Salary is not the main factor in getting a job, skill set matters most: Survey

The skill set of a candidate, who is applying for a job, is the most important determining factor for an employer in deciding whether to hire him rather than factors such as salary or experience, says the findings of a recent OLX-Frost & Sullivan Survey.

According to the survey, while skill set matching is the most-sought-after quality, experience, background check, referral and location of the candidate are other key factors that employers consider above expected salary. Employers also prefer applicants who live in the vicinity, with 55 per cent of the surveyed employers saying that it was an important consideration for them.

The survey, which covers more 4,500 respondents -- 4,000 job seekers, 200 employment agencies and 300 businesses (SMEs and MNCs) -- says while scouting for candidates, getting applicants who meet the job requirements becomes a top priority for employers. Hence, ability to get pre-screened candidates and quickly fill positions have become the primary motivator for selecting a particular channel for talent recruitment, it says.

The survey has also revealed that more than 60 per cent of the jobseekers looking for grey-collar and blue-collar jobs are graduates, and more than one-third of these jobseekers are aged between 26 and 35.
 
It also reveals that adoption and usage of the Internet are high among jobseekers. Three out of four jobseekers have access to the Internet, with a whopping 80 per cent of them accessing the Internet over phones.

"Matching skill-set and relevant work experience of the potential candidate is the key requisite for the employers of temporary jobs. While they acknowledge availability of a vast pool of potential candidates on the 'online' platform, it is their need to frequently and quickly source candidates with verified backgrounds and credentials that urges them to rely on 'offline' channels, like hiring agencies and referrals, for recruiting temporary workers," said Nandini Kelkar, Research Director, Customer Research Services, Frost & Sullivan.

Another finding says that job referral is the most preferred medium for 34 per cent of the respondents while finding a job, closely followed by 25 per cent who preferred the online medium.

It says that the key challenges faced by jobseekers are that they often do not know where to look for jobs (19 per cent), they feel that there are not enough jobs (18 per cent) and the job details are not clear in the jobs that are out there.