In today's competitive job market, employers report that attracting quality candidates is their top challenge (in the context of hiring informed candidates) which is causing businesses to rethink what makes for an effective recruiting strategy.  Glassdoor, one of the world's largest job sites,  released new data which reveals that tactics to recruit passive candidates are less effective, with three in four (76 percent) reporting a concern or challenge in attracting and hiring  passive candidates as they have grown wary of contact through networking sites such as LinkedIn and respond at a much lower rate.

"Recruiting strategies of the past are no longer enough to attract today's candidates who are more informed than ever before thanks to transparency and more company information available online," said Carmel Galvin, CHRO at Glassdoor. "Now that recruiting is more of a two-way street, the major challenge for employers is attracting quality job seekers. These informed candidates are well-researched, engaged, can reduce time to hire and result in more productive employees. Recruiters and hiring managers know that when a candidate recognizes who the company is, what the company is about and what it offers, that the recruiting process gets a whole lot easier."

Informed Candidates Can Significantly Impact All Stages of Talent Lifecycle

The research shows that informed candidates save valuable time throughout the hiring process, reducing costs and improving the interview experience. The top benefits of interviewing informed candidates, according to hiring decision makers are: improved candidate experience (38 percent); reduced time to hire (34 percent); and improved hiring manager satisfaction (34 percent). Once hired, informed candidates are seen as having a positive impact on employee retention and engagement. The top benefits of hiring an informed candidate are: better employee retention (42 percent); plus, a more productive (42 percent) and more engaged (41 percent) employee.

Increased Drive to Get Informed Candidates the Information They Are Looking For

Those surveyed in Glassdoor's research recognize that candidates want a wide range of information in order to make a decision about where to go to work. According to hiring decision makers, the top influences on whether a candidate joins their organization is salary and compensation (48 percent of those surveyed), company culture (37 percent) and company reputation/ employer brand (36 percent).

The data shows that hiring decision makers are increasing their investment in employer branding to help ensure candidates have pertinent details about their company and culture to attract informed candidates. More than one in three (35 percent) will increase their investment in employer branding over the next 12 months. These same hiring decision makers are also turning to employees as a valuable channel for sharing information about open jobs and work experiences. Nearly two in five (39 percent) will increase their investment in employee engagement over the same time period.

When candidates know a brand, it is easier to recruit. Three quarters (75 percent) of hiring decision makers say it is easier to attract top talent when those candidates know about the brand. A separate study² by Glassdoor amongst employees and job seekers backs this up: two thirds (65 percent) of Glassdoor users surveyed are more likely to respond to a recruiter from a company that they recognize than from a company they don't recognise.

"Today's candidate isn't just looking for a job; they typically want their work to have purpose and their employer to share similar values. They are looking for the right company as much as they are staying away from the wrong ones. Hiring decision makers know what it takes to hire candidates and they're using that knowledge to help fuel strategies that recruit these informed candidates. The key is enabling communication about your employment offerings through a broad set of channels," added Galvin.