Here’s what the manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries need to know about talent

According to the 2013 CareerBuilder Candidate Behavior Study,  job seekers looking for a position with the manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries are using the internet and social media not only to look for jobs, but also to research companies within these industries.

Candidates use the internet and social media throughout their job search

The CareerBuilder study looked at the behavior of candidates throughout the four phases of their job search (orientation, consideration, action, and engagement) and found that the internet and social media were used throughout each of the phases.  (See Figure 1 for a definition of each of the four phases.)

Figure 1: The four phases of the the job search

Source: 2013 CareerBuilder Candidate Behavior Study

Job seekers in the orientation and consideration phases have not yet applied for a job at your company.  Instead they are assessing the market, learning about an industry, and learning about companies within the industry.  These stages are very much knowledge seeking phases for the candidate.  Companies who are positioned right can attract great talent during these phases.  However, companies who do not have a strong online presence and who do not participate in social media will not catch the eye of job seekers.  Think of it as speed dating – you only have a short period of time to make an impression.  According to the Neilson Norman Group you have 10 to 20 seconds to make that great impression.  If you don’t make a great impression during those few seconds the user will navigate away from your website.  Therefore you need to make sure that your website is visually engaging, easy to navigate, and contains quality and informative content.

When a candidate reaches the action stage they not only apply to jobs, they also conduct more in-depth research about a company, and form opinions based on the application experience.  Candidates are not afraid to share their experience with the application process.  Fifty percent of candidates share bad experiences with others and 64 percent share positive experiences.

In the engagement stage candidates interact with employers, interview for positions, and consider offers.  Ninety-one percent of candidates believe employment brand plays a role in their decision whether or not to apply – therefore it is at this stage where your company’s online presence and participation in social media pays off.

How do candidates looking for a position within the manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries approach their job search?  Let’s look.

Manufacturing industry

As shown in Figure 2, within the orientation stage, 85 percent of candidates looking for a job within the manufacturing industry turned to Google and 75 used a job board.  In the consideration stage 83 percent used a company’s career site and 65 percent used social media to learn more about the company.

In the action stage 67 percent of candidates reported that they conducted additional research on an employer.  In this stage only 14 percent of candidates reported employers in the manufacturing industry to be responsive.

Finally, looking at the final stage of the candidate’s journey, 67 percent reported that they felt the employer brand to be important.

 Figure 2: The four phases of the job search; manufacturing industry

Source: 2013 CareerBuilder Candidate Behavior Study

Transportation and warehousing industries

Figure 3 shows that within the orientation stage 86 percent of candidates looking for a job within the transportation and warehousing industries turned to Google and 71 percent used a job board.  In the consideration stage 87 percent used a company’s career site and 64 percent used social media to learn more about the company.

In the action stage 65 percent of candidates reported that they conducted additional research on an employer.  In this stage only 15 percent of candidates reported employers to be responsive.

In the engagement phase, 75 percent of candidates reported that they felt the employer brand to be important.

Figure 3: The four phases of the job search; manufacturing industry

Source: 2013 CareerBuilder Candidate Behavior Study

In the end

Candidates looking for jobs within the manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries are using the internet and social media.  They are researching these industries and researching companies within these industries.  They are forming opinions, acting on these opinions, and sharing their opinions with others.

If the manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries want to attract great talent and retain their interest throughout a candidate’s job search they need to invest in their online presence and become active in social media.