It’s pretty easy to get job applications for an open vacancy – upload the position to the big job sites, use the right keywords, and you’ll soon have people sending in their applications.
But if you want more applications – and, therefore, a bigger pool of people to choose from – then you’re going to have to work a bit harder. That’s especially true right now because the job market has more open positions than candidates, and competition is fierce.
It’s worth going the extra mile when it comes to your job listings, though. If you take the right steps to attract more applications, then you’ll have a broader range of candidates. That means you’ll have a better chance of hiring top people – and it means that you can keep those great candidates away from your rivals.
We’ve collected five sure-fire strategies that you should use to guarantee that the best applicants will want to apply to your vacant positions. And, if that’s not enough, head here to find out what you’ll see on resumes in 2022, or click here to get our verdict on the best US job sites.
Post in the right places
There’s an overwhelming amount of choice when it comes to listing your job vacancy online, so it can be difficult to know what sites to use and which ones to avoid.
Happily, some golden rules can make this decision far easier. It’s important to post on all the big mainstream job boards, like Indeed, Monster and ZipRecruiter – if you want access to the biggest databases of candidates, that’s a no-brainer.
Make sure you post it on LinkedIn, too, because that’s the biggest professional social network, and that makes it an essential tool if you want to be truly comprehensive about the job search. The site’s huge database and excellent filtering options also mean you can target people with specific skills or traits. That’s a good option if you’re searching for specific people or if you want to reach passive candidates who wouldn’t ordinarily see your job listings.
If you want more applications and a broader range of high-quality candidates, though, you need to go beyond those obvious sites. Most industries have niche job boards that attract experts and specialists, so posts on those sites are a great idea.
Beyond job boards, post your open vacancies on your company’s social media profiles to expose the listings to the largest audience possible, and develop relationships with universities to attract graduate talent.
Curate your online presence
It’s no good posting your job advert to loads of boards and social networks if people don’t know anything about your company.
If you want more people to apply, then you need to make sure that your company has a great reputation and that plenty of positive information about the business is easy to find online. Candidates do their research when they’re on the job hunt, and if the company sounds vague or unpleasant, they’re less likely to apply.
It’s critical to keep your Glassdoor page updated with as much information as possible, and you should watch for negative reviews to spot potential problems before they become a bigger deal. Other big job boards also allow companies to establish profile pages, so keep those updated. Similarly, maintain your social media profiles – from Facebook and Twitter to LinkedIn and Instagram – with company information, posts, and updates.
Social media activity, company profile pages, positive employee reviews and an active industry presence all paint a positive picture of your business. And, if you’ve got that, more people will apply to work at your company.
Provide loads of information
More candidates will be tempted to apply to your vacancy if you provide as much information as possible in a clear, concise way.
That means your job description needs to list the position’s responsibilities and requirements, but that’s not all: if you want your vacancy to prove attractive, you should supply concrete salary details, information on the time frame for applications, and a contact at the company if people have questions about the vacancy.
Beyond a transparent approach, your job adverts need to feature loads of great information about your company’s benefits, culture, diversity initiatives, and environmental work. More candidates are basing their decisions on these factors now, so they’ll be more likely to submit an application if you can supply solid information.
It’s not just about listing all of those details, either. You must use clear language rather than jargon, and more candidates will find your listings if they’re also optimized for SEO and include relevant keywords. It’s good to add images if possible, too.
Reward people properly
Currently, the job market has more vacancies than it does applicants, which puts people in a position of power – not businesses. Combine this with a higher cost of living and candidates who are more willing to ask for higher salaries and better benefits, and it’s clear that companies must work harder than ever to attract applicants.
There’s only one way to really approach this issue, though: to make sure candidates apply to your company rather than a rival, make sure you’re offering more money than the competition and ensure that you also have a comprehensive, competitive benefits package that goes above and beyond, too. If you want success, don’t skimp and don’t skirt around these issues.
It’s certainly a more expensive strategy than trying to hire staff on the cheap, but it’s one of the best methods if you want to make sure that you get a large pool of high-quality applicants.
Rely on your existing workforce
Your current employees are obviously great when it comes to getting the job done daily, but they’re potentially an untapped recruitment resource, too.
Your company should have a referral scheme that offers financial rewards if staff recommend hires who pass their probationary periods. It’s crucial because your existing workers will be incentivized to recommend your open positions to friends, family members, and professional contacts. Not only will these recommendations hopefully have the skills required to do the job, they should be a good cultural fit too – after all, it’s in everyone’s best interest for those referrals to work out swimmingly.
And, as an added bonus, candidates who eventually apply thanks to a staff referral are often passive candidates rather than active job seekers. So, as well as being a good cultural fit with the right skills for the job, you probably won’t be competing with rivals for their attention and applications.
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