How to Get the Right Applicants for Your Open Position
By: Zach Neuman
Tags: Opinion, Employment, Careers, HR, Job Hunting

They could use some of this… Photo by Dmitry Demidko on Unsplash

Be Up Front With the Salary

This one is a little more complicated. As I said, companies like yours expect an ROI of sorts from each worker. Salespeople need to bring in the numbers, accountants need to balance the books correctly, I get the efficiency point. But, too many workers are disillusioned when they need to give a number; it’s like signing a death wish on the application. It’ll either be too high- and they’ve put too high a value on themselves- or it’s too low and they think their leg is being pulled.

You can tell by the number of applications if the numbers are too high or low, too. Be reasonable with the salaries, too; don’t give too low a number for an executive position. Use websites like Glassdoor to determine how much the job should cost and put that number range on the job listing.

The point: Put a range (for example “between $35,000–45,000 a year) to the open position so people can understand and not try to guess your magic number.

They’re tired of the extra hurdles… Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

Make the Process Simple

Some job applications should be easy; send in a resume with either a cover letter or samples, and done. Then companies realized that they needed more information. This led to convoluted application processes on old platforms that required way too much energy for a simple “yes” or “no” from some HR manager.

Here’s what companies have made applicants do over the years:

Fill out a job form, attach a resume, add a cover letter/portfolio, then fill out your experience again, which was already on the attached resume, on another page.

Select, on a scale from one to ten, how much they know about a dozen or so programs or skills, some not even necessary for the position.

Convert resumes to PDF because that’s all they’ll take.

Connect a LinkedIn profile, website, previous works, and social media accounts.

Answer a questionnaire about their strengths and weaknesses.

Fill out a profile on their specific job portal and upload their resume to apply for one open job. They then must constantly visit their own account to see any change in status without receiving a single notification.

This is all ridiculous. It doesn’t have to be this convoluted. Either make a submission form on your website or tell applicants to send their resumes to HR directly.

The Point: Streamline the application experience. Make it easier for the right people to connect with you.

They want to feel human… Photo by Lachlan Dempsey on Unsplash

Keep in Touch

So, you found the right people. Great! Now, what about the other 99% of applicants that sent in their resumes for your open role?

Most HR workers ghost them like they were terrible first dates. After a few weeks, some intrepid applicants might ask about them, only to receive either no response or a mechanical one like “Dear Applicant, This position has been filled. Thank you for applying. We will keep your resume on file.” (By the way, when people hear about “keeping resumes on file”, they envision a recycle bin.)

This is probably the most important element of the entire process; be human to the applicants. Do you want to turn people off from a company? Act terribly to them when they want to work for you.

I believe the ultimate test for a company’s image is to see how they approach applicants. If a company acts terribly towards them, then that’s an indicator of a rotten foundation. The inverse is true, too; if a company contacts every applicant when they receive the application and after they made a decision, it shows that they care.

There are many ways HR can go above and beyond here. It could be an explanation for the rejection, or resources for how to get better, or even a number for a different company looking for an applicant’s experience, but that’s not what I’m expecting. Sometimes, all you need is common decency.

No company is too big to treat their applicants like numbers on a sheet.

The Point: Even if there’s nothing an applicant can provide to the company, it’s imperative to treat them like human beings. It will definitely make you look good, and likely share the position with others who may have what you’re looking for.