Here's Why Difficult Job Applications End Up Hurting YOU!

Are you an employer looking to hire?

You need to earn what you ask an applicant for in your application!

If you’re asking an applicant to fill out pages and pages of paperwork just to apply to your job, then you’re asking them to give you everything while you give them nothing.

Doesn’t sound too fair when I put it like that, right?

By asking an applicant to go through tons of steps and provide tons of information for the initial application step, you’re implying that you deserve their free labor without having to do any labor yourself.

This mentality comes from the outdated hiring belief that if you are the employer, then applicants need to do whatever they can to earn what you have to offer…employment.

Big dog companies can afford to think this way because they have the status and wage offerings to attract applicants no matter what. 

But as a small, underdog pest control company you simply cannot continue to hold onto this hiring belief if you want to attract quality applicants.

Underdog companies must shift the way they view their application process in order to remain competitive against Big Dog companies for quality applicants.

Small, underdog companies who are hiring must view themselves as marketers who are doing everything they can to earn what applicants have to offer…talent.

How should you market your open jobs? 

The first step towards hiring through this new marketing lens is practicing empathy towards your job applicant. 

Put yourself in the shoes of the applicants you are hoping to attract.

If you are a currently employed applicant who is looking for a new job in between work, would you be incentivized to spend hours to finish the initial application for one company, or instead spend that time applying to multiple companies that make the application process quicker and more convenient?

Probably the latter.

Are you a well-qualified candidate? Is your talent valuable? Are you willing to work on one application that requires you to jump through a ton of hoops just to apply?

Probably not. 

How does one attract the quality candidates that you want?

You must reduce the friction in your application process.

Here is the #1 tip to reduce friction in your application process and increase quality applicant flow. 

Multi-step application process!

Many employers don’t understand that asking for so much information upfront is off-putting. 

People who are great hires tend to be busy or not want to give so much information initially for a job at a company that they know nothing about. 

How do you break up your application process into stages?

For the first stage, get a quick resume, then reach out by text or email to set up a phone call. 

That’s it! 

Move them forward to the next stage (asking for paperwork such as background checks, references, etc.) once they’ve had a real conversation with you. 

By waiting to ask for laborious paperwork from applicants till after your first point of contact with them, applicants will feel more willing to invest time on said laborious paperwork because you’ve already invested time in them.

There is no need to get all the information at once. 

If you need more information after these two stages, this is a great opportunity to create another moment of contact with your applicant. 

More points of contact encourage the applicant in the application process and help both of you keep momentum.

You may be tempted to require an applicant to fill out all the necessary paperwork during the initial application for your job, but this “all at once/ all upfront” method is costing you (especially if you are a small company) the quality applicant you are after. 

I’ve seen time and time again how breaking up your application process into stages attracts higher-quality candidates and incentivizes them to stick with your hiring process. 

This slower application process is the way forward for a quicker hiring process.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about how to effectively break up your application process or are looking for more hiring solutions.