Delayed or non-existent feedback, an overly complicated application process or excessively high requirements set by HR departments – flaws in internal processes often make it difficult to fill vacancies quickly. These problems are well known, but are too rarely addressed proactively.
Given the shortage of skilled workers – which, for some occupational groups, is already reaching considerable proportions in some cases – one would actually expect companies to pull out all the stops to fill positions critical to their success as quickly as possible. Yet in many cases, the word „actually“ is also the key term that describes the failure of these efforts. „Actually, we ought to be coordinating much more closely with the specialist department“, „Actually, the candidate should be receiving our contract offer as soon as possible“, ‘Actually, we ought to be building up a pool of applicants’. Every experienced HR professional knows how important internal processes are for successful recruitment, yet in practice it is precisely these internal procedures that are not managed as effectively as they should be.
A lack of feedback is the main point of criticism
According to a reader survey conducted by the jobs and recruitment portal Karrierebibel.de*, job applicants are particularly frustrated by receiving no response at all, or only a very late one, to their application or interview. Just under 23 per cent of participants said they never heard from the company again after applying. 13.5 per cent of those surveyed received no feedback after their interview.
Other points of criticism include a lack of transparency regarding why the application was unsuccessful (18 per cent) and the fact that the position in question is re-advertised after the rejection (just under 10 per cent). All of this demonstrates a lack of respect for applicants and ultimately damages both the image and the recruitment efforts of the company in question.
Threat to new recruits
A recent study by the recruitment agency Robert Half** also confirms that recruitment processes take too long and that candidates are being lost as a result. The reasons for this lie, on the one hand, in processes that are too cumbersome and, on the other, in the increased expectations of candidates. Over half of the CFOs surveyed in the study (55 per cent) agree that candidates have become more impatient. This is because most candidates have several options available to them through multiple applications and therefore have a choice.
„The consequence: lengthy recruitment processes jeopardise the quality of new hires,“ the study states. Put simply, this means that if companies taking on staff wait too long to make a decision, the best candidates will have moved on in the meantime and, in the worst-case scenario, the search will have to start all over again.
About the author
After completing his degree in Automotive Engineering and Industrial Engineering, he began his career in the automotive industry in the fields of sales, development and marketing, and also spent a year in Japan working for one of the largest automotive suppliers.
He then moved to a world-renowned premium car manufacturer, where he served as a marketing officer responsible for product marketing in Japan and South America, and as a marketing officer responsible for marketing strategy in North and South America.
In 1994, he decided to set up his own business and founded a recruitment consultancy in Munich, which he has been developing and expanding for over 20 years. As managing director, his main areas of focus are, naturally, the automotive sector and mechanical and plant engineering.
His PhD in the field of aptitude assessment perfectly complements his areas of expertise, particularly with regard to HR and management consultancy. His thesis focuses on identifying and demonstrating typical personality traits among engineers, as well as defining areas for development to ensure a successful career.
These are scientifically derived and presented in the book *Aptitude Testing in Practice*.
At the same time, his focus is on building networks and cooperation models, as well as the ongoing development of systems and processes in HR consultancy.
Over the past 20 years in the field of HR consultancy, he has developed several brands that continue to operate successfully in the market to this day.
