Searching for jobs is the worst aspect of the recruitment process
More than half of job seekers in China said they performed well during job interviews, but about half of them feel their CVs may not be presenting them to employers in the best possible way, according to Kelly Services, a global Fortune 500 company offering staffing solutions.
Kelly Services sought the views of more than 115,000 people in 33 countries and territories including more than 2,700 in China on a wide range of issues about how they find work and how they deal with aspects of the recruitment process.
Key Findings in Greater China :
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59% of candidates in China are confident in face-to-face job interviews
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74% in China believe that employers treat them fairly in job interviews
In China, 11% of respondents found work as a result of a direct approach by an employer or recruiter, 10% through a direct approach to an employer, and 9% by word of mouth.
Recruitment from headhunting is considered by candidates to be a better way to find a job, with more pleased with the outcome compared with 44% for traditional written and posted applications.
This shows that candidates have embraced the headhunting as the preferred way of finding a job, said Paul Ng, Senior Director and General Manager, Greater China, Kelly Services.
Mr. Ng said however that Job Fairs and Print Media Recruitment also should be seen as a shortcut to proper evaluation of candidates.
51% in China had doubts about the quality of their CV
Candidates often only get a brief chance to sell themselves to a potential employer so they need to make the most of every opportunity, said Dhirendra Shantilal, Senior Vice-President, Kelly Services Asia-Pacific.
This means having a well crafted CV and a clear idea of their strengths as an employee. It also helps if candidates can gather some detail about the organization before an interview to identify how their particular experience and background can add value to the prospective employer.
And even though the task of applying for jobs and facing an interview can be daunting, its not the worst part of the recruitment process according to candidates.
Searching for jobs is the worst aspect of the recruitment process
In China, the worst aspect of the recruitment process, nominated by 39% of respondents was searching for jobs, followed by waiting for a response (36%), attending interviews (16%), preparing resume/CVs (6%), and filling in applications (3%).
The factors that best determine a persons job suitability were also canvassed in the survey.
When asked what single attribute people considered to be the best indicator of job suitability, attitude and personality and work experience were both cited by 41% of respondents in China. Other factors such as interview performance, level of education, reference checks and psychological test results all rated low.