Why do I get so many unsuitable applications to my job posts?
Are you getting hundreds (or even thousands) of applications to your job posts?
The biggest reason is probably because there are a lot of available candidates in that particular job discipline right now.
Are the majority of those applications not even remotely suitable?
The biggest reason for that is they didn’t read the job post.
Then you have to ask yourself why. The answer is usually because it was too long and too boring. It often goes by the name of a ‘job description’. To most people, a job description reads like a really long ransom note.
Many blame the applicant and dismiss them as lazy or stupid. But all these people are really doing is playing the numbers game. Recruiters should know something about that.
It’s the recruiter’s fault
I blame the recruiter for not making the job post easy to read. Because if it’s easier to read and the candidate requirements section is explicit, then many of these applicants (who are probably desperate for a job) won’t apply.
Here’s the bottom line.
The majority of people don’t want to apply for jobs they know they have no chance of getting. And if the job post is easy to read and explicit about the qualifications needed, they’ll know.
If you really are filling a job in a discipline that’s ‘candidate rich’ at the moment, then just put the ‘candidate requirements’ section right at the top of the job post.
That could make everyone’s lives a little easier.
When he’s not running copywriter training courses, Mitch can be found on LinkedIn.
