Favouring a Well Known Company?

Jobseekers likely to favour well-known company names, says survey

 A survey by Glassdoor, a website that allows staff to anonymously give their opinions on their employer, has suggested that candidates are much more likely to apply for a role if they recognise the name of the hiring company.

Glassdoor surveyed 750 hiring decision makers across the UK and the US, and found that:

CANDIDATES ARE 40% MORE LIKELY TO APPLY TO A PARTICULAR COMPANY IF THEY RECOGNISE THE COMPANY NAME
75% OF THOSE SURVEYED DESCRIBED THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AS BEING “SIMPLER” IF A PARTICULAR APPLICANT UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE COMPANY DOES AND WHAT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IT OFFERS
60% SAID THAT THEY BELIEVED THE LACK OF AWARENESS OF THEIR COMPANY’S BRAND AMONGST JOBSEEKERS REPRESENTED A “CHALLENGE” WHEN IT COMES TO FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON.

Glassdoor also commented that more and more jobseekers are researching potential employers before they submitted an application and suggested that companies with a larger online presence were therefore at an advantage in this respect.

Glassdoor's global head of talent acquisition, Julie Coucoules, highlighted that whilst companies may not be in a position to suddenly grow in size, smaller companies could still examine ways to improve their brand awareness, which should hopefully lead to more able candidates applying for their vacancies. Ms Coucoules said:

"With one third of hiring managers reporting that employer brand is one of the factors that influences people most when weighing a job offer, it is worth getting right. By actively managing and promoting your employer brand, it can mean the difference between attracting quality talent or allowing them to pass you by.”

Most recruitment agencies do not name the hiring company in the job descriptions available on their website, although the wording of the job specification may contain some hints as to the size of the company. Jobseekers need to appreciate that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with working for both smaller and larger companies, and that working for a smaller company can also be very rewarding.