What the best recruiters do differently

Relationship building more difficult

"In times of increased digitalization and AI recruiting, personal relationship-building is becoming particularly important in the competition for the right potentials," analyzes study director Agnes Koller. Compared to the previous year, however, there is a downward trend here: only a quarter of employers enable personal contact with recruiters via the website - 7 percentage points less than in the previous year. In online job ads, this figure is constant at 59 %. Responses to submitted applications are also less personal: 62 % of the letters contain an individual sender or a contact person for any queries (previous year: 66 %). There has also been a decline in appreciation: While the majority of application processes still include individually prepared CVs and letters of motivation, only 23 % of rejection letters acknowledge the effort put into the application (previous year: 28 %).

Job ads more informative

As often the first point of contact between employers and potential applicants, job ads tended to contain more relevant information this year: Around eight out of ten ads provide information about the type of employment, such as the specific workload or working hours (up 9 percentage points). Just under a quarter address remote working modalities in connection with the position (up 10 percentage points). "For many target groups, such administrative details represent a knock-out criterion in the choice of job. Their transparent communication therefore promotes self-selection and reduces the effort required in recruiting," emphasizes Agnes Koller.

Mobile application largely possible, but time-consuming

Career websites (99 %), job markets (97 %) and online job ads (94 %) are optimized for mobile devices almost across the board. Similarly, just under nine out of ten of the employers offer a mobile application option in principle (88 %). In practice, however, hurdles are often encountered: For example, 42 % of employers require the mandatory creation of an application account. An account can be advantageous for multiple applications for the same employer, but it discourages those who apply to more than one company and have to keep track of countless user accounts.

An analysis of further application transmission also reveals obstacles: About one-third of mobile application forms provide for more than 20 fields to be completed via smartphone. Conversely, only 2 % contain five fields or fewer. 

Authentically convey the reality of work

More and more people are attaching importance to recognizing the meaning in their work, to contributing something to an overriding goal, as Randstad's Work Barometer 2023 shows, for example. One-third of employers have already grasped this: They communicate the corporate purpose on their career website. One fifth integrate it directly into job advertisements.

"Potential applicants also want to know what everyday working life is actually like. This can be conveyed tangibly in the form of personal stories and experiences," explains study director Agnes Koller. "Companies are increasingly advertising flexible working hours, but everyone understands the general term to mean something different. Swiss employers are comparatively innovative here and, for example, use storytelling more frequently in connection with flexible working time models than Austrian ones (7 % vs. 4 %). 

Source: https://bestrecruiters.eu/

The Top 10 Employers in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein