Free eBook – How to Attract the Right Applicants

Some people think that we are a software company. But we see ourselves as a solution company. We provide solutions through our hiring software. All day long our team talks to customers and potential customers about the pains and frustrations that plague them at their jobs. One thing that has come up a lot lately is the problem of not being able to attract the right applicants. Some people struggle to attract enough applicants and others struggle to attract talent that is the correct fit for their open positions.

Because this has been on our minds lately, we decided to put together an ebook to help our HR friends learn how to attract the right applicants. The guide is available for download here. Here are a few of the things you will learn by downloading and reading this guide.

People want to be happy where they are and to make a positive impact

Step 1: Understand the role you need to fill

In this section we talk about the importance of really understanding the role that needs to be filled. One of the best ways we have found is to talk to your current employees. Is there someone in that same department that is a star employee? What is it about that person that makes them great? Talk to them. Find out why they applied, why they enjoy working for you, and find what skills do they have that makes them a perfect fit. Armed with this knowledge you will be more equipped to find that applicant.

Step 2: Understand your job seekers

Here we talk about what applicants are looking for and where they are looking for it. Since job seekers are different than they used to be, flexibility, positive company culture and personality fit are all more important than the pay. People want to be happy where they are and to make a positive impact. Where they search is also important. Using the correct keywords in the correct format can bring in more qualified talent. More specifics laid out in the guide.

Step 3: Write the perfect job listing

Before you even begin, you should lay out your goals for the listing. Because there are so many details that need to be included in the ad, many times we forget to entice and attract the applicant. Your job ad should do that. Give specifics, don’t be afraid to show-off a little, and only include the necessities. And no . . . previous employer’s mailing addresses and their social security numbers are NOT necessary at the time of application.

Since job seekers are different than they used to be, flexibility, positive company culture and personality fit are all more important than the pay

Step 4: Post the job.

Where you post the job and correctly using keywords will help your applicants find you. Most of your job seekers are using a search engine such as Google to find open positions. They generally list their city and state as well. So, don’t forget to include those. And don’t forget to use your employees and social media to get the word out. More on that in the ebook.

Step 5: Make the application process easy and effective

Sometimes in HR we view our application as a gatekeeper. We have to keep people out unless they fit the perfect mold. We want to know every detail of the applicant’s life in order to make the most educated decision possible. However, when we do this, we scare our best applicants away, leaving the most desperate applicants behind. That is not who you want to hire. Keep the application short and to the point but make sure to include deal breaker questions. If your applicant NEEDS to have a clean driving record or they will not be considered for the job, include that. That will help you narrow your pool to only those qualified. Then you can look deeper into that group. ApplicantPro helps in this process by splitting those that meet the basic qualifications into one place and those that don’t in another place then we make it super easy to communicate with both groups directly from the system.

Step 6: Continually improve

Here we talk about finding out where you currently are with your hiring and then charting if your changes are improving your applicant flow and your quality of applicant. We touch on how Google Analytics can assist you as well.

I hope this gives you a brief overview of the information found in our ebook.

To get all of the details, click here and download your copy today