ment specification / requirement
19%
Q9: Being brutally honest, what percentage of hires in the last two years do you feel completely met the original recruitment requirements, in terms of skills, experience, attitude?
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Don’t know
Over 50%
41% - 50%
31 – 40%
21 – 30%
16 – 20%
11 – 15%
6 – 10%
1 – 5%
None – 0%
10%
4%
3%
2%
3%
7%
11%
26%
19%
18%
Willingness to pay on top of candidate’s salary
Q16: Typically, how much are you prepared to pay on top of a candidate’s salary to ensure that a hire is the correct one?
Organisations are prepared to pay an extra 10% on top of a candidate’s salary to ensure a hire is a correct one
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Annual change in staff count
Increased42%
Stayed the same37%
Decreased21%
S7: Has your organisation’s staff count increased or decreased in the last 12 months?
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Directly advertised for vacancy via social network sites (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter)
Consulted own personal network (including LinkedIn)
Directly advertised for vacancy via newspapers, magazines, other press
Directly advertised for vacancy via online job boards
Used a recruitment agency
Advertised vacancy internally
19%
27%
41%
55%
57%
61%
Preferred recruitment methods
Q2: Which of the following methods have you used to fill a vacancy within your organisation in the last 12 months?
Base: Total (200)
Small businesses: 48%Large businesses: 34%
Small businesses: 59%Large businesses: 50%
Small businesses: 55%Large businesses: 66%
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Directly advertised for vacancy via social network sites (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter)
Consulted own personal network (including LinkedIn)
Directly advertised for vacancy via newspapers, magazines, other press
Advertised vacancy internally
Directly advertised for vacancy via online job boards
Used a recruitment agency
3%
11%
14%
16%
20%
33%
4%
9%
16%
19%
19%
9%
Most difficultMost easy
Most easiest / difficult recruitment methods
Q2b: And which method do you generally find the easiest / most likely to be successful? Q2b: And which do you generally find the most difficult / least likely to be successful?
Base: Chosen recruitment method in the last 12 months
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above – no challenges
Staff retention / need to frequently repeat recruitment process
Persistent contact / cold calls from recruiters
Receiving too many CV from recruiters
Limited / no access to the highest quality talent
Lack of resources to support / attract the highest quality talent
Receiving poor quality / not suitable candidate CVs from recruiters
Candidates lacking knowledge of role / company
Costs too much
Takes too long
Candidates lacking necessary skills / talent
2%
20%
24%
27%
29%
30%
33%
34%
35%
52%
52%
Challenges of the recruitment process
Q5: Which of the following have you experienced as challenges with the staff recruitment process?
Base: Total (200)
Small businesses: 47% Large businesses: 57%
Small businesses: 41% Large businesses: 28%
Small businesses: 26% Large businesses: 40%
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Over half (53%) of businesses often feel recruitment agencies are not sharing all their possible candidates with them
Small businesses (60%), Large businesses (46%)
Are we seeing the whole picture?
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
There are no barriers
Other
Certain groups prohibit recruitment
Longer search time and time to fill vacancies
Lack of available consultancy / recruitment advice
Lack of available industry specific detail
Not sure how to do this effectively
Inappropriate candidates coming to interview
Difficult to use as a ‘recruitment tool’
Time wasted by targeting passive candidates
Not all users wish to be contacted by companies / recruiters
Profiles lack relevant information
Profiles are often not up-to-date
Profiles / references may be incorrect or false
Not all desirable candidates have a LinkedIn profile
7%3%
10%12%
14%14%15%
18%25%
31%36%36%
40%45%45%
Key problems of LinkedIn
Q14: Which of the following do you think are the key problems with using LinkedIn to search for or recruit candidates?
Base: Total (200)
46% believe the popularity of LinkedIn is due to problems with more traditional recruitment channelsSmall businesses (54%), Large businesses (37%)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above
Other
Managing finances
Completing administrative tasks
New business development and sales
Servicing existing clients
Training / developing your own skills
Training / developing existing employees
6%
1%
20%
33%
35%
38%
42%
59%
Preference of spending time outside of recruiting
Q7: Rather than spending your time searching for candidates, how would you prefer to spend your time?
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Length of process it actually takes
Length of process it should take
1%
3%
6%
14%
14%
24%
31%
33%
26%
18%
20%
7%
2%
1%
1%
1%
Less than a week One week – fortnight Fortnight – one monthOne – two months Two – three months Three – six monthsOver six months Don’t know
Time taken to recruit
Q6a: From identifying a recruitment need, to filling the position, how long does this process typically take? Q6b: From identifying a recruitment need, to filling the position, how long should this process take in your opinion?
6 weeks
9 weeks
Average time
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above – I have no concerns
Other
Clients leave / go elsewhere
Reduced revenue / profits
Business will struggle to grow
Clients are underserviced
Further employees leaving
Reduced productivity
Low employee morale
Employees feeling more stressed / anxious
Employees becoming overworked
5%
1%
18%
19%
26%
30%
30%
41%
42%
54%
66%
Concerns about unfilled vacancies
Q8: Which of the following concern you most about having vacancies left unfilled within your business?
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above
We didn’t invest enough time in the recruitment process at our end
Our recruitment budget wasn’t big enough to find the right candidates
Specification was unrealistic / too niche
Could not find anyone to meet this specification / pool of candidates too small
Taking too long to find someone / need to recruit in a hurry
13%
20%
25%
26%
41%
46%
Reasons for compromising on candidates
Q10: What are the main reasons why you may end up compromising on candidates during the recruitment process and not hiring someone who completely meets the original specification?
