Why Candidates Aren’t Applying

A recruiter or employers worst nightmare: You need to fill a position, so you write the best job description and wait for talent to apply. The only thing is, no one applies. What gives?!

We did a little bit of searching as to why this happens and, it turns out the biggest barrier to them applying for a job is not knowing enough about the company or the job itself. So what do candidates do initially when they see a job listing and it peaks their interest:

59% Look up the company website

46% Update their CV

34% Check out the companies social media, articles etc

27% LinkedIn Search of employees and company

It’s safe to say that what candidates uncover when they look up your company’s website, read about your company online and talk to employees have a major impact on whether or not they want to reach out and apply. So, if you don’t hear back—or no one’s applying, the following might have something to do with it…

1.  Your company website is mediocre – the first thing more than half of candidates do after hearing about a job opportunity is visit the company’s website. Will talent become more interested in a job after visiting your website…or will they be turned off? Consider investing in your website, to build a strong employer brand and further attract top talent. Make sure to discuss culture and values, as candidates say this is what they want to know most about your company, followed by perks and benefits and mission and vision.
2. You haven’t developed a strong enough employer brand – Research shows these companies with a strong employer brand spend up to 50% or less on hiring. While building an attractive, useful website will contribute to a stronger employer, there’s a lot more you can do. For starters, make sure you have a solid social network presence to recruit and pique the interest.
3. Brand ambassadors – Your employees play a big role in hiring and 89% of job seekers will network with employees when they’re interested in a job. Candidates are most interested in topics like career trajectory, expectations and workload, “a day in the life of” what it’s like working for your company and simply, an employee’s perspective of the company.
4. Low Salary (or none listed) – Do you put your salary in the job description? If it’s not competitive, forget it. Candidates do their research so you should to. If you don’t have the budget for a more competitive salary, you might want to offer other benefits or incentives to convince your job applicants to apply. And if you don’t want to disclose the actual salary, you can also include a salary range.
5. No flexible Working Options – After the pandemic, many employees are looking for the opportunity to work from wherever they want. You’ll limit your applicant pool if you require people to go into an office five days a week. You may even want to consider offering hybrid options.
6. Too Many Job Requirements – People may not want to apply if your job description looks like a laundry list of job requirements. It makes the job seem unappealing, and most candidates may not even read through all the needs. They may also not meet all of the qualifications for the job and decide not to apply, even if they would’ve been a great fit.

In order to overcome these obstacles and attract potential candidates, it’s important to take a step back and reassess your job posting strategy. This may involve working with a recruitment company, relying on social media to get the word out, or revising the job posting to make it more appealing to a wider audience.

Overall, it can be frustrating when a job posting doesn’t yield any applicants. However, by analysing the root causes of the issue and making changes where necessary, it is possible to attract the right candidates for your organization.