Are you not attracting great candidates as you did in the past? Do you see fewer qualified applicants from your job postings? Why are you failing to attract a pool of candidates worth interviewing? The culprit may be the posting itself.
Now is the time to review your job descriptions to see if they contain potential problems that drive candidates away.
Unrealistic Qualifications
One of the primary reasons companies don’t see qualified candidates for their position is they make the qualifications challenging to meet. Often, organizations will try to include the highest possible requirements to weed out unqualified people, but the unspoken repercussion of that is even qualified people are hesitant to apply.
Too Many Responsibilities
The same is true when creating a laundry list of responsibilities. When you try to include every minor detail of the job, you don’t excite people about the opportunity. Instead, focus on the most essential things and include more information about how this role fits into the company.
No Salary Transparency
Some states have enacted laws that require companies to disclose salary ranges in their online job postings. Even if you aren’t required to do so by law, it’s still good practice. More candidates are avoiding applications for jobs where salary is kept secret.
It’s Hard to Read
You need to pay attention to your formatting as well. Much like a resume, a job description should be easy to read at a glance. Yes, you want to encourage candidates to read the posting entirely, but you must do the work to make that easier. Use bullet points rather than extensive paragraphs. Don’t be cute or overly creative with wording or job titles.
Not Enough Info About Your Company
Your job description is also the first opportunity to make a good impression. Why would a candidate want to apply or work at your company? You must share information about your company culture and what they can expect if they accept a job with your organization.
Too Hard to Apply
Finally, you may be losing people in the final steps of the initial application process. Even qualified candidates will simply avoid the process if it is too difficult to apply. The abandon rate of online applications is very high, so ensure your process is smooth and easy to use.
Do you want to update your job descriptions? Contact Hutco to see how we can help.