My job search (in numbers)

Like many I was made redundant during the recent tech squeeze, but fortunately I managed to find a new home before Christmas. Super excited to start the next chapter of my recruiting journey in January!

Having not been ‘on the other side’ of the equation for many years it was actually great to be the customer for a while and see how other companies manage the process and experience. And as any good talent acquisition professional would, I collected some data during my search. Every situation is obviously very different, but I thought it might be interesting to share.

For context, I’m fairly accomplished in my field, and all the positions I applied for were comfortably in my ‘wheelhouse’.

Here’s a summary of the data:

Here are my conclusions and learnings:

1. It’s a tough market for job seekers right now, especially in fields like Talent Acquisition and Marketing where a large number of roles were deemed redundant during the tech squeeze. If you’re actively looking, prepare yourself for a slog (and plenty of rejection), just in case.
2. Getting no response to applications nearly a third of the time blows my mind! I won’t name and shame, but the list includes some well-established businesses that really should know better. On the plus side, I’ve always made a point of providing a timely response to every application I receive, so it’s good to know focusing on the basics of candidate experience can still be a differentiator.
3. An average response time of 11 days is higher than I would target myself but isn't too bad all said and done. I read a study recently that said applicants generally lose interest if they don’t hear back within 2 weeks.
4. Perhaps the most interesting points for me were the lack of interview briefing and objective feedback. These are standard practice for me (as a recruiter) so again it’s good to be reminded that most companies aren’t ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to candidate experience. From a job seeker perspective though – come on friends, it’s not hard to respond to applications, brief candidates before interviews, and provide meaningful feedback! These are the basics of candidate experience, plus they contribute to building an employer brand.
5. I’m also surprised I was only asked for a written response twice out of 19 interview processes. Interestingly, one request came from a company using written prompts across all its hiring, and the other was used to help choose between two finalists (both valid approaches). Asking for a written response is a great complementary way to find out how a candidate thinks about a role or problem, plus it’s more inclusive for neurodiverse candidates and those who just perform better in that kind of scenario. I’ll definitely be seeking opportunities to utilise written responses more often in my next role.
6. Lastly, about halfway through my search I wasn’t getting much interest, so I decided to revise my CV. Notably I removed my university dates and a few of my early career roles. I did also make some aesthetic improvements, but it was noticeable that the new CV generated more interest and resulted in more interviews. It’s impossible to know if there’s a direct correlation, so I won’t speculate. However, it’s great advice to iterate your approach if your CV isn’t delivering the desired results.

I hope there's value here for both job seekers and recruiters - feel free to comment below. Despite it taking longer than expected, I certainly gained perspective from being the customer, assessing the competition, and honing my approach. I also picked up a few snippets of best practice that I'll be implementing in the future. Maybe I'll share them in another post.