The Most Interesting Recruiting Stories of the Week

Welcome to “The Most Interesting Recruiting Stories of the Week,” a weekly post that features talent acquisition insights and information from around the web to kick off your weekend. Here’s what’s of interest this week:

Candidate Says Employer Asked Her to Prepare for Three 90-Minute Interviews — After She Already Did Two

“It’s just crazy the hoops companies are making applicants jump through now,” she wrote. “This is insane.” Get the full story in this Daily Dot article.

Job Candidates Are Hiring People to do Their Interviews for Them

“In short, candidates are hiring other people to pretend to be them for interviews,” Business Insider describes. “Then, on the first day of work, the real candidate shows up in place of the interviewee. It’s a doozy of a story.”

‘Work Hard, Play Hard’ and More Phrases That Can Scare Away Job Applicants

The Wall Street Journal reports: “The top phrases that turn off job seekers include ‘must handle stress well,’ ‘willing to wear many hats,’ ‘responsibilities may include those outside the job description,’ ‘we’re one big happy family,’ ‘applicants should be humble’ and ‘looking for self-starters.’ That’s according to a recent survey by payroll processor Paychex Inc., which asked 800 U.S. adults who had looked for a new job in the past year which phrases were likely to dissuade them from applying.”

Family Businesses Have a Talent-Acquisition Advantage

“As family businesses look to prioritize growth, they must remain laser-focused on levers that will move their businesses forward, even in the face of economic uncertainty and global challenges,” according to Harvard Business Review. “For these leaders, talent will play a key role in long-term success, and leaders must lean into the cultural values and integrity inherent to family businesses to help rise above and successfully attract and retain the talent they need to thrive in any market environment. This article covers four ways to turn trust into a competitive advantage.”

Hiring Is Fraught As Employers Consider ‘Labor Hoarding’ for Looming Recession

“A report from Employ Inc., published Sept. 6 highlights the strange nature of a talent market waiting at the edge of a potential recession,” according to HR Dive. “Positions are filling fast — 8% faster than pre-pandemic levels — but hiring is also fraught; 69% of recruiters said hiring will be hard for the remainder of the year, while more than half said they don’t believe there is enough talent to fill open positions. At the same time, the median number of applicants per job has increased steadily since November 2021, Employ said.”

Help Wanted: No Over-50s Need Apply

“Applicants needed to be ‘fit and energetic.’ They needed to be ‘digital natives’ with a ‘background in social media’ (whatever that means). They needed to be ‘up-to-date with current industry jargon’ and ready to deal with a ‘dynamic’ workforce. And so on,” says this article on MarketWatch. “The key result is that the coded ads attracted a lot fewer applicants over 40. The average age of the applicants dropped by 2 to 3 years, and the number of applicants apparently over 40 fell by between 7 and nearly 10 percentage points.”

Who Are America’s Missing Workers?

“As the United States emerges from the pandemic, employers have been desperate to hire. But while demand for goods and services has rebounded, the supply of labor has fallen short, holding back the economy,” according to The Seattle Times. “More than two years after the COVID-19 recession officially ended, some sectors haven’t found the workers they need to operate at capacity. Only in August did the workforce return to its pre-pandemic size, which is millions short of where it would have been had it continued to grow at its pre-pandemic rate.

Talent Acquisition Ranks Among Highest Risks to Businesses

“A new survey of business leaders by PwC reveals that talent acquisition and retention rank second (at 38%) among cited risks to their business (right behind more frequent and/or broader cyber attacks, at 40%),” according to an ERE.net story by Suzanne Lucas.
“Indeed, the ability to recruit is a more serious concern for executives than rising production costs (34%), supply-chain disruptions (34%), Covid (25%), and other issues.”

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Stay in Touch

Join the conversation about all things talent acquisition in the ERE Facebook Group. It’s a great venue to gain information, support, and network with fellow peers. We’re talking about some of the stories above, as well as other hot recruiting topics, so come share your own views in the ERE Facebook Group. We’d love to see you there!

Additionally, got questions? Feedback on a story? Or want to pitch a story idea? Get in touch with ERE editor Vadim Liberman at vadim@ere.net.

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