Encourage Applicants with a Hassle-Free Application Experience

Job applicants are in a unique position in today’s employment market. With so many job openings available, applicants are weighing the opportunity cost versus the time spent chasing a job opening. If an application experience is too cumbersome or time-consuming, candidates can quickly opt to put applying for that position on the back burner. The last thing an organization wants to do in this tight labor market is to limit the number of qualified applicants because their application process is frustrating and draining.

Providing potential candidates with a hassle-free and welcoming application process puts your best foot forward and ensures that an applicant’s first impression of your organizational culture is positive.

Start with your employer brand. Employer branding is an integral part of making your application process appealing to candidates. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), states that, in part, an employer brand, “communicates that the organization is a good employer and a great place to work … it encompasses an organization’s mission, values, culture, and personality.”

When it comes to creating your employer brand, start by defining how you want to be viewed as an employer. Look at your strengths, remain realistic, and create a brand to which candidates — as well as current employees — will respond. Keep in mind that the employer brand is based on your perspective, as well as feedback on employer review sites, and from what employees share about the organization when they’re not at work. Be sure to regularly review the brand as it will continue to evolve and change, just as your organization changes.

Illustrate and simplify the experience. In addition to demonstrating a strong employer brand, organizations can leverage career sites to show candidates what it’s like to work at their company. A video from key leaders that also includes footage from various departments, as well as employees sharing their experiences, will do wonders to illustrate the work environment, culture, and overall employment experience.

You can also include links to company social media channels on your career site, allowing candidates to check out photos and videos of activities and events that highlights what they can expect if they choose to become a member of your organization.

Then, once you’ve convinced them that they want to work with you, use artificial intelligence to simplify the application process by using their resume to auto-complete a profile in seconds.

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Make sure you maximize mobile. A company’s career site and the application process must be mobile-friendly. Data published by Indeed makes a strong case for why organizations must maximize their presence with a career site that is mobile-friendly. Candidates from every generation are searching for jobs via these devices, including:

  • 78% of Millennials,
  • 73% of GenX, and
  • 57.2% of Baby Boomers

Savvy organizations see this trend toward mobile and are optimizing their career sites accordingly. Companies are making it easy for candidates to not only learn about the organization and view current openings, but also apply for jobs and easily complete the entire application process via their mobile devices. The message is clear — you don’t want to miss out on potential candidates because your careers site is not mobile-friendly. Look for ways to optimize pages for viewing and make sure forms are compatible with all devices.

Effective recruitment isn’t just about matching the right candidate to the job — it’s also about how the applicant perceives your organization throughout the entire process.  Your career site provides your organization with an opportunity to stand out from the competition by providing helpful information as well as a simple and mobile-friendly application process.

Simon Oldham

Simon Oldham
Simon Oldham is the president at QJumpers, a recruitment platform.

Simon Oldham

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