You’ve seen it happen; you post a job listing, enticing people to apply. There are many job seekers out there looking for a good position that fits them, and you’re offering. But the applications just aren’t rolling in the way you would expect. You don’t want the role you’re advertising to fall into the recruitment black hole, so you’ll need to make it stand out from other job offers and listings.
One of the main reasons that you may not be seeing applicants is because job seekers have been burned before by unscrupulous recruiters, companies that aren’t what they advertise, and jobs that are definitely not what was posted online. Changing jobs is a huge gamble, and applicants need to be reassured that applying for a new position won’t be a waste of their time and resources or even make their situation worse.
Another reason people may not apply is if a listing seems out of date. Perhaps the position was posted four months ago, but you’re still looking for someone to fill it — job seekers may think that you forgot to take the outdated listing down. Should you post a job that requires a specific skill set and doesn’t get you a lot of applicants, this could be even more of an issue.
Many job seekers won’t apply for a position with no transparency. In some cases, the listing may not be clear about who the job is even with. A common trend with recruitment agencies is to keep information on open positions out of the public eye, but this can hurt you if your potential applicants think that you have something to hide. Job seekers may find your listing and think that it’s just a way to get their CV on file, so be sure to provide as much information as you can on the position.
Applicants these days are very aware of potential scams and they’ll be looking for red flags in your job listings. Anything that advertises the potential to make a lot of money will arise suspicion. Offering an instant messaging service or a premium rate number for applicants to get more information on the listing will sound fishy as well. Use your best judgment; if you had no information about your company, would this be a listing you would apply for?
There are also plenty of overused cliches that you should stay away from when writing your listing. If you’re advertising a work-from-home position that would be perfect for students or stay-at-home moms, you may put the idea in applicants’ minds that the pay will be very low. Calling for people who are “flexible” or have a “good sense of humor” may tell applicants that they’ll be facing a heavy workload or a lot of hours.
It’s possible that all of these elements are actually part of the position you’re advertising, but potential candidates need to know that they can trust your job listing. Be careful how you describe the position so that it doesn’t feel off-putting to job seekers. Applicants put a lot of thought and weight into their decision to apply to a job, so make sure you’re doing the same when creating your job listing.