Summary of the findings of ACE Research. ACE is a joint project between The Guardian and Barkers and stands for "Assessing the Candidate Experience" You can read more at www.aceresearch.co.uk

1. Assessing the
Candidate Experience
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2. Three key areas
1
The jobseeker
2
journey - when,
where and how
they look for jobs What differentiates
3
successful candidates
from the rest How they feel
about the job
hunting process
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3. The changing recruitment market:
10 years ago
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4. Recruitment now
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5. Why ACE?
• Find out what jobseekers want
• Follow the jobseeker journey
• Gain insight into successful candidates
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6. ACE methodology
• Online survey on guardianjobs.co.uk:
over 3,000 respondents
• Email follow up survey: almost 1,000 respondents
• Six focus groups in London and Manchester
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7. What ACE can do for you
• Influence job design and
recruitment offering
• Inform creative approach to
your communication
• Aid effective media planning
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8. What ACE can do for you
• Influence job design and
recruitment offering Enhance candidate
attraction and promote
• Inform creative approach to your position as an
your communication employer of choice
• Aid effective media planning www.aceresearch.co.uk
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9. Agenda
• Job hunting behaviour
• What jobseekers want
• The application process
• Views on the job hunting process
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10. Job hunting
behaviour
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11. The average jobseeker
Optimistic
Career
advancement
£28,000
Degree +
No interviews
3 years 6 job
in role applications
Job alerts
Uploaded
CV
Looking for
4 months
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12. What turns passives into actives?
Why are you looking for a new job?
Base: All respondents
50
45
40
35
30
% 25
20
15
10
5
0
To advance To earn For better Not happy with For a change
my career more money training current role in career
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13. What turns passives into actives?
ª
ª we have a meeting
about once a year
I like the role, and that’s my
but I’m kind of appraisal, although
already thinking this year she didn’t
of the next step do it
º º
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14. Jobseeking behaviour has changed
Where did you find your current job?
Base: in current role 2 years+
1 Friends, family, word of mouth
2 National newspaper advertisements
3 Recruitment consultancies
4 Job site listings
5 Local newspaper advertisements
6 Trade press advertisements
7 Organisations’ own websites
8 Speculative applications
9 Internal bulletin board/employer intranet
10 Trade organisation’s website
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15. Jobseeking behaviour has changed
Where did you find your current job? Where did you start your job hunting?
Base: in current role 2 years+ Base: in current role 2 years+
1 Friends, family, word of mouth  Job site listings
2 National newspaper advertisements – National newspaper advertisements
3 Recruitment consultancies  Organisations’ own websites
4 Job site listings  Search engines
5 Local newspaper advertisements Recruitment consultancies

6 Trade press advertisements Local newspaper advertisements

7 Organisations’ own websites Friends, family, word of mouth

8 Speculative applications  Internal bulletin board/employer intranet
9 Internal bulletin board/employer intranet Trade press advertisements

10 Trade organisation’s website – Trade organisation’s website
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16. The journey continues
Text
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17. ACEs
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18. ACEs Chasers
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19. Introducing the ACEs
Decisiveness
Pro-activity
Themes Optimism
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20. The power of positive thinking
Text
ACEs: 61%
more like
ly to be
very opti
mistic
about fin
ding
a job
Source: @

21. ª
the best advice I
could give is not to
Pro-activity breeds success stick to one method.
If it isn’t working, try
something else
ACEs are: º
ACE
9%
more likely to
register for job 17%
alerts more likely to
have uploaded
25%
a CV more likely to use
more than five
sources
42%
55%
more likely to use
recruitment
consultancies
more likely to send
speculative
applications
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22. The key to finding the ACEs
Experience of job hunting sources used
Base: Used and found useful/very useful
100
90
ACEs
80
Chasers
70
60
% 50
40
30
20
10
0
Job sites Organisations’ National Employer Trade press Networking Recruitment Local press Speculative
own sites press intranets consultancies applications
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23. Discerning ª
jobseekers I prefer to browse
jobs than to search,
I don’t want to
narrow my options
down too much
º
ª Chaser
I was very very
specific about what I
was looking for
º
Chaser
ACE
Chaser
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24. Be seen in the right places
ACE
s s 4 mo
o nth nths
rs 7m
e
C has
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25. ª
I’m actually working
Tell them who you are for less money now,
but it’s being made up
for by the quality of
Important factors when choosing an employer to work for the company
Base: all respondents º
ACE
100
90
80
70
% 60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Good company/ Friendly Location Equality of Quality training
organisation people opportunity
culture
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26. Tell them what they want to know
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27. Tell them what they want to know
Job description
85%
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28. Tell them what they want to know
Salary 76%
Job description
85%
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29. Tell them what they want to know
Salary 76% Location 66%
Job description
85%
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30. Tell them what they want to know
Salary 76% Location 66%
Skills 61% Job description
85%
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31. Tell them what they want to know
Salary 76% Location 66%
Skills 61% Job description
85%
Qualifications
required 38%
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32. Tell them what they want to know
ª
I don’t like that
ª ads are so shy
about salary. It’s
ads aren’t specific not a dirty word
at times, they seem
very vague, like º
anyone can apply Chaser
º
??????
ACE
??
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33. Tell them upfront
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34. Tell them upfront
Job ad/
listing
location
job title
salary
qualifications
skills
personal qualities
working hours
equal opportunities
info about the
organisation
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35. Tell them upfront
Job ad/ Application
listing
location size of the
job title organisation
salary holiday entitlement
qualifications CSR policy
skills
personal qualities
working hours
equal opportunities
info about the
organisation