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
More equal opportunities / white-labelling of candidates
Better knowledge of industries / sectors from recruiters/tools
Better understanding of business needs
Spend less money filling each vacancy
Greater flexibility to negotiate on recruiter’s commission for each candidate
Less contact / cold calls from recruiters
Greater access to a higher volume of candidates
Greater flexibility to negotiate on candidate’s salary / benefits
More control of the recruitment process myself
Better information about candidates
Spend less time searching for candidates
Greater access to higher quality candidates
1%
2%
2%
3%
7%
6%
8%
7%
16%
8%
9%
27%
10%
15%
17%
20%
20%
24%
24%
25%
31%
35%
36%
45%
Current improvements neededBiggest improvement needed
Improving the recruitment process
Q15a: In which of the following ways can your current recruitment process be improved? Q15b: And what do you believe would be the single biggest improvement?
Base: Total (200)
Small businesses: 51%Large businesses: 38%
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above
Other
Improving visibility of potential candidates beyond the UK
Utilising technology and data to inform better recruitment decisions
Improving internal communication between HR and the hiring manager/team during the recruitment process
Ensuring ROI on new hires
Utilising internal talent to fill vacancies
Improving staff retention
Ensuring candidates match company culture
Reducing cost of hire
Ensuring candidates’ skills match our business needs
Reducing time to hire
Accessing quality candidates
3%
1%
13%
13%
14%
18%
18%
27%
30%
31%
37%
42%
49%
Key recruitment challenges over the next 12-18 months
Q17: Which of the following do you believe are the key recruitment challenges over the next 12-18 months?
Base: Total (200)
Small businesses: 60%Large businesses: 38%
Small businesses: 13%Large businesses: 23%
Small businesses: 32%Large businesses: 41%
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Recruitment control
None at all – I fully rely on re-cruiters providing the right can-
didates for me5%
Some control – I have some level of control over the re-
cruitment process55%
Total control – I am in full control of searching for the
right candidate40%
Q4a: How much control do you feel you have over searching for the right candidate? Q4b: Ideally, would you like more control in searching for the right candidate?
77% would like more control in searching for the right candidate
Base: Total (200)
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Shift in recruitment responsibilities
Over three-quarters (77%) feel hiring managers should have ultimate control over the recruitment process
Base: Total (200)
54% believe the HR department is less involved in the recruitment process than it was 2 years agoSmall businesses (59%), Large businesses (48%)
“The HR Team has no understanding of the requirements of the job and have done a pre-sift of applicants thus excluding possible
suitable applicants from interview”
“When we have appointed someone on HR
recommendation alone”
Recruitment nightmares…
“HR support not experienced enough to support interview process”
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above
Being on a level playing field with other employers regardless of size and budget
More scope to negotiate candidate’s salary / benefits
More control over the recruitment process
Candidates details in one manageable place
Spend less money filling each vacancy
Spend less time searching for candidates
More choice of ideal candidates
Less ‘unwanted’ candidates
7%
19%
24%
31%
32%
33%
49%
54%
54%
Benefits of an online recruitment platform
Q12: If you had access to unlimited, pre-vetted candidates that you could search according to your own parameters online, what benefits do you see this giving you?
74% think the recruitment industry could make better use of technology to better service recruitment needs
Small businesses (81%), Large businesses (67%)
Base: Total (200)
Small businesses: 62%Large businesses: 46%
Small businesses: 55%Large businesses: 43%
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
None of the above
Up-to-date information on candidates salary, benefits, etc
Interactive portal between you and recruiters
Ability to Instantly search for candidates by different attributes
Organise / manage candidates in a single place
Compare different candidates in a consistent format
9%
26%
28%
47%
51%
51%
Most useful tools of an online recruitment platform
Q13: Which of the following would you consider to be the most compelling and useful aspects of an online recruitment platform where you have access to unlimited, pre-vetted candidates where you could search according to your own parameters?
Base: Total (200)
Appendix
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Research Sample (1)
1 or 210%
3 or 414%
5 or 620%
7 to 1018%
More than 1038%
S2: How many people do you manage day-to-day within your team? S5: Typically, how many candidates are you involved in hiring over the course of a year?
113%
2 - 327%
4 - 518%
6 - 1019%
Over 1023%
Number of people managed Annual number of hires
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Newcastle / Tyneside
Cardiff / Wales
Glasgow / Scotland
Birmingham / West Midlands
Liverpool / Merseyside
Leeds / West Yorkshire
Bristol / South West
Manchester / Greater Manchester
London / South East
2%
2%
5%
6%
7%
8%
11%
12%
49%
Research sample (2)
S8: In which of the following cities, or surrounding areas, do you work closest to?
© Loudhouse 2014 www.loudhouse.co.uk
Attitude statements
Q20. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements
The popularity of LinkedIn for recruitment is due to problems with more traditional recruitment channels
It is difficult to admit you have made a recruitment mistake
I often feel recruitment agencies are not sharing all their possible candidates with us
The HR department will become less involved in the recruitment process than it did 2 years ago
Recruiting new staff is a hassle
The recruitment industry could make better use of technology to better service recruitment needs
Hiring managers should have ultimate control over the recruitment process
The recruitment process will never be completely fool proof and perfect
11%
9%
19%
12%
16%
16%
25%
28%
35%
43%
34%
42%
50%
59%
53%
57%
30%
31%
25%
32%
28%
14%
18%
13%
4%
14%
5%
12%
5%
2%
3%
0%
21%
4%
18%
4%
2%
10%
3%
2%
Agree strongly Tend to agree Tend to disagree Disagree strongly Don't know
Base: Total (200)