The recruitment process is turning into ‘The Hunger Games’

“How many is too many?” My exasperated friend is talking about job interviews. She is looking for a new job. When we spoke she had undertaken five interviews for a role and was about to have the final one.

Another person I know had eight separate interview stages at a global tech company. Apparently, that’s just the norm for these roles.

Looking for a job is a frustrating and tedious activity but in recent years the recruitment process has reminded many of us of that teenage classic, The Hunger Games. But rather than the fittest and smartest surviving, it’s the people least burnt out by the process.

Applying for a job now starts with rewriting and updating your CV, sending out bespoke cover letters for each individual position, researching the prospective employer and getting through the initial phone screening and online tests. All of this happens before the interview process actually kicks off. That part is likely to involve hiring managers, heads of teams, meeting potential colleagues and interview tasks.

We have long accepted that searching for a job is a full-time job in itself, but some companies are taking it to a whole new level that lasts months and often sees candidates ghosted or left hanging for weeks. With people quitting their jobs in record numbers, research by Personio, an HR software provider, found 38 per cent of employees in the UK and Ireland are looking to change roles in the next year. It’s safe to say that the hiring process is overdue for a revamp.

According to Glassdoor, the workplace review site, in the UK we spend an average of 27 days in an interview process when applying for a job. Considering that people move jobs, on average, six times in their life, this equates to 162 days spent in interview processes. The average length of the hiring process in the US is slightly shorter, at 23.8 days, which is on a par with the global average.

In recent years more recruitment horror stories have been shared publicly (there are some interesting examples on LinkedIn) so we can see how some companies are unfairly leveraging the power imbalance of the job search process. There have been instances where businesses ask for interview preparation that might include coming up with “a marketing plan for our new product range”. While disguised as an “interview task”, this assignment comes with a high likelihood that recruiters will take candidates’ ideas without offering them the job.

And as we embrace a hybrid work culture, more businesses will be using a mixture of virtual and in-person interviews. My fear is that some will use this to disadvantage jobseekers. 

Finding high-quality candidates who have the right skills is not an easy task. The point is that we need a more equitable middle ground where applicants are not left fatigued by the process. Most people are managing their current work schedule as well as applying for a new opportunity — this is no easy juggle. 

My friend confessed after her final interview that she wasn’t confident the new company would be able to meet her salary expectations or even her current package. Nobody had mentioned pay and she did not feel confident to ask about it. And that is the worst aspect of this broken system. The majority of jobs list a “competitive salary”. If you are asking for 10 years of experience and qualifications, the least you can do is to disclose a salary range. Too many companies keep this a secret until the end — and then declare that they can’t meet candidates’ salary expectations.

We need a shift to transparency from the start. Only then can prospective candidates decide whether or not to sit through several rounds of interviews.

For far too long the recruitment process has been one sided, which has allowed employers to drive the process, with many of them taking advantage of candidates’ desire to appear keen and willing. As we’re all using this time for reflection and pause, I hope employers are taking a step back and analysing their recruitment processes.

I look forward to the day where job searches resemble a two-way process. We are the talent, after all. You may be interviewing me, but I’m interviewing you too. Hiring managers often seem to forget that.