Here’s What More Than 450 HR Professionals Have to Say

The results are in for the 2015 McQuaig Global Talent Recruitment Survey and I’m really excited about what they have to say about the challenges companies are facing and how they’re adapting. We changed up the questions this year and were able to dissect the data to show the differences between companies that are have more success and those that are struggling, providing valuable insights for anyone looking to improve hiring outcomes.

In total, 453 HR professionals from around the globe shared their insights with us regarding the state of talent acquisition, where their biggest challenges lie, what’s working and what isn’t as they try to attract A-level talent.

You can download the complete report here, but here’s a look at just a few of the results:

Successful companies are more likely to use employee referrals and social media as a source of candidates than their competition
65% say it’s hard to find employees who are a cultural fit
Attitude/personality conflict is the #1 reason new hires fail
74% of the hiring decision is based on interviews, but only 41% feel their hiring managers are skilled interviewers

Compared to 2014

Far fewer felt that it was getting easier to fill open positions this year (8%) compared to our 2014 survey (28%). One-third said it’s harder today than it was one year ago. And 65% said it is hard to find a cultural fit, a 14% jump compared to a year ago.

Finding qualified candidates remains the top recruiting challenge, but it jumped 10 points from 2014, supporting the assertion that it’s getting harder to find talent. We also asked what positions were the toughest to fill this year and specialized technical roles and middle-management lead the way.