No matter how thorough your workforce planning process, shortages in the availability of candidates with the required 

If effective workforce planning is the ‘right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time’, then the quality of the journey into the organisation is crucial…

The release of The Talent Boards white-paper outlining research from last year’s …

Think back to the most important item you ever bought. Whether it was a house, a car, an engagement ring or a much sought-after collectible, I’m sure you did your research - consulted reviews, comparison sites, friends, relatives and maybe even the experts. Every buy…

The recent decision by the RAD Awards not to shortlist, or appoint a winner due to the quality of the entrants for their candidate experience category raises some interesting questions regarding the candidate experience and its perceived place within recruitment marketing. The fact that the category was introduced…

Do you remember as a child always being told to ‘go outside and play’? We’ve all heard it, whether we liked to watch TV, read a book or play games, the outdoors was always a better alternative according to our elders. Though we didn’t realise it at the time, it widened our perspectives, expanded our…

Employee engagement is essential in the workplace as it not only ensures the happiness of employees but has also been proven to increase productivity by 69% and decrease turnover by 14.9%. Its impact upon…

“We all know the power of negative word of mouth on image and reputation and what may have started out as an opportunity to communicate a strong employer brand may actually end up damaging it.”

Brett Minchington, …

Do you ask candidates for feedback on your recruitment process? Not just the successful ones but the unsuccessful as well?If you do, how in-depth do you go and how do you use the data to positively impact future recruitment? And if you don’t, you’re missing out...

Many people talk about how to manage recruitment’s black hole, understand it or even outwit it but what about…

‘Recruitment will always remain a high-touch people business but what these products show us is that the right technology, applied at the right time, can make us even better at what we do, whether it’s working faster, smarter or in completely new ways.’…

On the hunt...

You know the sector you wish to work for, the skills you can offer and what drives you to succeed, but what influences your decision to apply? Whether you’re looking for a temporary role to cover a short period in-between…

How do you communicate with your candidates? Do you know where they first heard of you, what spurred them to apply for the role or what their first impression was? In the vast communications landscape a candidate’s first sighting could have come from an array of sources. They, themselves, probably couldn’t tell you where their first influencer came from. Because of this companies must ensure they’re on top of their…

As a recruiter, understanding your candidate experience is essential. As a company it is vital. Not only will a bad candidate experience make you lose out on the top talent in your field, it will also affect your sales, brand and performance as a whole.

One Mystery Applicant survey found that a mere 19% of candidates surveyed were more likely to buy from or use the services of the…

A recent Mystery Applicant study gathered a small group of Bath Spa graduates, from the past two years, to try and gain an insight into how graduates are experiencing the current job market; what, for them, defines a great…

Due to a global skills shortage, 65% of organisations have experienced problems resourcing in the past year. There has never been a better time for companies to get creative with recruitment and as organisations increasingly invest in social media to build their online communities, what is being done to stand out in this vast and ever-changing social landscape?

 …

Over the last few months Mystery Applicant has sponsored a series of seminars on the importance of measuring the candidate experience. The seminar ‘What are candidates saying about you?’ provided an ideal opportunity for senior HR professionals to network in a supplier-free environment as they learnt about, discussed and debated recruitment innovations around…

Consider these two extracts from emails sent to ‘Clear Channel Communications’ Chief Talent Scout, Morgan Hoogvelt…

 “…I’ve been doing this for a while and I’ve never worked with anyone in an HR capacity who took the time to inform, support and strategize with a candidate the way that you guys did with me. It’s obvious that you all care about the candidate as much…

Human Resources Oxford Dictionary definition plural noun: the personnel of a business or organisation, regarded as a significant asset in terms of skills and abilities

There is no doubting the essential role of HR within any business, large or small, however in this ever-changing digital age the increasing importance of technology within HR cannot be underestimated either. At every touch point in the recruitment and…

As the first event held by the newly established South West and South Wales Recruitment Society, it was an undeniable success. Entering a room filled with lively chatter, curiosity took hold. It was easy to see why this event was so popular.

Sponsored by TMP UK and Penna and hosted by David Thompson the Chair of the South West and…

Having held the position of the unemployed yet determined (and increasingly frantic) job-hunting graduate not so long ago, I can appreciate the predicament that is currently facing the UK’s new and, indeed not-so-new, graduates.  A predicament that is encompassed by a mixture of continual rejection, thoughtless companies that fail to acknowledge your painstakingly thought-out application and, the ever so occasional, ecstatic jumping up and down as you’re invited to an…