Gi Group Holding, a global workforce expert that supports more than 25,000 companies worldwide, released new insights from their 2025 Candidate survey. Nearly half of UK job seekers (47.62%) said they would lose interest in a position if they didn’t receive a response to their application within one week.
Speed and communication have become essential in a highly competitive market, where the candidate experience has a significant impact on employer brand perception. Job seekers expect clear, fast responses. However, the recruitment cycle is still slow, taking weeks or months to complete.
Gi Group’s 2025 Candidate Survey reveals a growing gap between the pace of recruitment and what jobseekers expect. According to Gi Group’s managing director Pete Taylor, this imbalance could cost both employers and candidates top talent if open discussions are not held about expectations, details of a high-quality recruitment process, and the importance for continued development of recruitment experts on the market.
Data collected from Gi Group customers and candidates across the UK shows a clear generational split. Over 50% of 18-25-year olds expect to hear from the company within seven days. This shows a strong desire to receive feedback immediately. More than one-third of older candidates, especially those aged 55 to 64, are willing to wait up to two weeks. 12.6% will even wait longer if the timeline is clearly communicated.
Pete Taylor, the Managing Director of Gi Group, commented on the findings: “The implications for HR and Recruitment teams are stark.” If you don’t adapt to the changing expectations, it could lead to high drop-offs and losing high-calibre candidates to competitors who are more responsive. If organisations want to attract the best candidates, they must improve communication and accelerate recruitment processes.
“However employers are trying to overcome their own barriers during the recruitment process. In 2025, the UK job market will be faced with many challenges which are contributing to recruitment delays. The economic uncertainty has led to cautious hiring, as many companies have consolidated their workforces, and are hesitant to hire new talent.
“At the same time, AI-generated applications have inundated recruiters’ with CVs which often lack authenticity. Many job seekers use AI to create their CVs. This results in boring, standardised CVs that make it difficult for hiring managers and recruiters to find qualified, genuine candidates. It is important to have a recruitment specialist who is embedded in the sector they serve. This will help match the right candidate with the correct role, and most importantly, on time.
Some experts are advocating a shift away from traditional hiring practices based on CVs and Cover Letters. This approach emphasizes real-world problem solving abilities and practical assessments over polished resumes in order to give a more accurate picture of a candidate’s potential.
Pete stressed that urgency was key. He said: “The results of our latest ‘state of the Nation’ survey should serve as a wake-up for the entire recruiting process.” In today’s competitive market, the candidate experience is key. If you don’t respond in a timely manner that matches expectations, you risk losing your best talent to competitors who are more agile. In recruitment, speed and transparency are not merely ‘nice to haves’; they’re a must.
“Also, candidates should be aware that employers receive a flood of AI-written CVs. Some candidates don’t read the job descriptions or qualifications. Prospective employers have to spend a lot more time filtering through the CVs to find the best ones. In a tight job market, hiring the best candidate is more important than ever. But there are more obstacles to overcome.
Gi Group Holding is the parent company of Gi Group UK and one of the leading global providers of services to support the evolution of labour markets. It is active in 37 countries and has more than 650 offices with over 8,700 staff. The company provides services to more than 25,000 companies worldwide, and generates EUR3.2 billion of revenue. This makes it the 8th-largest recruitment and HR service company in Europe, and 10th-largest in the world.
Gi Group Holding offers a wide range of HR and recruitment solutions through its brands. INTOO focuses primarily on career development and coaching services. Marks Sattin specializes in technology, finance, legal and executive recruitment. Grafton matches skilled blue-collar and white collar professionals with job opportunities. Gi Group UK provides both temporary and permanent solutions for blue-collar and white-collar positions, as well semi-skilled workers, throughout the United Kingdom.
The original version of this article Leading recruiter Reveals Gen-Z Jobseekers Expect Offers Within One Week of Interview appeared first on Human Resources News.
