Survey shows building loyalty with talent requires more than just providing access to the right jobs

Temporary and contract workers who have a positive experience interacting with staffing and recruitment firms throughout the entire recruitment process are six times more likely to work with that firm again, according to new data from Bullhorn, the cloud computing company that helps staffing and recruiting organizations transform their businesses.

In the midst of a persistent talent shortage, success at redeploying talent remains a top priority, as two-thirds (64%) of global temporary and contract workers are currently thinking about moving to a permanent role, according to Bullhorn’s survey of more than 2,000 temporary and contract workers across the global professional, healthcare, and commercial sectors. Close to half of survey respondents would not commit to redeploying using the same firm – even if it can provide the right jobs. Therefore, providing the best possible recruitment experience is key to retaining access to the available talent.

When it comes to choosing a staffing firm to engage with, there’s an opportunity for firms to establish a lasting relationship by meeting talent’s expectations. The top priorities for temporary and contract workers include access to desirable jobs (34%), a good reputation (22%), and positive past experiences (19%). Around seven in ten (69%) also stated that they want the flexibility to work remotely in any assignment, while 90% expressed interest in participating in any reskilling, upskilling, or certification programs offered by the staffing firm.

Talent also want recruiters to reach out more frequently and proactively with opportunities. More than half (57%) said they want to hear from recruiters at least once a week when looking for new opportunities. Email is the most popular channel for communication (48%), followed by phone (23%), LinkedIn (12%), text (10%), and app notification (6%). Identifying talent’s communication preferences has an impact: when recruiters don’t reach out via the preferred communication channel, respondents were twice as likely to say they wouldn’t work with that firm again.

Timeliness is also a common concern, with two-thirds (66%) of temporary and contract workers reporting that they have abandoned a job search because the recruitment process simply took too long. A quarter (24%) reported that recruiters do not respond to their questions within a reasonable timeframe. The value of timely communication goes beyond the hiring process: workers who experience responsiveness while on assignment are twice as likely to say they’ll work with the firm again. Furthermore, three in ten (29%) stated that they have experienced a drop-off in responsiveness from the staffing firm once their assignment began, and a similar number (30%) reported that recruiters didn’t respond proactively when an opportunity fell through.

Andre Mileti, Product Evangelist, Talent Experience, Bullhorn says: “Offering consumer-grade experiences through the entire talent lifecycle is more important now than ever before in securing positive outcomes for staffing firms. That could mean ensuring your reputation is stellar on Google and other rating sites, delivering intuitive onboarding and employment services, or providing authentic value in the form of timely communication and relevant job opportunities. These simple tactics, if done correctly, will deliver exponential return. It starts and ends with examining the entire talent journey, defining those moments that matter, and ensuring your efforts result in satisfied employees. You’ll know you’ve succeeded when ratings and reviews improve, time-to-fill decreases, and referral and redeployment rates increase.”

Read the full GRID Talent Trends Report here.

About Bullhorn

Bullhorn is the global leader in software for the staffing industry. More than 10,000 companies rely on Bullhorn’s cloud-based platform to power their staffing processes from start to finish. Headquartered in Boston, with offices around the world, Bullhorn is founder-led and employs more than 1,400 people globally. To learn more, visit www.bullhorn.com or follow @Bullhorn on Twitter.

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