How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? While the question sounds like the preamble to a funny punch line, the answer is no laughing matter.
According to an article last week in the Wall Street Journal, it takes many more than most employers think (or at least want to accept.) I repeat – a lot more. The actual numbers are numbing.
For example, an infographic presented in the article revealed that it takes approximately 1,000 online views by candidates to get 100 candidates to complete the application. Out of that, 25 applications are selected for review, then 4 to 6 candidates are recommended for an interview. When all is said and done, companies may find their one diamond in the rough only after 1,000 candidates view the job posting. If those numbers hold up, it is clear that the impending war for talent is no longer imminent or pending. It’s here today.
Not one to rely only exclusively on hearsay, I was prompted by the article to review 25 jobs posted on our applicant processing system by clients during the last 3 months. The results don’t only confirm the findings presented in the Wall Street Journal but throw up an even bigger gauntlet to challenge employers. The best views-to-applicant scenario was 10 percent. But a more common scenario was as low as 1 percent.
Top 5 Most Successful Campaigns
|
Position |
Length of campaign |
Views |
Applicants |
Views/Applicants % |
|
Financial Analyst |
10/21 – 12/20 |
1,118 |
117 |
10.47 % |
|
Sales Associate |
10/28 – 12/27 |
2,027 |
97 |
4.79% |
|
Translation Coordinator |
11/21 – 12/21 |
1,900 |
79 |
4.16% |
|
Quality Assurance Analyst |
1/09 – current |
1,900 |
79 |
4.16% |
|
Exhibition Leader |
11/22 – 1/21 |
1,321 |
50 |
3.79% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 Most Challenging Campaigns
|
Position |
Length of campaign |
Views |
Applicants |
Views/Applicants % |
|
Science Center Ambassador |
10/31 -12/30 |
44,418 |
0 |
0.00% |
|
Multimedia Designer |
10/20 – 11/19 |
3,323 |
34 |
1.02% |
|
Exhibit Designer |
11/04 – 1/03 |
15,526 |
161 |
1.04% |
|
SEO Consultant |
11/29 – 1/28 |
20,014 |
222 |
1.11% |
|
Web Engineer |
1/16 – 2/15 |
12,066 |
136 |
1.11% |
Unfortunately for many companies, as good or bad as those results are, the job search does not always end when the one lonely qualified candidate is identified and offered the job. According to research presented by Talent Function Group, LLC, “the chosen applicant accepts the offer only 80% of the time.” That situation leads to two options – offer the job to your second choice (if there is one) or go back to the drawing board. Neither choice is desirable when a company’s productivity and competitive advantage are on the line and dependent on a minimum time to hire and high quality of hire.
To win the war for talent moving forward, nearly every employer will need to cast the widest possible sourcing net to attract, identify, and hire qualified candidates. In addition, operations and sales managers don’t have the time to waste interviewing candidates who can’t do the job.
The competition for recruiting qualified skilled workers poses a formidable challenge for most organizations. Management has a choice: deal with a “resu-mess” which will inundate recruiting and human resource staffs, which are already running lean; or insist on applicant processing automation to build a talent pool of qualified candidates, reduce the time-to-hire, and ultimately improve the quality of employees.
One highly effective, efficient, and affordable applicant processing solution is Prevue APS Pro. Contact us today for a no-obligation demo.
[…] Have you seen Ira Wolfe’s blog How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? […]
Thanks Connie for the link and mention.
[…] Have you seen Ira Wolfe’s blog How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? […]
[…] Companies must learn to use multiple sourcing venues especially when recruiting applicants that span several generations, socio-economic groups, and geo-locations. Limiting sourcing to only one or two media just doesn’t attract enough high quality candidates anymore, not when studies show that you need 1,000 jobseekers to see you job opening to get one quality hire. […]
[…] Many among those newly employed have been hired on a temporary basis only. There is, it seems, no shortage of candidates applying for available jobs. Human resource departments, often under severe budgetary pressures due to cost-cutting, find it […]
[…] 1000 applicants for 1 Job: 5 Tips to Getting Short-Listed Posted on February 6, 2012 by SF Bay Biorecruiter Have you seen Ira Wolfe’s blog How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? […]
[…] Have you seen Ira Wolfe’s blog How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? […]
As a follow-up to my original post, a client (a small accounting office) just called me with his recruitment outcome.
He received 70+ resumes from a Craig’s List ad. Out of all the applicants, 8 were selected for additional pre-employment screening. (Based on the 4.5 minutes it takes to review a resume, the owner took nearly 6 hours to narrow down the field.)
By the time he got around to contacting these finalists, 2 out of the 8 accepted employment elsewhere prior to interviewing with us; 1 out of 8 was disqualified because she did not respond to our calls and email to schedule an interview for more than one week. And 1 of the finalists scheduled an interview and did not show up or call.
As I inferred earlier, recruiting is no longer a straight-line journey with a starting and ending point set by the business. Finding qualified candidates is only a 1st step. Getting them to show up for interviews, accept your job offer, and stay put is another story.
I definitely agree. Working at a recruiting agency we go through similar situations every day, possibly several times per day. Some times its frustrating but it just takes the time to develop a special skill for identifying talent.
We know that the good match is not only the person with the best resume, but it’s also a matter of personality.
I invite you to visit our new blog http://www.css-llc.net/blog, where we write about the HR/recruiting industry.
[…] Have you seen Ira Wolfe’s blog How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? […]
[…] Have you seen Ira Wolfe’s blog How many job applicants does it take to find one qualified candidate? […]