Technology Tracks Job Seekers
6 May 2013 at 9:14 am
Job Seekers who never hear back from potential employers when they apply for a new position fall into the “black hole” phenomenon, spending time applying for jobs that are unsuitable for their experience, new research has shown.
The way that job seekers view a job posting is also relevant to the employer who posted the job to ensure they are getting the best candidates applying for their positions who have the relevant skills and experience.
US recruitment agency, The Ladders conducted a study earlier this year reviewing participants of conventional job postings.
Digital eye-tracking technology provided information on what job seekers read and how long they looked at different areas of each job description on their computer screen.
After job seekers were shown each listing, analytical software drew “heat maps” and eye-tracking charts to show how much time each viewer spent with each job ad and in what order each job listing was read.
The technology tracks eye movement and outlines the way a reader interacts with each job posting, whether the participant reads a job posting in a linear fashion or skips from section to section.
Participants spent less time with ones they felt were not a good match for them. The average time to decide on the suitability of a position was 49.7 seconds when the job was not a fit, and 76.7 seconds when it was.
 |
The results show that job applicants mainly focus on the job title and company information without spending enough time reading the job description and other relevant information. This is a contributing factor to why recruiters and employers are not finding candidates with the relevant skills for the job they are advertising.
Overall, job seekers spend less time reading job postings than they think, according to the study.
When asked “How long would you say you typically spend looking at a job posting before
deciding if it is a good fit for you?” participants responded:
Less than 1 minute 37%
1-5 minutes 44%
5-10 minutes 19%
