Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire
4 Ways to Make Your Job Application Process User-Friendly

4 Ways to Make Your Job Application Process User-Friendly

When competing against so many other recruiters to get to top talent first, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure that your application process is user-friendly.

Below are 4 easy ways for you to make your application process a tool of ease for candidates:

1. Easy to Access

Today, in the world of recruiting, top talent is not necessarily swarming your website, searching through job postings.  Furthermore, they are absolutely not going to take the time to complete a cumbersome application process, nor do they always need to do this.

If you want to have a better chance at top talent applying to your positions, you need to make sure your application process is easy to access.

Think of developing a mobile site where applicants can easily view and apply to your positions via tablets or smart phones.  According to Undercover Recruiter, “3 in 5 jobseekers are using mobile devices to search for jobs.”   I promise you that passive candidates (top talent that you need) is casually browsing job openings on their mobile devices.  Make it easy for them to see your opportunities and apply.

2. Quick Process

If you are requiring your applicants to answer a lot of pre-qualification questions before submitting their application, you will easily lose valuable top talent to this cumbersome requirement.

Eliminate the excessive questions and make it quick and easy for a candidate to apply to your opportunities.  Yes, this may increase the number of unqualified applicants you receive to a job, but if you receive 1 top qualified applicant out of 20, it will be well worth it.

3. Options for Resume Submittal

Today’s top talent is much more technically advanced than previous years.  This means that the top candidate you are searching for may not have the traditional resume to submit.  In this case, you should offer other options.

Make sure that your application process offers the option for a candidate to submit a video resume or LinkedIn profile.  If you have made the decision to go mobile with your application process, it will be very easy to modify the process so that applicants can apply via LinkedIn.

Video resumes may be new to you, but you will find out that they offer a great way to judge a candidate’s personality and cultural fit when it comes to making initial selections during the interview process.  Make sure that you offer the option for candidates to upload a video resume in place of a standard resume.

4. Confirmation follow-up

As with any application process, make sure that you have some kind of confirmation going out to an applicant to notify them that their application was received. Likewise, if you had decided that the applicant is not a fit, make sure that you send a follow up email notification that they were not selected to move forward.

If a top candidate has applied, be sure to immediately follow up with that candidate.  The longer you wait to reach out to top talent, the better the chance that another recruiter will contact the candidate first.

What are some other ways you could make your application process user friendly?  Please share your tips in the comments below.

Image: Maridav/BigStock.com

Julia Weeks

Julia is a skilled Recruiter with over 8 years of experience in sourcing, interviewing, and hiring within many industries globally. She works closely with hiring managers and job seekers to understand needs and desires, while offering guidance and ensuring the right fit. When not recruiting or writing, Julia enjoys spending time outside cycling, taking her dog for walks, or honing her sailing skills.