Candidate Experience: 5 Ways you May be Putting off Applicants

People-iconsAre you struggling to attract the right candidates for your roles? Or have you ever found the perfect candidate for a vacancy, only to lose out at the last minute because they’ve chosen to accept a job with another employer?
If you feel that your candidate attraction and retention strategy is falling short, perhaps it is time to take a step back and re-evaluate the basics. Having an effective recruitment advertising strategy can aid this process and sometimes you can focus so much on the details, it’s easy to forget the basics.
Here, we share with you 5 ways you could be repelling those all important candidates and, most importantly, the steps you could look at taking to rectify these issues.

1. Lack of communication

The market has changed and things are becoming candidate-driven again. This means that you need to make a real effort to get candidates on board.
In Webrecruit Ireland’s 2015 Candidate Survey, 74% of candidates cited that it was very important to receive regular communication from the hiring company regarding updates on their application.
So, if you receive a good application, don’t just sit on it and leave it cold for a few weeks before getting in contact. Candidates will be applying for other roles and that time could be enough for them to secure an interview for another job.
Additionally, a lack of communication doesn’t promote your company in the best light. Leaving it weeks to get in contact with a candidate suggests that you’re not on top of things. Is this really the impression you want to give to potential employees?

2. The wrong job advert

An effective job advert doesn’t just attract the highest quantity of applicants, it should also encourage a high quality of candidates.
But what distinguishes a ‘good’ job advert from a ‘bad’ advert? The biggest offenders include using jargon that doesn’t mean anything to anyone, making adverts too lengthy and asking for a long list of essential skills that aren’t really necessary.
It’s important to tailor your adverts to the audience you’re aiming them at. For example, if you’re recruiting for a sales position, talk about your great commission scheme and any extra benefits. Whereas, for a graduate role, emphasise career progression and future opportunities.
Don’t forget, attracting 100 mismatched candidates is not what you want – it’s much better to have 10 who are well-suited to the job.
There are a multitude of areas that could be putting candidates off. It’s important to review your adverts and think to yourself, ‘would I apply for this?’ – if not, candidates probably won’t either.

3. Sourcing etiquette

When using platforms such as LinkedIn to source those all-important passive candidates, don’t just send out a generic message – tailor your InMails to entice people. Don’t be too pushy, take into account people’s needs and explain how your company can benefit them.
Don’t be rude to candidates who aren’t interested. Remember, you’re trying to convince them to work for your company so ensure that you portray a professional and friendly image at all times.
If you stumble upon a candidate who’s not open to moving to a new role but possesses some niche skills and experience, it’s worth keeping in contact with them. They might not be willing to move at the moment but they might in a year’s time.

4. Lack of brand identity

94% of candidates cited that knowing the name of the company is quite or very important in Webrecruit Ireland’s 2015 Candidate Survey. Popular reasons for this were enabling them to research the company culture, and understanding if they’d be a good fit.
Talk to potential new hires with passion and enthusiasm for your brand, and make sure that you really emphasise your company’s values – this way, you’ll gauge whether candidates will be a good match or not.
Does your careers page or site have a ‘Work For Us’ or ‘Company Culture’ page? This is the perfect place to show candidates who you really are and what you have to offer them. Culture and benefits can be a brilliant selling point and will make candidates want to work for your business.

5. A poor application process

In this changing market, the candidate experience is key. And, most likely, the first contact they’ll have with your company is the application form when they apply for a vacancy.
A poor application process can be frustrating and if it’s overly long, guess what? Candidates probably won’t bother to complete it.
This also applies to careers sites that aren’t mobile optimised. With more and more jobseekers choosing to apply for jobs on a mobile device, a mobile optimised application process is vital.
Just think of all the fantastic talent you could be losing out on by not simplifying your application process.
Looking to develop your candidate attraction strategy? Find out more about Webrecruit Ireland’s recruitment advertising solutions.


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