• Generation Z is entering the workforce. But why are they not turning up for interviews?

• What are the media and software recruitment influences that shape our career path choices?

• Jaguar Land Rover announces job cuts. How will this impact a slowing manufacturing recruitment space?

Why are young professionals dropping out of the hiring process?

One in five Generation-Z Applicants quit the hiring process

A study of young professionals has found a staggering drop-out rate among job applicants.

A report by Oleeo and MyKindaFuture found that almost one fifth (18 per cent) of the under-23 (‘Generation Z’) age bracket was likely to quit any given recruitment process. The fail rate remained high even when the candidate was offered a position. The fail rate is likely to concern both recruiters and their clients.

cost to clients is more than money

An average talent search costs upwards of £5,000 per placement. Selecting the right candidate for skills and cultural fit can be a long and arduous process. If that process must then be repeated almost immediately, the cost of recruitment becomes prohibitively expensive.

But there is a reputational cost, too. The Oleeo report found that just three per cent of Generation Z applications result in a successful placement. This leave 97 per cent of these social media-savvy candidates potentially unhappy with the recruitment experience – and more willing than ever to air their grievances.

And that single post to social media may cause serious and lasting reputational damage to a client.

The report emphasises the importance of thorough screening of candidates in the hiring process. It is a factor which clients value most in a trusted recruiter.

Charles Hipps, CEO and Founder of Oleeo, said:

“Generation Z demand a different kind of relationship with organisations.

“In a digital and relationship-centric era they expect to build a personal connection with potential employers in order to decide where to apply, and which offers to accept. With this generation used to using up to six screens at any one time, these relationships need to be developed across multiple platforms.

“Added to this, Gen Z expect information to be hyper relevant to them. For employers recruiting large numbers of young people, that’s an incredible mix of demands to meet, which is why technology is so important.”

Software Recruitment and High Tech Solutions

Mr Hipps’ commentary offers a few insights into expectations customers have of their recruiters in the modern jobs market. These expectations include some degree of marketing and recruitment automation.

Young professionals enjoy tailored content which is presented to them through algorithms. If your recruitment processes are less precision targeting and more “cast the net wide”, you may be doing more harm than good. Instead, an agile recruiter will be able to use automation tools to send high volume communications to candidates which fit the job description exactly.

If just one inappropriate candidate makes a shortlist, it increases the risk of reputational damage if they are rejected at an early stage. Worse: it increases costs and reduces the return on investment that your agency is offering, if they enter the interview process, but drop out before completion.

Screening is, therefore, one of the top considerations for agencies when choosing their recruitment software. A recruitment database can provide a fast, accurate overview of candidate reliability. Use the tools in your possession, or you are putting clients’ hiring budgets at risk.

Smart recruitment software will also protect your processes against calls of unconscious bias. The survey detected recurrent disparities in the fortunes of jobseekers from different demographics.

37.1 per cent of Generation Z women were expected to attend university; just 27.3 per cent of young male candidates required higher education.
Similarly, just 15 per cent of spaces on graduate schemes were claimed by black and hispanic candidates. White and Asian applicants took 85 per cent of graduate vacancies.

Television Choices: How a new generation works

New research confirms it: your viewing habits could be affecting your career choices.

Did you watch Bandersnatch over the Christmas holiday period? The episode of the Netflix series Black Mirror offered a novel experience: letting viewers decide the outcome of the story. But, when the roles are reversed, how does television influence our choices?

Some of the most popular TV shows are those which follow a specific profession – either as reality, or drama. Are these programmes subtly shaping the career choices made by millions of people? They are – and perhaps more than we would like to admit – according to one new recruitment industry survey.

This week, recruitment industry giants Reed published their findings into what influences our career choices. Their survey of more than 1,000 young professionals found that television and streaming sites were among the most powerful factors in shaping the jobs we look for. So what can we learn about future recruitment trends from the viewing habits of our candidates?

Is television your best recruitment tool?

Services and hospitality are the big winners from the cool factor of TV. An abundance of cooking shows appears to have encouraged many into the sector – with the Great British Bake Off named the most popular.

Police soap opera The Bill was seen as an influencer on career choices – despite being cancelled nine years ago.

More frightening than an episode of Black Mirror, however, is the revelation that BBC’s The Apprentice is the most influential programme for jobseekers.

The show, which transforms a group of sharp-suited young professionals into incompetent clowns before our very eyes, is seen as a vital lesson in job seeking by many.

But there is actually an important point here. The format of the show has helped to popularise the idea of recruitment gamification – turning hiring into a series of contests. As we learn to engage the latest intake of young professionals, perhaps we would be wrong to dismiss ideas taken from popular reality shows?

The programmes which most often influence jobseekers’ career choices are:

1. The Apprentice.
2. Dragons’ Den.
3. CSI.
4. Casualty.
5. Love Island.
6. The Bill.
7. The Crown.
8. Sex & the City.
9. X Factor.
10. The Great British Bake Off.

And the professions which have received the biggest boost to their popularity from television are:

1. Business
2. Law
3. Sales
4. Science
5. Media
6. Acting
7. Marketing
8. Design
9. Project Management
10. Food / Hospitality

Laura Holden of Reed UK said: “The depiction of careers on TV, such as business, law and sales can make them popular career choices. TV plays a bigger part in our career choices and aspirations than we’d like to admit.”

Jaguar Land Rover cuts 4,500 UK jobs

Car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will cut 4,500 UK jobs, it was revealed this week.

The announcement comes one week after we reported in our recruitment news that UK manufacturing is facing a hiring slowdown.

The news arrives following disappointing sales and anxiety over a no-deal Brexit.

China – the brand’s top performing territory – reported a 6 per cent fall in sales since 2017. While overall car purchases fell in China, JLR saw a 50% drop in sales in the final quarter of 2018.

A wider slump in sales of diesel vehicles hit the manufacturer disproportionately: 90 per cent of its current range is diesel models.

JLR’s CEO Ralph Speth said that a no deal brexit would cost the Just-In-Time manufacturer £1.2bn, through the loss of its frictionless supply chains

Jaguar Land Rover had already shed 1,000 workers since the Brexit Referendum. In the final quarter of 2018, it placed a further thousand members of staff on a limited, three-day week.

At the same time, JLR will re-locate production of its Discovery brand to Slovakia – with the creation of 2,000 jobs.

JLR currently boasts 44,000 members of staff in the UK. The newly-announced cuts will form part of a wider, £2.5 billion restructuring. It is expected that roles in management, administration, and marketing will be among the first to go.

Crucially, manufacturing, design, and engineering positions appear to have been saved. The decision suggests that the company has an eye on a sustainable future for the brand.

The automotive industry faces profound changes from new technology, set to transform bost production and products. Advanced automation is redefining job roles within the sector. Hybrid and electric vehicles – and self-driving vehicles – are also set to re-shape the marketplace.