GLOUCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HireClix, a leading recruitment marketing services company, today announces the findings of its annual Candidate Experience (CX) Survey, revealing consumer preferences surrounding the job search process. The data highlights where and how candidates are looking for job opportunities and what factors are influencing their career decisions.

“The process of hiring employees should start with a candidate’s first contact with an employer. Whether job seekers are visiting a company’s career site, engaging on social media or working through their application process, every touch point matters. In today’s job market where employers are hyper-focused on attracting and eventually retaining top talent, it’s more important than ever to reevaluate the early stages of your candidate experience,” said Neil Costa, Founder and CEO at HireClix. “This data further demonstrates the opportunity for employers to focus on the basics by developing a clear employee value proposition, strengthening their employer brand presence and creating a positive career site experience in the face of an evolving and competitive job market.”

Job Search

• Consumers are leveraging key sites for job searching including Indeed (58%), LinkedIn (48%), Google (39%), ZipRecruiter (31%), and also directly viewing company career sites (29%).
  • This is on par with last year’s results wherein Indeed (58%) and Google (39%) saw the same utilization levels as 2023.
  • LinkedIn saw a slight bump in utilization, going from 40% to 48% in the most recent survey.
• Job seekers were equally likely to use mobile phones (65%) and computers (62%) when searching for a job, while tablet usage (22%) lagged behind.
• As expected, long job application processes are deterring 35% of job seekers, cutting an already slim talent pool by over a third.

Job Market Trends

• Skills-based hiring
  • While 58% of people believe their resume is essential for demonstrating their skills, there is a growing desire among the workforce to move away from prioritizing resumes
    • 23% of people don’t think their resume accurately demonstrates their skills in the best way.
  • 48% of consumers wish employers would stop prioritizing resumes and focus on skills during the hiring process.
• Dating Apps
  • As recruiters start to explore ways to leverage dating apps, users are not welcoming them with open arms. 46% of consumers say dating apps aren't for job seeking. 21% go so far to say that if they saw a networking/job ad on a dating app, it would negatively impact their perception of the employer's brand.
    • Women are more likely than men to disapprove of job seeking on dating apps – as 34% of men are open to leveraging dating apps for job seeking, compared to 22% of women.
    • Overall, 28% of people think dating apps could double as job search platforms and would be open to receiving networking and job search opportunities.

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