Want to hire the best? Improve brands and work environment: Survey

“What makes a company an attractive place to work?” a poll recently conducted by Bayt.com, an online job site, has revealed that companies should market themselves to jobseekers as great places to work. In fact, 90 per cent of the poll’s respondents are attracted to companies that offer supportive and great work environments, and seven out of 10 of them will only work for a company they’re proud of.

Three quarters of the poll’s respondents (76.4%) will always turn to the Internet to research a company when considering a job opportunity.
This emphasises the fact that an online presence is essential for employers, and they should especially tailor their online marketing position towards jobseekers as great places to work in order to attract the best talent.

When looking up a company on the internet, jobseekers would most like to see a description of all job vacancies within the company. This is followed by a description of all company activities; culture video and/or description; company testimonials from clients and employees, and company awards. Four in 10 respondents (42.5%) would like to see all of these, equally.

A company’s brand is important to 61.3% of respondents, who state that working for a great brand looks good on their CV. The majority (60.1%) feel that the most harmful thing a company can do for its brand is to not follow up or communicate after a job application, though errors on a job posting is also a big turn-off. Negative word-of-mouth from existing employees is also considered to be bad for a brand.

“The results of our latest poll show that it’s more important than ever for a company to maintain a strong online presence with an appealing brand ethos,” said Suhail Al Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “Bayt.com offers a state-of-the-art environment for companies to promote their brand and job openings, with comprehensive tools that not only make finding the right candidate quick and simple, but also promote a positive brand image.

The recently-launched Bayt.com Company Profiles is a great way for employers to increase their attractiveness among jobseekers. Company Profiles offers employers the opportunity to increase brand awareness by sharing their job vacancies, photos and stories, and thus better position themselves as an employer of choice.”

The ideal company that respondents would like to work for has a supportive and great work environment, according to 36.4% of polled professionals. Companies that are admired (28%) or that are big or with global operations (20.1%) are also favourable. Innovative organisations are also popular with 12.9% of respondents.

For seven out of 10 respondents (70%), working for a company they’re not proud of is out of the question. A fifth (19.3%) don’t consider company pride to be as important as other things, and for 10.7%, it’s not important at all. Nine out of 10 (92.8%) professionals in the region prefer to refer to their organisation as ‘we’ when talking about it; and a further 65.8% of respondents take it as a personal compliment when someone praises their company. Almost three quarters (71.6%) would recommend the company they currently work for to friends and family looking for employment.

Half of the poll’s respondents would rather work at a company where they feel the work they do is part of a greater purpose, with 22.6% wanting to believe in the company’s mission, vision and/or values. For a smaller group of 20.1%, being paid a high salary is the biggest draw.

When it comes to company management, it’s most important to 60.1% of respondents that they know what is expected of them at work. Getting recognition and praise for good work is most important to 23.6%, while frequent discussions about performance are most valued by 16.3%.

A company that provides opportunities for professionals to do their best while leading them on a successful career path is most appealing to 19.7% of polled professionals; companies that provide training and development opportunities, and also companies that encourage new ideas and innovations appeal most to one out of 10 respondents, respectively. For seven out of 10 respondents (65.6%), all of the aforementioned criteria are equally important.

“It is critical to note that while salaries are important for attracting and retaining top talent, many other criteria also come into play and employer branding plays a key role in communicating the unique dimensions of a company as a great place to work,” continues Al Masri.

Data for the Bayt.com ‘What Makes a Company an Attractive Place to Work?’ poll was collected online from 20 December 2013 – 30 January 2014, with 8,853 respondents from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco,and Tunisia.

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