HIRING A TWO-WAY STREET

ALMOST nine in 10 Aussie workers would leave a job within the first month if they changed their mind after accepting it.

A study of 1000 jobseekers by recruiter Robert Half finds 88 per cent would do so within a month and 90 per cent within the probation period.

For many jobseekers, however, they have made up their mind about a job much sooner. Half (51 per cent) say they decide whether they would accept a position immediately after the initial meeting.

One in five (21 per cent) know within the first five minutes of the interview. Just 5 per cent decide during contractual negotiations.

“In today’s market, top candidates are receiving multiple job offers and therefore have a host of criteria beyond basic remuneration,” Robert Half Asia Pacific senior managing director David Jones says.

“Companies need to sell the job, the company culture, benefits and reasons why they are a great place to work to prospective employees. While candidates need to put their best foot forward, so do hiring managers. Recruitment is a two-way street.”

Reasons for leaving a job during the first month include poor management (55 per cent) and a discrepancy between the job in practice and how it was advertised (48 per cent).

One in three (35 per cent) would consider leaving because of a mismatch with corporate culture, a lack of proper on-boarding (32 per cent) or they received a more attractive job offer (27 per cent).

“Organisations must think of their attraction, recruitment and retention practices holistically,” Jones says.

“Long drawn-out recruitment processes magnify the opportunity for a candidate to change their mind – which in turn costs the company time and money.

“Businesses that are serious about finding the best talent need to commit to providing an efficient and engaging experience at every stage from initial contact through onboarding and beyond.”