One in four Australian employees admit to applying for a job with no intention of taking the role, a leading provider of talent assessment solutions has found.
As many as 25% of employees admitted to applying for a job with no intention of taking the role. It seems they are doing so in order to test the job market, brush up on their interview skills or negotiate a higher salary with their current employer Stephanie Christopher from SHL said.
“This ‘grass is greener’ attitude of curious but uncommitted candidates creates extra effort for HR managers and slows down the entire recruitment process,” Christopher commented.
Many candidates see the interview process as an opportunity to get some free training and practice in the art of securing the job they would prefer to have. These candidates can be difficult to ‘weed out’, particularly in a job climate where unemployment rates overseas are high and job applications are surging.
Interestingly, the results have shown that Gen Y employees are twice as likely as Baby Boomers to engage in this process of ‘tyre-kicking’. This is a further sign that confirms these employees are much less likely to have loyalty to their employers – on the contrary they demand and expect more loyalty from their employers. If there is a perception that this is not forthcoming then they are more likely to test the waters and try their hand at other roles to prove that they are not beholden to any one master.
Recruiting a new staff member is a costly and time consuming exercise and there is not much to be done about it. However, ensuring candidates have a full understanding of the employer’s expectations and requirements in the job application process may eliminate time-wasters who are not seriously considering the job. “This allows employers to focus only on those who are legitimate contenders and have the skills to generate real business results for the company,” Christopher added.
