There’s never been a better time to be a job seeker. Demand for talent has reached an all-time high, with more than 11 million job openings at the beginning of 2022. But despite the odds being in an applicant’s favor, many job seekers still encounter challenges when looking for and applying to jobs.
To better understand the difficulties job seekers face, Job-Hunt and its partner site FlexJobs surveyed over 2,200 people between February and March 2022. Their responses gave us some unique insights into what job seekers face in a rapidly changing work world.
Job Search Pain Points
From identifying the right job search keywords to finding appropriate openings to creating a cover letter and resume that helps explain why they’re perfect for the role, job seekers have a lot of work to do to find a job!
However, our survey identified two major sources of dissatisfaction for job seekers: unresponsive employers and uninformative job postings.
Biggest Job Search Frustration: Unresponsive Employers
Half of respondents (50%) said that not hearing back from employers is their number one job search frustration. Radio silence bothers them even more than jobs with low pay (42%)!
Other top job search frustrations are:
- Lengthy submission process (38%)
- Required qualifications or degrees that may not impact the ability to do the job (37%)
- Avoiding job scams (36%)
- Not finding jobs that they qualify for (32%)
- Formating application materials for applicant tracking systems (25%)
- Not finding jobs at companies they want to work for (25%)
- Not finding jobs in industries they’re interested in (21%)
- Not being able to identify the hiring manager (15%)
Biggest Job Posting Irritation: No Salary Information
Our survey found that job postings are also a significant source of frustration. Over two-thirds of respondents (66%) say that the most irritating thing about job postings is when they omit salary or pay information.
Given the soaring popularity of flexible and remote-friendly work schedules, being unclear about location requirements is the second most irritating thing about job postings (35%). Not including information about work hours and schedule or not specifying how much remote work is allowed were equally aggravating (33%).
Other job post annoyances include:
- Not providing enough detail about the job tasks (31%)
- Not making it clear which qualifications are required or preferred (28%)
- Seeing a job posted that they already applied to (27%)
- “Catchy” job titles that aren’t easy to find using common keywords (like a job posting for a Happiness Guru, not a Customer Service Representative) (24%)
- Not including information about the technology tools or programs the company uses (15%)
- Unclear application deadline (14%)
- Providing too much detail about the job tasks (10%)
New Ways to Search and Apply for Work
While the pandemic pushed more flexible ways of working to the forefront, it also changed how job seekers search for work. And with workplace culture more important than ever, one interesting finding of this survey is that a majority of respondents (69%) do not think it’s important to see photos and videos of the workplace or team when evaluating a job. However, 31% consider it very important.
Computer or Mobile?
When we asked how job seekers apply for a job, 55% said they usually or always do so on a computer. Thirty-four percent use a combination of a computer and mobile devices, while only 11% said they usually or always apply using a mobile device.
The Ideal Post-Pandemic Workplace
We also wondered what kind of workplace job seekers want. When we asked what the ideal post-pandemic workplace is, 55% said they want to be fully remote, while 42% prefer a hybrid schedule.
It’s More Than a Job
Many job seekers aren’t looking for “just” a job. They’re looking for a job that fulfills their needs and fits into their long-term career goals. Job-Hunt is here to help you throughout your career journey with the resources, tools, and advice you need to have a better job search. And if your job search includes a work-from-home, hybrid, or flexible job, our partner site, FlexJobs, can connect you to fantastic, remote-friendly opportunities.
Demographics
FlexJobs and Job-Hunt created the survey, which was promoted to general audiences and its subscribers/members primarily through social media and newsletters. FlexJobs used a multiple-choice and multi-select question format via SurveyMonkey’s online platform. The survey ran from February 23, 2022, to March 7, 2022.
Demographic breakdown of the 2,202 respondents:
Gender: women (72%), men (26%), prefer not to identify (2%)
Generation: Gen Z (8%), millennial/Gen Y (36%), Gen X (37%), baby boomer (18%), silent generation (1%)
Education: less than a high school degree (2%), high school degree or equivalent (7%), some college but no degree (17%), associate’s or bachelor’s degree (48%), graduate degree (26%)
Career level: entry-level (16%), experienced (55%), manager (18%), senior-level manager (10%)
Thirty-four percent had children 18 or younger living at home with them.
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