Bulgaria: 2018 recruitment and job seeking trends

The unemployment rate in Bulgaria has reduced from its record high of 19.27% to around 6.8% in 2018, and the market is looking extremely buoyant. The employment market in Bulgaria is quite traditional in many respects, so in-house employees tend to be the preferred option. Some of the top Bulgarian recruitment trends are discussed below:

How job seekers approach employers

It's become increasingly popular for job candidates to apply for vacancies via LinkedIn profiles or other professional social media platforms. What's more, there are a lot more applications made by way of referrals. Within the IT sector, proactive recruitment is still the best way to find quality talent. Apart from expanding their recruitment departments and relying on external recruitment partners, companies do a lot in the area of employer branding. This includes the design of very detailed separate career sections on their websites, organization of technical meetups, sponsoring tech conferences and generally participating actively in the IT community and getting to feel its pulse.

Working in the IT sector in Bulgaria

In relation to the IT sector, flexible working hours are just about essential for most companies, but the option to work from home has not taken off, even though many companies would benefit from recruitment of this nature. Where working from home in the IT sector is an option, it will typically vary and amount to between two and four days monthly. 

Ways recruitment agencies handle "hard-to-fill" positions

When it comes to hard to fill positions, agencies utilise their research skills and targeting to attract the right candidates. It's also important to provide a personalised service. A traditional sales pitch approach will still work but it's more typical to take a step back to provide a more transparent and genuine approach. In general, company brands determine how difficult it can be to fill vacancies as reputation and brand are among some of the most influential factors for candidates when considering job opportunities However, it is not uncommon for unknown and new companies to be even more successful in their recruitment. The thing to remember here is being as transparent and honest about the job perspectives as ois

Factors that are most influential for the recruitment sector in 2018, when compared to 2017

Within the IT sector, work-life balance is an essential determining factor. Candidates are looking for success, but that doesn't necessarily mean putting every effort into the work environment, it now tends to mean having the ability to successfully balance work and private lives.

Top job seeking trends for 2018 

So far this year there are similar trends to 2017, although personal branding is becoming more important than ever. Salary expectations tend to be one of the most important factors in recruitment, although company mission and values also play a big part along with growth opportunities, technical vision of the company and most importantly – management style. 

What candidates look for in company employers

Candidates appreciate the benefits offered by smaller companies, offering a more hands-on management style, but large corporations with a  bigger and more layeredstructure are also popular with job seekers. Another type of business which appeals to candidates is the truly people-oriented big company, which puts in all the effort at strategic levels to engage with employees. 

Candidate expectations

Most Bulgarian job applicants are looking for an employer offering a range of opportunities, such as learning possibilities, growth potential, the ability to change roles every couple of years, work from home options and other freedoms. Candidates also expect their employer to demonstrate a clear vision of the management structure going forward. 

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