Many job-seekers in the UAE won't apply to all vacancies they come across. In a survey, residents revealed the top reasons that will make them pass up certain openings — and these include poor company reputation, long forms, and being over- or under-qualified.

According to a new survey released by Michael Page, nearly one-fourth – 22 per cent – of job-seekers say that they don’t apply for a position if it involves filling out long forms.

Nearly half, 46 per cent, of respondents say they don’t apply for a position if they feel over- or under-qualified for the role. And the same percentage of people say they wouldn’t apply for a position if the job ad was posted a long time ago.

In addition, poor company reputation, salary and inconsistent and unclear ads could also deter candidates from applying for a job.

“Before they apply, candidates will assess you and your company culture based on your corporate website, social media channels, and employee review sites,” Michael Page said in the note for hiring managers and talent acquisition teams.

92% want salary range in ads

Nearly nine out of ten, 92 per cent, jobseekers in the UAE say that advertisements should include a salary range.

According to Michael Page’s latest UAE guide on salary and hiring for 2023, almost 91 per cent of candidates like to see information about culture while 75 per cent are interested in learning more about the organisation’s benefits and perks.

 

“Not all candidates read job advertisements because they’re interested in applying for the position. Some simply use the information to benchmark the salary and job description of the advertised role against their own terms of employment,” said the Michael Page survey.

Most of the candidates say that job advertisements tell very little about a company. Around 92 per cent of candidates say they look at the company website while 77 per cent use online reviews on sites like Glassdoor to help them make an assessment while 72 per cent look at the organisation’s social media channels. Interestingly, about half — 52 per cent — of the respondents say they try to contact current or former employees to get inside information on the company.

What do job-seekers want?

In a survey of over 2,000 employees and job-seekers, it was found that candidates place a high value on stability and permanent position.

In addition, candidates prefer medium-sized companies more as they offer more opportunities for training and developing greater expertise. The other advantages are improved promotion and career opportunities, quicker decision-making processes and better quality of life at work.

While candidates who like to work for large companies seem to be mostly motivated by the chance to accelerate their professional development and earn a better salary.

Interestingly, nearly 79 per cent of respondents want to work for a company committed to corporate social responsibility.

 

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