TimesJobs Study: Companies not Responding to Job Applicants Risk Losing Talent Forever

NEW DELHI, February 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

48% India Inc. Employees say They Send out 10-20 Job Applications a Month but Organizations Apparently Only Respond to Applicants who are Shortlisted - Leaving a Massive Talent Pool of Disgruntled Candidates 

Organizations may feel deluged by job applications but today's candidates expect some form of acknowledgment or response on their applications, even if they haven't been accepted, shows a study by TimesJobs.com.

TimesJobs' study tracked the job-seeking experience of over 1,100 candidates, a whopping 86% of whom said they did not get any response or explanation from the recruiter or HR department for job applications that were not accepted. While only 70% said they received official responses on their job applications only when their profiles were shortlisted.

This way, almost 80% of the surveyed India Inc. workforce feels that organizations at large are not responsive and inconsiderate towards job applicants. This sentiment is more evident among IT, automobile and retail sector employees, with over 70% of them considering most organizations as 'inconsiderate' when it comes to valuing job applicants.

While this sentiment may not be a matter of significance for organizations, it is of big significance for candidates, many of whom are so put off by the lack of response that they vow never to apply in that company again.

"A rejected job-applicant is like a spurned suitor - and must be dealt with tactfully and quickly. We live in an era where job seekers have real-time information access. For instance, TimesJobs' 'Job Insights' shows candidates how many others have viewed and applied for a job along with demographic breakups of the applicants. Not receiving feedback on their applications is not what these well-informed professionals expect from organizations today. You may not just lose their personal interest, but in turn, they may spread their disappointment among their peers with negative word-of-mouth about your company," explains Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com.

The TimesJobs study revealed that 55% candidates would not apply again to an organization that had not responded to their previous job applications. While 54% say they will only consider applying again if they receive some kind of acknowledgement to their previous application.

However, in terms of experience - 60% junior level employees admit they will continue to apply again even if the company does not acknowledge, respond to their applications. But 55% middle-level employees and 41% senior-level employees say they will apply again only if the company responds to their previous application even if they have been rejected.

Gender-wise analysis of the study shows that close to 60% male and 48% female employees will apply again if the company acknowledges and responds to their applications, even if they have been rejected. 

The TimesJobs study clearly shows organizations often underestimate the impact of a job application experience in fulfilling future talent needs and on the organization's brand as an employer. However, there are exceptions, like Vanshika Munjal, an IT professional working with a top IT services company. 

"Recently, I submitted applications in five organizations. Two responded with personalized messages regretting they won't be able to take my candidature forward but will get in touch for any future openings. It felt nice. I would definitely try my luck with them again," said Vanishka.

Vanshika is not alone. Over 60% professionals across India Inc. continue to highly value organizations that make a point to respond to job applications.

Manish Verma, a senior recruiter with a leading manufacturing company adds, "I have been on both sides of the hiring process. And because I know how it feels when you don't get a response to your job application, I make it a point to reply to applicants even if we are not considering their entry for the applied position. There is simply no excuse for not respecting the time a candidate has invested in applying to a particular job at your organisation."

About TimesJobs.com:  

TimesJobs.com, India's leading career and recruitment portal, is one of the best-selling online ventures of the Times of India Group. Conceived and launched in 2004, TimesJobs.com currently has a candidate database of more than 25 million registered job-seekers across levels and functions who clock-in over 60 million page views a month.

TimesJobs.com is positioning itself as an engagement platform and knowledge resource for insights, information, analysis and opinions on the recruitment market. Well-known for its product innovations and unmatched deliverables, TimesJobs.com has pioneered the platforms of:

- JobBuzz.in for candidate engagement with company reviews and ratings

- TechGig.com as India's leading IT network for careers, coding and competitions

- StepAhead for career assessment and enhancement services

- RecruiteX as the definitive demand and supply recruitment index

- The TJinsite knowledge series and a lot more.

TimesJobs.com serves a corporate customer base of more than 25,000 clients from across the globe. It has been serving clients like HCL, IBM, Yamaha, Godrej, HSBC, Mahindra, Bajaj Allianz, TCS and Thomson Reuters to name a few.

Media Contact:
Aseem Seth
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Times Business Solutions - A Division of Times Internet Ltd.
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