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I recently sat down to talk with one of my clients. She runs a small business and has listed a job opening with my company, HireMyMom. I asked her for feedback on the hiring process and she told me that her company had received many applications. However, none of those applicants were allowed to proceed to the next stage which would be a telephone interview. Of course, I asked him why. Reason?
Job candidates were not following directions.
This company had listed a very specific job with specific requirements, and to ensure that candidates had all the necessary skills, the company had a handful of things listed in Job description that candidates had to provide after submitting their application materials. Additionally, one of the skills required for the job was attention to detail … which was demonstrated early on to be lacking for many who didn't read the entire list.
I think this brings up important points for both job seeker and companies looking for new hires, so I would like to address both parties.
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Advice for job seekers
The obvious thing to say here is that read each job description carefully. This is even more important when you look at some employment statistics by employers Legal Affairs: only 2% of applicants will make it to the interview stage and of all those who apply, 75% of them are unqualified. Take that and combine it with the fact that 52% of hiring companies believe going through applications is the longest part of the process, citing that it can take up to 23 hours in total to go through all the applications. That's a lot of information to go through so most of it gets thrown out because it doesn't meet the requirements!
I recommend going through the job listings and saving the few that catch your eye. Then, go back and re-read them all in depth to determine if you believe you are a good fit. Then you should customize your application materials – this means tailoring your resume and cover letter to each company. In your resume, list specific skills and jobs that match what you're applying for, and in your cover letter, tell a brief story about how you came to acquire those skills and how you'd like to apply them to this new company. .
If you're submitting the same materials en masse, it's very obvious to employers that they're looking for candidates who are genuinely interested in the position they're offering; many companies feel that job seekers are not committed or truly interested in the job if they receive non-specific application materials.
Personalize your resume and cover letter and use keywords from the job list in your materials. This shows that you read the listing and that you are genuinely interested in the position, and if the company is using software to rank applicants, then your materials will be flagged for people to view because they contain relevant keywords.
Advice for businesses
For companies, sometimes job seekers miss important details because the list you provided is too long or the process too complex. In fact, according to SHRM, 60% of job seekers state that if the application process becomes too time-consuming or complicated they will leave and not complete their application. You should also keep in mind that 86% of job seekers are applying on mobile devices, so your application process should be mobile friendly.
Just like you don't want to read a cover letter that's several pages long, job seekers don't want to wade through an extremely long description to get to the details they need. I've seen some companies spend paragraphs talking about their history, their goals, and what they've accomplished so far, and then the actual work will be at the bottom of all that information in just a few sentences.
Keep things short and organized. Limit yourself to a few sentences about your company's history and goals. Clearly label those sections with headings that say “Company History” or “The Goals We Strive Toward.” Be sure to also clearly label your other sections with job information, required skills, required application materials, etc. Try to keep this information to the point so it's easy for job seekers to see right away whether they're a good fit or not.
Sometimes when a list is too long, unqualified candidates will apply because they are unable to see if they are unqualified due to the amount of information provided. Additionally, make sure you provide very clear instructions on how to apply for the position. Even if it's as simple as “click apply now below”, it ensures job seekers know what's required of them. It's also a good idea to put in possible timeframes that job seekers will hear from you – you can also include whether or not you want applicants to send follow-up emails. Some companies like registrations, while others don't want to be contacted after the initial information submitted.
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Let job seekers know in advance what is expected of them and what the company will offer in return. More often than not, companies get overwhelmed with applicants and don't respond to all of them. This leaves many job seekers feeling ghosted and left out in the cold; it may be helpful to include in your list that if applicants have not received a response by a certain date, this means they have not been selected for the next step.
At the end of the day, job seekers should be sure to carefully read job descriptions and tailor their application materials while companies should write concise descriptions that clearly communicate the job requirements and application process.