As the leading recruitment platform in Nigeria, we find that the most frequent complaints most employers have are the low quality of applications they receive on their job ads or the low amount of applications they might get. Then they begin to wonder, if there are so many people searching for jobs then why are they having low engagement on their job ads? It might be a good position, a good enough salary range but one thing that is often overlooked is the quality of the job ad itself.
A confusing job application can scare off good talent. Why? Well because it becomes confusing trying to decipher what is being communicated so jobseekers especially passive ones won’t apply or worse, they may develop a negative view of your company and share their bad impression with others.
A job ad to an employer is like a CV to a jobseeker. For some, it might be the first time they get to hear of you which means you have to put your best foot forward.
To find quality talent, you must understand that your candidates are also customers before they become employees. They have the skills that you need to take your company to the next level. You might have the resources but in a fierce marketplace for quality talent, just having the ‘money to pay’ is not good enough.
Here are 5 subtle ways your recruitment process could be discouraging quality candidates from applying –
Your job ad isn’t persuasive enough – Quality candidates are most of the time passive jobseekers, so how do you persuade them to engage with your ad and apply to join your company? This goes beyond the ‘competitive salary’, what total package are you offering?
While many candidates are, of course, accustomed to researching to find more about an organization during the application process, it would be better if they had all pertinent information about the job upfront. What do the day-to-day requirements of the job look like? What are the additional benefits? What is the work culture? What is the company’s mission and vision? and What skills are important for this position?
Put the most essential experience and skill requirements at the top of your list. Also include information about the organization itself and an indication of where to find out more. You need to start seeing a job ad as a basic sales ad, the product is your company and the customers are the quality candidates. When it comes to selling, you are probably keen on creating adverts that sell, so why not do the same for your job ad?
The job application is too long – When good candidates go online to apply for a job you’ve posted, they need to be able to fill it out completely and submit it in 15 minutes or less. The longer it takes to apply, the more candidates will drop out of the process. This isn’t because they aren’t “serious”, they really just have other things to do.
If you are using forms in your application process, only include relevant form fields – to collect the basic information that’s necessary for the first stage of consideration, such as name, contact information, skill sets, brief employment history, and CV. Rather than asking candidates to submit tasks while applying for a job, why not filter with basic information or use an ATS to filter, then the assessments can come after.
The more technical the role, the more information you might need but it’s best practice to have candidates fill and submit in 15 minutes or less.
Long response time – Feedback is important, whether negative or positive, it’s only right that an applicant is given feedback during a recruitment process. It’s important because they might not be right for that particular job at the moment but any other position might spring up and that one-time applicant is just what you need.
Calling a candidate to follow up with their application a month after isn’t the best thing to do, they might have already moved on, gotten another job, or lost interest in the role. This is why it’s best to automate the process and have emails scheduled to all candidates at all levels and if you simply don’t have the time, you can trust Jobberman to handle your recruitment process for you at an affordable rate.
Even if the candidate is still available after a lengthy recruitment process, it can leave a bad impression – not a good way to start off a working relationship. A quick response time is important, especially when dealing with high-level roles that can not easily be filled.
Disorganized job ads – Would you be interested in anyone with a poor CV? Same way job seekers would not be interested in a disorganized job ad. The end goal of any recruitment process is to hire a candidate that will add value to your company. When putting up a job ad, everything has to be thought through, from point A to point Z.
You have to clearly lay out the need for the job role, the tasks, the goals, salary allocation, benefits, type of employment (part-time, remote work, etc), seniority level, and so on. When you have all this information written down, you can then build a proper job ad. When pushing on social platforms like Instagram, you also need to consider the look and feel of your ad, no matter how big or small your company is, a job ad design can influence candidates’ perspective of your company. You can’t expect to do the bare minimum in your ads and designs and expect top-notch candidates to apply, instead, you’ll probably get candidates that didn’t even read the job description.
So cross your T’s and dot I’s – ensure you’re “selling” your brand and the job role with your job ad, that’s the only way a qualified candidate will pay attention.
Listing Unnecessary Requirements – First off, this is a recipe for discrimination claims by unintentionally excluding applicants who could do the job but don’t meet the overly stringent criteria. Let’s say you want a brilliant entry-level intern on your team, so why are you putting up 3 years of experience for the job? Or you need a vibrant regional manager but one of your requirements is 30 years of experience. The job market is filled with so much young and vibrant talent that the question is no longer how long but how well? Your next money-making employee might not have a master’s degree but certainly has what it takes to bring value to your company.
This might not apply to every role or field because when it comes to fields like medicine, experience and qualifications are certainly the best show of technical skills.
As an employer and for the best interest of your company, it is high time you start looking beyond the CV and actually testing candidates for skills that matter (soft and hard skills). With recruitment tools like our Best Match, you’re sure to get top talents looking at your job ad and you’ll get to hire only the best of the best.
