Candidates in driver's seat even before they apply: survey

Mumbai: With information at their fingertips, the job seekers are now more powerful as they are armed with details about future employers even before they apply for a position, says a survey.

"Today's job seekers have more information than ever about a company and a position at early stages of the job search process," according to 'The Rise of the Well-Informed Candidate' survey conducted by ManpowerGroup Solutions.

The survey was done among 14,000 job seekers globally, including 752 candidates in India.

The survey revealed that the type of work (preferred by 57 percent of the respondents), opportunity for advancement (48 percent) and brand or reputation (44 percent) are the top three important draws for prospective candidates in India.

For the job-seekers, the opportunity for advancement (preferred by 23 percent) and benefits offered (16 percent) are also the key consideration, it said.

In India, 46 percent candidates said that lack of information about growth industries was personal career challenge, while 43 percent said they mostly preferred to apply for jobs online.

About 68 percent candidates used company website as the source of information about job opportunities with other organisations.

The survey said 25 percent of Indian candidates are more likely to say that current employees of the company are a reliable source for information about its brand.

In India, 46 percent of candidates preferred in-person interviews with the hiring manager and 35 percent of candidates preferred full-time work, it said.

In terms of employer-brand attributes, the survey said the top three important aspects that candidates look in a company are - employer-employee trust (80 percent), transparency (64 percent) and the organisation's reputation as an employer (63 percent).

It said there is an increasing transparency regarding compensation globally and nearly half (about 44 percent) of the candidates know the compensation details before applying.

"People with in-demand skills are making different career choices today based on lifestyle preferences and beliefs, amid the talent crunch, and understanding candidate preferences is critical," ManpowerGroup India Group Managing Director A G Rao said.

The candidates today are more focused on their career graph than simply their next job, he said.