Tap into our diverse job seeker community
A couple of months ago, we asked our jobseeker community to answer some questions for us so that we could get to know a bit more about them and their job-seeking journey.
In this blog, we’re sharing some of the results and offering a few tips on how your organisation can adapt recruitment to attract the right candidates.
There are plenty of people looking for jobs - actively or indirectly
Around a quarter of our respondents were looking for a new job immediately, and another quarter looking for one in the near future. And 45% were open to a new job if the right one came along. That means nearly 95% of our community are either actively or indirectly open to work.
What does that mean for your organisation?
If you are looking to fill vacancies or have plans to change or expand your team, then now is the time to do it. There are people out there looking for jobs - stats tell us that applications per job ad are at an all-time high - and by tapping into the Do Good Jobs candidate pool, you are more likely to attract candidates that are aligned with your organisation’s values. The results also show that a bit of proactive networking could score you a top-notch recruit who might not be actively applying for jobs. It highlights the benefits of maintaining a good professional network and ensuring that your organisation is seen in a good light.
Our jobseekers’ experience is diverse
Our respondents were mainly female (82%) and fell into the middle to later years of their careers (aged between 35 and 54). Around 5% identify as Māori. They come from all over the country - with larger groups in Wellington and Auckland.
They work in a range of organisations, including not-for-profits, government and small businesses, with roles ranging from junior to senior-level executives, in a number of different sectors. The largest groups were at the intermediate (no direct reports) and first level management stages. Many also had volunteer experience including support roles and board governance.
What does that mean for your organisation?
It’s good news in that it means your job ad will be seen by people from a range of backgrounds and experience. This means it’s more than likely that there will be candidates who have the right skills and experience for your role. With a large number at the middle stages of their career and potentially looking to step up into team leader or management roles, this could be good news for organisations looking to fill more senior positions.
A large number of our respondents fell into the older age brackets - including in their 50s and 60s, so it pays to think about how your organisation could benefit from an age-diverse workforce and how you can position your organisation as one that welcomes age-diverse talent.
Challenges and top selling points
One of the questions we asked was around the top challenges when it comes to job seeking and what benefits people are looking for in job ads.
The top challenges were finding a job that they liked, finding a job that met salary requirements and finding flexible work. Similarly, the top benefits listed were flexible or remote-friendly working, extra annual leave and flexible sick leave and the opportunity for development. This is perhaps not surprising given that many of our respondents are female and may be juggling work with other commitments.
More than half would prefer hybrid work, and another 25% preferred to work mainly from home. Just 9% said they preferred working mainly in an office.
Sixteen per cent of respondents left their last job because they didn’t like the culture, and 9% left because the job didn’t align with their values.
And a whopping 63% said it was very important to know the salary range before applying for a job.
What does that mean for your organisation?
It means you need to get your job ad right to ensure your recruitment process gets off to the right start, and it means you need to think carefully about what you can offer, not just in salary terms but in terms of the overall package.
At Do Good Jobs, we are committed to #showthesalary so all jobs listed with us need to include a salary or salary range.
As a charity or not-for-profit, you may not be able to match the salaries of corporate roles but think of the other benefits you could offer - flexible working and other options that might sit well with candidates. Our blog has some good tips for offering extra perks in your job offer package.
Hopefully, this has given you a bit of insight into the Do Good Jobs community and the potential candidates out there for your roles. If you are planning to recruit soon, then get prepared by buying a job pack and making sure your organisation’s description is up to date as part of your employer profile. If you aren’t yet a Do Good Jobs member, sign up here.
If you’d like to see more from our jobseeker survey download the full report here.
