According to Monster’s State of the Candidate Report, One in seven Americans (14%) did not feel respected during their last job search. 

The numbers below point to where to correct your own candidate experience. From feedback to rejection, employers have room to improve.

• Of the 14% of Americans who did not feel respected, they say the following would have helped them feel more respected by recruiters and potential employers:
  • Being told why they weren’t moved to the next stage (32%)
  • Recruiters followed up in a timely fashion after the interview (31%)
  • Company acknowledged receipt of application (28%)
  • Knowing if the application had been seen by a recruiter or hiring manager (27%)
  • Recruiter/hiring manager sent a rejection in a timely fashion (23%)
  • You were told you’d be considered for future opportunities (23%)
• Respect is also a key driver for job satisfaction: people who are currently happy with their job cite feeling respected (45%) as among the top reasons for their satisfaction.

Three-quarters of Americans (77%) believe there are threats to their current job, such as new management (20%) and a toxic boss or working environment (19%)

• Top perceived threats include:
  • New management (20%)
  • Toxic boss or working environment (19%)
  • Layoffs (17%)
  • Recession (16%)
    • That said, 62% of Americans think a recession in the next two years is likely—so while many expect a recession, fewer expect it to directly threaten their job.
  • Younger co-workers (15%)
  • Industry changes requiring new skills (14%)
  • Automation/technology replacing jobs (10%)
• While 72% of Americans overall believe the job seeker has the upper hand in terms of having job options and negotiation power, younger Americans may be disproportionately benefitting from the modern search process:  83% of 18-24-year-olds and 84% of 25-34-year-olds say they have the upper hand, vs. 64% of 35-65-year-olds.
• One in three Americans (33%) believe searching for a job today is harder than when they first started in their career.

Methodology 

Results are from an online survey commissioned by Monster among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 fully employed Americans ages 18-65. A sample of n=200 was taken for each of the age groups 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-65. This survey was conducted between December 17, 2018 and December 27, 2018 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.