Four in ten Dutch job seekers have sometimes declined an application because of an application procedure that is too complicated. Both men and women once dropped out because of a too complicated application procedure, although women are slightly more likely (40 percent) than men (36 percent) to do so. However, the differences between the various age groups are greater, with it being striking that young people are less tolerant of a complicated application process than older generations. In the 18-24 age group, 47 percent dropped out for this reason, compared to 38 percent in the 25-44 age group and 36 percent of job seekers between the ages of 45 and 65. This is shown by research conducted by Indeed.
When asked about the least enjoyable parts of the application process, writing a motivation letter was the most mentioned with 47 percent. This does not mean that job seekers do not see the importance of this. 85 percent think it's a useful part of the application process, a percentage that matches the number of HR managers that expect a cover letter (86 percent).
Of the latter group, two-thirds (67 percent) view the cover letter as a means of assessing whether an applicant can express himself or herself well. Moreover, 65 percent believe that a written motivation provides more information about the applicant. A salient detail is that 35 percent of HR managers expect a letter of application because he or she wants to see that the applicant makes an effort. Just under a quarter (24 percent) think that a letter is simply part of the process.
