Search.co.uk calls for improved treatment of job seekers

Leading online jobs advertising website Search.co.uk says the online recruitment procedures of many organisations are failing to treat job applicants with enough respect.

“A group of Scottish job seekers told me recently that they don’t expect a response any more when they apply for job vacancies advertised on most job advertising websites and most of their past applications weren’t even acknowledged. In fact, on average only 1 in 5 of recent online job applications resulted in any type of response.

That is a pretty sad indictment of those employer advertisers and their attitude to applicants. There is no excuse for not acknowledging job applications and keeping applicants informed at the key stages of the recruitment process,” says Peter Gillespie, Managing Director of Search.co.uk.

”With all the recent discussion about employer branding, it makes even less sense to create a group of disaffected applicants with a poor impression of your process and your regard for their effort in applying to them. People place more value on what employers do rather than what they say, and so ultimately employers get the reputation they deserve.”

“There’s no excuse as current online response management tools mean it can be as easy as clicking a button for an employer to acknowledge and respond appropriately to an application. So, why don’t more employers do it?

We’ve built openness, ease of use and transparency into all our own online response management processes for advertisers on Search.co.uk. To do otherwise is unfair on job seekers and reflects badly on the employers.”

Gillespie says that most organisations will tell you that their employees are their most important asset. If that’s the case, shouldn’t they be treated accordingly right from the very start?

“Job descriptions in many advertisements are also poorly worded. This leads both to applications from people who are not appropriate for vacancies and to well-qualified candidates deciding not to apply because they don’t understand the job requirements,” says Gillespie.

He recognises that some of the problems arise from the current strain on HR departments which are often being squeezed at the same time as they have additional pressure arising from cutbacks in other areas of the business. Bad recruitment procedures, however, can only add to the strain on an organisation.

In the current economic climate ‘running lean’ is the secret of success. That means every employee and, therefore, every new recruit has to have not just the capability and skills but the motivation to maximise their performance within the organisation.

Recruitment processes should focus on more than just simple selection. They should be seen as a way to communicate with candidates.

Every job applicant should know:

* Any information they provide is kept secure and confidential.

* What will happen next in the recruitment process.

* When they will learn the outcome.

* What the outcome is.

Search.co.uk has these steps built in to their online service for advertisers so every job seeker can be saved, initially assessed, acknowledged and responded to with a couple of ‘clicks’. There is no reason why other organisations should not offer the same, Gillespie explains.

“Quite apart from any poor experiences suffered by job applicants to any job vacancy being bad for an organisation’s reputation, it can start any subsequent new employees off on the wrong foot.

“Organisations which follow best practice, treating future potential employees fairly, will ultimately benefit from a more loyal and committed future workforce. And, they’ll enhance rather than damage that much talked about ‘employer brand’ and make it easier to attract future talent. That is the simple message we want to communicate,” concludes Gillespie.

Aberdeen Jobs News – Oilfield specialist firm, ITS gets £34.5m boost from US firm

ITS Group of Aberdeen yesterday announced a £34.5million investment in the company from a US private equity firm to help expansion at home and abroad.

As reported in The press & Journal, the specialist provider of oilfield equipment and services to the global oil and gas industry said that Lime Rock Partners has taken a minority stake in the business.

ITS is aiming to become a major global player in the oilfield drilling sector and already has 25 facilities worldwide and provides jobs for nearly 1,100 employees in Aberdeen and across their world-wide operations.

Executive chairman and founder Bob Kidd was quoted as saying, “This is an exciting time for the group, with unprecedented levels of opportunity in a challenging environment.

“The investment strengthens our balance sheet, allowing us to continue investing organically and also to pursue the acquisition opportunities that are prevalent in the current market.

“Lime Rock Partners has an impressive track record supporting growing companies in the sector.”

The news is another sign of improving confidence in the oil and gas sector in Aberdeen and, along with other recent indicators is encouraging with regarding to the prospects for more new jobs in Aberdeen and oil and gas jobs in general.

To view all current jobs in Aberdeen on Search.co.uk/Jobs, click here.

Jobs in Aberdeen – Are Future Prospects on the Up

Looking for a job in Aberdeen or the Aberdeenshire area – Are the future prospects now on the up?

Aberdeen, ‘the granite city’ offers extensive job and career opportunities across a diverse range of industries and services. The oil and gas capital of Scotland and the country’s third largest city, Aberdeen is also a major administrative centre with job opportunities in oil & gas and related industries; education, sea port and ferry trades etc.

Although Aberdeen has suffered in the recent recession along with the rest of the UK, it’s dependence on the oil and gas sector has protected it from the worst effects of the downturn. Now, local business leaders are predicting a brighter future with a return to greater levels of confidence in employers and businesses in the Aberdeen area in terms of future recruitment and employment prospects, ahead of the rest of Scotland.

The Sunday Herald newspaper, on 6th September 2009, quoted Tom Smith, who heads Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (ACSEF) as saying, Aberdeen has “turned the corner” and continued, “I think the picture now is very upbeat, which is not something I would have been able to say even a few months ago. A variety of indicators, from house prices and various general business confidence measures, show that Aberdeen has turned the corner, and things are starting to move forward again”. This can only bode well for prospects for jobs in Aberdeen and the surrounding area.

The wider Aberdeenshire area contains a large number of companies supplying into the oil and gas sector, alongside more traditional agricultural, tourism and food production industries. So, if your looking for jobs in oil and gas, jobs in tourism and leisure or jobs in food production or agriculture, Aberdeenshire has a lot to offer – and not just the job opportunities, but the lifestyle also.

Whatever your job in Aberdeenshire, you’ll have access to a fantastic range of recreational facilities and services in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas or Deeside, Speyside and Morayshire.

Selecting ‘Jobs in Aberdeen’ on Search.co.uk/jobs, covers jobs in the city of Aberdeen and in the surrounding Aberdeenshire towns, including jobs in Peterhead, jobs in Fraserburgh, jobs in Inverurie, jobs in Ellon, jobs in Forres and jobs in Stonehaven.

Although the offshore jobs sector looks like it will continue to decline in future due to greater offshore automation, the smart money is on a return to greater job opportunities in Aberdeen and the surrounding Aberdeenshire area. So, to start looking for your new job in Aberdeen on Search.co.uk/jobs now, just click below!

Jobs.search.co.uk/Aberdeen/