Getting More Applicants

Some of the most popular questions we get are: How can I start getting more applicants coming in? How can I increase applicant flow? How can I get more people applying for my open jobs?

The truth is you really can’t.

See, the problem isn’t that you’ve got a sourcing issue, that the job boards aren’t doing their job, or that the market is a mess. Those are the problems you think you have, but it’s not.

The Real Problem

The problem is deeper than that and the problem is something that you are responsible for. You see, if you aren’t getting enough applications, all the ad money in the world isn’t going to help you because you’re going to get more people that you have to say no to. And at the end of the day, that’s not what people are after.

We think that’s what we want – to start getting more applicants and more opportunities. But I’ve never met a business owner that would rather have 100 applications and two people they want to hire, versus five applications and two people they want to hire. You see the problem isn’t a volume issue, the problem is a quality issue. We need higher quality people applying for your open jobs.

The problem isn’t a volume issue, the problem is a quality issue.

Now, if you’re getting zero applications, that’s a quality issue, not a quantity issue. You see, people don’t want to apply for your jobs. That’s the problem. They see your jobs posted and they want nothing to do with it. So, how do you fix this? How do you solve this problem in today’s job market?

Pretend You’re a Job Seeker

Pretend you’re a job seeker. Search your company, and see what comes up. Would you want to work there? If you haven’t already done this, don’t worry, you’re not alone. So many business owners have told us, “Well, I don’t know. Let’s take a look as I’ve never done that before.” And they see their business through the job seeker’s eyes. And they say, “I don’t know that I’d want to work here either based on what I see.”

Poor Yelp reviews, a website that hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, and Facebook posts that aren’t relevant to the work. You wouldn’t want to work there either.

Recruiting is a Marketing Activity

So the first thing you need to do is take a look at your business through your job seeker’s eyes. Recruiting is a marketing activity, it’s not an HR activity. Recruiting is just like marketing. If you’re not willing to invest in a recruiting process that is attractive, there’s not much that we can do to increase your applicant flow, to increase your lead volume.

You see, when we build customer websites and we think of customer funnels and advertising, it’s all about what’s in it for the customer. Those exact same principles apply when you’re recruiting. What’s in it for the job seeker? Why should they care?

It’s time to take a look at your job descriptions through the job seeker’s eyes. See the world through their eyes. You’ve got to stand out. If you’re not willing to do something different in your job ads, if you’re not willing to write a different kind of ad, you’re just going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten. You’ve got to do something different.

Start Getting More Applicants

Once you’ve made some changes, you’re reading to start getting more applicants. You’ve got a great job ad. You’ve got a great brand. People are applying now. You’ve increased your applicant flow. These are people you really like. You’ve attracted them with your brand. You’ve got them hooked with your job ad.

Think about the interview process as a sales process. You understand the needs of the other person. The employee experience starts when they first interact with your brand or your job ad or they apply.

But too often, hiring managers woo candidates too much on the front end and don’t have a solid process built for the back end.Then new hires are let down. So make sure you have a solid process for taking them through the interview and making sure they feel welcome during onboarding as well.

If you can do these things, you’ll never have to worry about not having enough applicants again.

Ryan Englin
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