The 2025 Job Market: What Candidates Are Telling Us
We recently ran a poll asking: “What’s been your biggest challenge in the 2025 job market?” The response was overwhelming, not just in numbers, but in the clarity and reaction behind every vote and comment.
Here’s what you told us:
Not hearing back: 66%
Long, slow hiring processes: 18%
Unclear or unrealistic job ads: 11%
Roles don’t match my skills: 5%
It’s clear: the biggest pain point by far is the silence. The waiting. The ghosting. The complete lack of closure especially after final-round interviews. Many of you went beyond voting to share detailed, personal experiences several of which highlighted deeper, systemic issues in the recruitment process:
“I’ve been ghosted by several companies and recruiters after final-round interviews. No feedback, no closure.”
“Job ads say remote, but later they expect four days a week in-office. No transparency on salary. No proper feedback. It’s all becoming too common.”
These comments reinforce what we already know: candidate experience matters more than ever and as an industry, we need to do better.
What we do at Investigo
We’ve taken these responses seriously and are reviewing every stage of our candidate engagement process in order to make improvements. Here's what we're already doing:
1.Timely and respectful communication We provide clear, consistent updates throughout your hiring journey especially after interviews. Silence at any stage, particularly the final one, is not acceptable.
2.Constructive feedback where possible We recognise the importance of feedback. When we’re able to gather meaningful insight from our clients, we will always share it. Vague or generic responses help no one.
3. Greater transparency in job ads We’re working with our clients to ensure that job descriptions are accurate and honest particularly around salary, location, and working arrangements. Ambiguity serves no purpose for candidates or employers.
4. Advocating for efficient hiring processes We are actively encouraging our clients to streamline their recruitment processes and make decisions faster. Long, drawn-out hiring cycles risk losing the best talent and unnecessarily frustrate candidates.
5. Your voice shapes our service Polls like this aren’t just for show. They inform how we work. Your feedback helps us push for a better, fairer, more respectful hiring processfor everyone involved.
We believe recruitment is not just about filling roles, it’s about building trust. That begins with treating every candidate with professionalism, fairness, and respect. The market is competitive, but that’s no excuse for poor communication or broken promises. We’re not perfect but we’re committed to progress.
If you're currently hiring and want to build a better candidate experience or if you're job searching and want to work with a recruiter who genuinely listens-
