Seven in 10 Hong Kongers abandon dream jobs with drawn out applications

Almost 90% believe that a reasonable waiting period for feedback is up to one month.

Seven in 10 (72%) Hong Kongers admitted that they have embraced second-choice job offers when their dream jobs take too long to issue feedback regarding their applications, according to a survey from Robert Half. 

More than half (54%) of candidates have waited longer than a month to hear back from a job they have interviewed for. Almost a third (27%) have waited longer than six weeks whilst 21% admitted to waiting for over two months.

A mere 6% received feedback on the same day they applied.

“High-calibre jobseekers know they are in demand, so the fact that so many of Hong Kong’s jobseekers are turning down their dream job because they’ve been left waiting for so long is concerning,” said Adam Johnston, managing director of Robert Half Hong Kong.

An overwhelming majority (88%) believe that a reasonable waiting period for job feedback falls is up to one month which includes the initial application to receiving the final job offer. Only 12% believe that it is acceptable to wait for over a month.

Also read: Employees willing to ditch jobs for better work-life balance

“However, if hiring managers fail to adapt their recruitment process to the expectations of today’s candidates, they will increase the risk of losing out on the best talent on the market,” added Johnston.