Yes, HR is challenged by the shortage of skilled workers – but today, companies even struggle to find any employees in general. At the same time, nearly 70 % of all surveyed employees seek a new job voluntarily. Not just any job – but a better job and with a better employer.

2,196 study participants gave insights to:

• what reasons make employees look for a new job,
• how long the phase is between first doubts and an application for a new job,
• and whether this new situation depends on the level of education or work experience.

And employers? Everything remains the same.

47.9 % of respondents would have liked to stay with their employer. Appreciation or a higher salary could have prevented them from quitting. The other half, however, had already given up hope that the employer would ever address their wishes or points of criticism.

In the first part, we analysed the characteristics of the entry points into the candidate journey, such as the career website, job ads or Google for Jobs, and the impact of employer ratings. Part 2 of the study deals with the process of applications. It reveals how fast processes have become a habit and therefore changed the expectations of candidates towards the definition of a good application process.

Not all channels are the same!

In addition, our respondents gave insights into which elements are essential to them on which channel – and convincing for an application. Big knowledge gained: You should not handle all channels equally. Depending on the entry point, applicants want different information and topics.

Download our free study and find out what convinces applicants. In addition to the analysis, we have included three concrete recommendations for action for you to be able to create the perfect candidate journey.

17.8% – that’s how many new employees quit their job in the first 100 days. In our 2018 study “Probation Period for Employers” (currently only available in German), only 11.6 % of new employees thought of taking this step. A significant increase, considering the uncertain circumstances due to the Corona pandemic. How does a good induction process look, and how can it be implemented?

2,160 respondents give feedback to:

• what job seekers want to know about onboarding before the first interview,
• how the behavior of managers can negatively impact the onboarding process,
• and whether new employees prefer virtual onboarding.

“I’m out of here!“

Already in 2018, a good onboarding process was crucial for the satisfaction and retention of new recruits. With increasing job offers and significantly lower demand, onboarding is even more critical than it was a few years ago. If candidates are frustrated because of an unsuccessful onboarding period, they quickly jump ship again – after all, there are plenty of other attractive offers!

Therefore, if an employer does not want to invest all its recruiting resources in constantly filling positions, they have to start thinking of onboarding as part of recruiting process.

Find out in our free paper, what a successful onboarding looks like and what applicants expect from employers.

• What do applicants expect in application processes in terms of speed?
• What do they expect at job interviews and introductory conversations?
• What puts applicants off when they apply – and what convinces them?

In the third part of the study, you can read how different starting points for the job search affect the candidate’s journey.

The application process is part of your message to applicants.

The results reveal: Real content is the key. Authentic communication is convincing – including, for example, application processes, introductory conversations, content on job ads, and career pages.

Based on the answers, we give seven concrete recommendations for action for employers.

In the first and second parts of our study, we have shown how important candidates find the application process and their future place of work. However, we have not looked at the impact of the corona pandemic on the working environment. How should managers lead employees through virtual meetings in the future, what skills do they still lack, and do applicants and HR managers view this similarly?

The respondents (3,561 applicants, 251 HR managers) provided information about:

• their managers and their competencies and deficits,
• the influence of leaders on the mental health of employees,
• and potential measures to prepare leadership for future challenges.

Fire or Hire – what do applicants think?

Many applicants favor replacing current leadership with new leadership or dispensing them entirely. HR doesn’t is as stringent and counts on training programmes for managers.

We looked at whether applicants have already accepted the new normal after the corona pandemic. How is the job search of candidates affected by the possibility of remote work, how do candidates deal with digital application processes and interviews, and how this changed candidates’ expectations of New Work?

3,561 participants give insight to:

• what impact location-independent jobs have had on their job search,
• what they expect from the digitization of application processes and virtual interviews and
• how the expectations towards their future employer changed.

But how about HR managers? What do they think about this development? We also took a comparative look at their answers and assessments.

Applicants one step ahead

It turns out that during the pandemic, applicants have quickly adapted to the new world of work with online job interviews. However, they’ve also adjusted their employer preferences. Now HR managers have to adapt and meet the new expectations.

After looking at the changed application processes in the first part of our study, we now asked job seekers how they imagine the new working world. We wanted to know how they will structure their everyday office life, what further training is essential, and what challenges there will be in health management if the future employee only works from home

What do HR managers and job seekers say about:

• a flexible mixture of office and home office,
• how health management will be handled in the future and
• which training offers are necessary for home office.

They knew what was coming…

HR managers have already recognized that training measures are required for the home office. Companies should adopt health and facility management and the work organization to the new reality. However, only the smallest portion of HR managers have implemented these measures.

Applicants are also online consumers and users, so our study not only sheds light on whether applicants prefer to apply on mobile or via their desktop PC, but also on what the basic usage behaviour of devices and applications is.

6,264 applicants gave us answers on the following topics:

• How often they use online applications
• Their preferred use of devices such as smartphones or notebooks
• Which devices they favour for the job search as well as the application

“System error – all over again”

Applicants shop online and have their food delivered with one click – so they are used to user-optimised interfaces. Applicants should not be discouraged from applying by a cumbersome application process. It’s time for HR to adapt to digitally fit applicants!

Part 1: Entry points, own media, employer ratings

This first part is about entry points into the candidate journey, career websites, job ads and the impact of employer ratings. How do candidates currently experience the digital job search and application process? We conducted screen-based A/B tests with 6,720 applicants. The results provide meaningful insights into what is currently happening in the job market.

The study deals in detail with

• Entry points into the candidate journey,
• the successful creation of job ads and career websites, and
• the application hurdles in employer evaluations.
• The second part of the study deals with candidate perceptions of application processes. Part 3 deals with the impact of different starting points on the Candidate Journey.

Job candidates use different ways to look for a new job. Some apply via job portals, others swear by employers’ career sites. But even if the paths are different, the needs of applicants are, all in all, very similar. Employers do well to meet these needs – for example, in the form of transparent salary information or employer ratings.

Realistic A/B tests for reliable results

We conducted realistic A/B tests with our participants and developed concrete, data-based indications of success drivers for recruiting processes. Find out, among other things, why job ads are still highly vital, how different employer videos work depending on the context, why you might want to publish concrete salary information in your job offers and actively manage employer reviews.

Google for Jobs boosts importance of online channels

Google is now one of the top 3 channels candidates use to search for jobs. Google for Jobs lists the most relevant search results neatly separated from other content. One click on the included link and the candidate lands on the related job ad, which they can use to apply. This can be placed on a job board, but also on a career site. This increases the visibility of job ads in the search engine immensely.

In the recruiting world, however, this raises questions:

• Will this fundamentally change the search behaviour of candidates?
• Does Google for Jobs mean the end of established job boards?
• And: What do employers have to do so that their job ads are found well

Based on a survey of around 2,700 applicants, we have devoted ourselves to answering these questions. In our study you will find the evaluation of the survey as well as qualitative tips and advice from the applicants. In addition, we give seven concrete instructions for the use of online channels for candidate search.

Conclusion: Companies should actively cultivate online channels

Google for Jobs bridges the sometimes confusing diversity of the more than 300 German job portals. Companies should therefore continue to use these. In addition, our study shows that maintaining one’s own career site is becoming even more important as it is the second most frequently used channel for job seekers. In addition, companies should have search engine optimisation and Google Ads for job ads on their radar.