Majority jobseekers do online research on firms before applying for jobs: Survey

Majority of the jobseekers in the Kingdom do research on a company online before applying for a job, according to a latest survey.

According to the study, nine out of 10 respondents (93 per cent) said that they ‘research a company online before applying for a job’, while only 7pc do not, according to the latest Bayt.com survey titled ‘Employer Branding in the Middle East and North Africa’.

“Jobseekers in MENA follow companies on job sites to ‘learn about their work environment’ (66.5pc), to ‘find and apply for jobs’ (15.4pc), to ‘evaluate a job offer’ (1.9pc), as well as to ‘check the latest news and updates’ (1.8pc), and to ‘prepare for an interview’ (1.6pc).

“At 62pc, ‘reputation and culture’ rate high on the list of priorities as an important type of information respondents need to know about companies. This, in addition to ‘work environment and facilities’, ‘perks and benefits’, and ‘rewards and recognition’ are all important points of consideration for a quarter of MENA respondents (24.2pc),” the report stated.

“93.6pc of job seekers believe that a company’s employer brand is important for its success, with 85.9pc stating that it is ‘very important’. When asked about the benefits of employer branding, seven out of 10 MENA respondents said ‘ease of attracting job seekers’ (70.2pc). Others also mentioned ‘recognition as an employer of choice’ (3.4pc), and ‘better employee engagement’ (2.2pc),” Bayt.com stated.