36. Tell them upfront
Job ad/ Application Interview
listing
location size of the career prospects
job title organisation bonus details
salary holiday entitlement training
qualifications CSR policy benefits
skills
personal qualities
working hours
equal opportunities
info about the
organisation

37. Tell them upfront
Job ad/ Application Interview Job offer
listing
location size of the career prospects everything about job
job title organisation bonus details and organisation
salary holiday entitlement training
qualifications CSR policy benefits
skills
personal qualities
working hours
equal opportunities
info about the
organisation

38. The CV is king
What is your preferred method of applying for jobs?
60
50
40 ACEs
Chasers
%
30
20
10
0
Email CV Online Email CV to Paper application Send CV by post
to employer application recruitment form
form consultancy
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39. The ACE job
2 intervie
w
a month s
Apply for
8 jobs
a month
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40. The ACE job
Found out about
it on a job site
ied
6 5% appl
directly
to the
r
employe
2 intervie
w
a month s
Apply for
8 jobs
a month
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41. Could have been better informed
Salary
Hours
Benefits
The role
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42. Delivering what it says on the tin
Reasons for not accepting offers
Base: all who have turned down offers
60
50
40
% 30
20
10
0
Terms and Role and Waiting for Job didn’t Did not want
conditions responsibilities other offers match the to relocate
description
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43. Delivering what it says on the tin
ª
the whole point of
ª looking for a job is to
be offered one. But
they seem very that doesn’t mean you
vague, like anyone
can apply
have to accept it ª
º º I realised that the
Chaser pay didn’t really
ACE match the job
º
ACE
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44. acebook ª
finding someone
who works there
Growth of social networking on Facebook would
be creepy
6% º
5.12% Chaser
4% ª
I tell everyone,
they might be
able to help
2%
º
ACE
0%
Dec Apr Aug Dec Apr Aug Dec Apr Aug Dec
‘05 ‘06 ‘06 ‘06 ‘07 ‘07 ‘07 ‘08 ‘08 ‘08
Source: Hitwise Dec 05 - Dec 08, Facebook, MySpace and
LinkedIn, market share in visits across all categories. @

45. Job hunting: the positives
• The ease of online
jobseeking
• The value of job alerts
• Positive personal
experience
• Networking and
word of mouth
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46. The ease of online jobseeking ª
easier to search
for the kind of jobs
I’m looking for
ª º
Chaser
saves so
much time
º
ª ACE
very convenient
to store your CV
º
Chaser
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47. Positive personal experience ª
there is something
to learn at every
ª attempt
I’ve learned º
about myself Chaser
in this process
ª º
I’ve come to
ACE
realise my worth
º
Chaser
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48. The value of job alerts
ª
I search on salary
first because you
ª can define it
keeping me º
updated on ACE
new vacancies
ª º
I found Chaser
email alerts
very useful
º
ACE
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49. Word of mouth ª
the most positive
experience is
the networking
possibilities
ª º
ACE
friends and
word of mouth
ª
are effective useful to have
º a pool of people
who might have
ACE some information
º
Chaser
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50. Job hunting: the frustrations
• Application forms
• Lack of response and
feedback from employers
• Lack of relevant information
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51. Application forms
ª
without a
doubt the most
frustrating part
of the process
º
ª ACE
a job in
themselves!
ª º
they drive Chaser
me nuts!
º
ACE
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52. Lack of response
and feedback ª
just an email
would be fine...
but hearing
nothing, that’s
ª not right!
never heard the
outcome despite
º
ACE
3 follow-up
emails
ª º
not getting back Chaser
to me, even if
it’s to say ‘no
thanks’
º
ACE
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53. Lack of information ª
not being told
the salary in
advance
ª º
ACE
lack of detail in
some job adverts
º
ª Chaser
non-specific
job descriptions
using nonsense
terminology
º
ACE
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54. What about the hard
to reach browser?
Use of job hunting tools (%)
Average
Browser
Started search with Registered for job Uploaded CV
recruitment consultancies alerts
55 44 67 53 60 37
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55. Finding the browsers
Use of job hunting tools (%)
Job sites Average
Browser
94 71 National newspapers
Trade press
19 14
41 32
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56. Finding the browsers
Use of job hunting tools (%)
Job sites Average
Browser
94 71 National newspapers
Trade press
19 14
41 32
Browsers prefer press for:
raising an careers
browsing finding
organisation’s news
jobs quality
profile
jobs
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57. Summary
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58. Summary
• Be clear in your job offering
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59. Summary
• Be clear in your job offering
• Multi platform approach
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60. Summary
• Be clear in your job offering
• Multi platform approach
• Communication and feedback
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61. Summary
• Be clear in your job offering
• Multi platform approach
• Communication and feedback
• ACE attraction
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62. Assessing the
Candidate Experience
@ www.aceresearch.co.uk