Disconnect Between Job Seeker and Employer Expectations

Today, TalentDrive, an online resume aggregation search engine, released the results from its “Job Market Perceptions” survey. The findings uncover a widening gap between current employers’ expectations and job seekers’ actual skill sets. The survey was conducted to get a better understanding of current job seekers’ perceptions of their own skill sets compared to expectations held by hiring managers. Are candidates’ skills and employer requirements aligned? Results uncover key “skill gaps” between the two groups.

79,000 job seekers (86% considered to be actively seeking employment) were asked to assess their personal skill set and attitude toward the current job market. The results:

71% were pessimistic about their career search, feeling they possessed the required skill set but were not getting hired
37% were extremely frustrated, with no hope for improvement in sight
34% unhappy with the environment, but starting to see signs of improvement

Employers were then asked if they had noticed a change in the quality of candidates since the recession’s start. The results: 42% of employers indicated that the recession had not only increased the quantity of candidates, but in fact they are finding more qualified candidates than in years past. These two results seem to contradict one another…

Taking into consideration the possibility that job seekers were not interviewing, it was surprising to see that 73% of those surveyed have had five or more interviews per month since beginning their job search. 75% of these job seekers have not received a single job offer.

Some things for consideration:

Poor interviewing skills – perhaps candidates need more education on how to properly present their skills on an interview. This is something at which we, as recruitment professionals, and dare I say candidate coaches, should all be proficient.
Desperate times – often when a candidate needs a job, this can come across in an interview and make them seem desperate. This, again, something that we can, and should, coach them on.
Specialized vs. Broad skill set – 71 % of employers reported that more than half of their open positions were “specialized”. 61% of respondents consider themselves to be a “professional with a broad skill set” as opposed to specialized in their field.

The odd portrait this paints is one of a happy employer, who is starting to see hiring picking back up, and an unhappy job seeker, who has been on several interviews without receiving any job offers. One could conclude that at this point in time that specialization in a skill is more important than generalization for interviewing for and being offered a job.

The second section of the survey drilled down to see how employers were finding candidates. Were candidates putting themselves in the right places for employers to find them and vice versa? Finally, the two groups were in agreement.

Online sources led the pack for both job seekers and employers:

74% of job seekers said the most beneficial job search method was posting a resume on job boards
27% believe that utilizing social media is best, surpassing more traditional methods including classified ads, professional recruiters and networking events

27% of employers agree, with the highest response for most effective search method being social networks, followed by resume sourcing technologies.

In summary, the survey found these key take-aways:

71% of employers say that more than half of their open positions are “specialized”
61% of job seekers surveyed consider themselves to have a “broad skill-set” rather than “specialized in their field”
73% of job seekers have had more than 5 interviews per month since starting their job search, with over 75% receiving zero offers
Most effective hiring tool—Social Media sites according to both job seekers and employers

20,000 Hiring Managers from F1000 Companies and 79,000 Job Seekers received the survey. This survey was conducted online between June 15th, 2010 and July 15th, 2010.

I find it interesting that job seekers now believe that surfing social networks and other passive job search activities are better methods than utilizing professional recruiters, career coaches, or attending in-person networking events. If these are the most effective tools as declared by both parties, why is there still such a big disconnect? An ironic observation when looking back through the survey results. Perhaps job seekers have become arrogant in their search efforts, thinking that no external input or coaching is needed. What do you think? Share your thoughts on these findings below.