Hire me please! Expectations of the ecommerce hiring process in 2015

So, it gets to a stage where you need change, excitement and a new challenge. The world of ecommerce is constantly moving, and you want to move with it. Alternatively, you could be traversing the ecommerce landscape for the first time, ready to make your mark. We at cranberry panda want to give you an insight into the process ahead. Let's take a look at the ecommerce hiring process, reviewing the expectations and perceptions of the respondents to our 2015 salary survey.

“I want a job in ecommerce. When can I start?”

In our 2015 salary survey, we really wanted to look at the hiring process and the expectations that come with it. Remember, the results we collected are not a breakdown of candidates’ actual experiences, but their perception of how quickly the process moves.

The process of submitting your CV seems pretty straightforward; attach CV, write a glowing cover letter and apply. Twiddle your thumbs, make a cup of tea and wait it out. That might be one cold cup of tea by the time you’ve received a response. There are many factors to consider before employers accept their chosen one; the required skills, the candidate matching the company and the level of urgency the employer has to fill the role. However, we can look at the responses of our wonderful survey. 

The Ecommerce Hiring Process... Great Expectations: The sequel?

70% of our responses expected the recruitment process to take up to 6 weeks. That is from the CV submission to the starting date. Taking everything into account for the company hiring, it takes longer than this in practice.

How were the overall responses broken down?

As we can see, the overall length of time has a quite a range. It seems the general consensus is that the ecommerce world moves so fast, it doesn’t take long to start a role you can’t resist. However, there are still a substantial number of responses above six weeks. 

How do I find an ecommerce job with this in mind?

In the past week alone, over 500 ecommerce jobs have been advertised across LinkedIn for the London area. So, one site and one city have opportunities like this? It’s like an all you can eat ecommerce buffet. Of course, like any buffet, not everything will agree with you. You want to handpick what is best for you, to ensure the right responses and the best efficiency.

• Are you still at university, and have some free time to learn new skills? In 2014-2015, there was an increase of employers offering paid work experience to really help build up skills for the future. Once you are ready to potentially enter graduate schemes, you are far more likely to secure a coveted spot than someone with no work experience. If you’re at university, and you’re reading this, consider opportunities that will make you future job search produce faster results.

Directly from the mouth of a panda, our very own consultants offered their personal experience from placing ecommerce talent in roles. As mentioned, there are a variety of factors that affect the process, which means every experience will be different.

• Our consultants agreed, however, that in senior roles the journey will involve an extended interview period. Taking the notice period into account, senior roles from application to offer often take an average of 4-6 weeks.
• The time of year, according to our consultants, is also a defining aspect. In the summer months, it seems the process slows down taking holidays into account. Have you factored in the best times to apply?
• Different employers handle interviews in a number of ways. The standard number of ‘rounds’ is two, however our consultants have encountered roles with up to five ‘rounds’. That’s a lot of interviews, right?
• Looking at what our consultants say above, how can you expand your chances? Referring to our survey once again, a significant amount of respondents personally felt that chances of employment are better represented through a recruiter. Not only that, those looking to fill new roles often use recruiters based on past experiences with them.

Good luck!

Want more #PandaPounds insights?

You're in luck! We've got more features than you can count on your paws. Visit our #PandaPounds category and keep reading!